₦airaland Forum

Zoe2019:
Hello everyone,please I need urgent help,can anyone please help with a good doctor’s contact and hospital in Huston or Maryland I have been on this close a month but am yet to get anyone and my due date is getting close I will really appreciate any help from you guys God bless you all

Hi! I used Anne Arundel for my delivery by CS and it cost about 15k for everything (three days hospital stay). Dr. Ballas performed the surgery.

QUEENBIZ:
I used Dr Chaudry in 2020 in PG Hospital and I’m sure he’s still practicing but he moved his office to District Height now I think but you can use this website to search for Obgyn with good reviews too and get more information about the hospital in which they practice:
https://www.healthgrades.com/
PG hospital is not closed but they moved to another location within the county. You can also visit www.mooreobgyn.com for more enquiry, they use holy cross hospital.

Hi! I just used Anne Arundel Medical center. My Doctor was Dr. D Ballas. Everything costs about 15k for a three days stay for my baby and I

Hi everyone!

I saw a post about entering the US few weeks/days before your visa expires. So I tried it today and got stamped in for 6 months. My visa expires in 10 days. Posting it here in case someone else has similar concerns.

Alhamdulillah!!! Drop box is back. The struggle for date refused now.

olamie:
Good day everyone.
I'm traveling to Nigeria. Please do I need to take covid test if I'm fully vaccinated?

Yeah. Plus you need to fill the ncdc form too. The amount you pay for that depends on the state you choose. E.g Edo state= 40k, Abuja = 79k etc

olamie:
Please how long does the result take?

24 hours

patricia23:
Hello! Where you able to use the Covid test from CVS for travel to Nigeria? What airline

Yeah, Qatar

Good morning everyone, please does anyone have a sure plug for earlier TB test date in Lagos or Abuja?

Lochinny:
Hi guys! Wanted to give my POE experience coz I’ve learnt a lot here and I believe mine would help someone. Sometime in March I told you guys about having a visa that’ll expire in May and that I was thinking of using it to give birth. I was encouraged most especially by @debbieeeeee
and @pointednose to go ahead.. and I actually did.

So here’s my experience:
I traveled with my Child which I gave birth to with the same visa 2 years ago. It wasn’t an easy journey. Went with Qatar airways. (One of the best airline I must say, just that the journey was quite long)
My POE was JFK which I used the previous time. When I got there, I was directed to join the citizens line because of my child. While on the line, a lady saw me and asked me to come forward (obviously a helper from God plus she saw I was pregnant and carrying a child) mind you, I didn’t try to cover it my pregnancy. did same 2 years ago infact I was almost due when I traveled the last time.
So back to my story, I met the POE officer who asked for my passport, he collected my child’s own and asked what I’m here for, I told him to have my 2nd baby. He looked at the computer for a while without saying a word to me, then stamped my child’s passport. Then he collected mine and asked where I was going to stay and asked for how long. I told him the town I was staying and I’m looking at 3months Or more. He now asked if I came with any food stuffs and I told him just spices, he now asked to see my face and I removed my face mask. He then stamped my passport 6 months and said have a nice stay.

From this, I can tell you two things
1) prayer is the key. I and my husband prayed seriously for a smooth Poe. Even told my pastor

2) Be truthful. Just say the truth to them. I learnt it here that being honest pays so when I traveled to have my first child, I told them exactly the same thing, (then I was obviously pregnant so I couldn’t even dare lying) and it was an easy Poe and I used the same JFK.
After hearing people say that 2nd time is always tougher, I got scared and people advised me to cover up since my pregnancy isn’t that obvious but I still couldn’t see myself doing it. I just said what will be will be. I made sure I was with every single receipt from the first one and a letter from the hospital showing I didn’t collect any Medicaid from them. Still they didn’t ask of anything..

These people appreciate honesty and I think if we keep being honest, they’ll start seeing Nigerians in a good way.

Thanks @Debbieeeeee and @PointedNose for the encouragement.

Hi mama!
Please how many months before your visa expiry did you travel?

There was a message about entering the US the month your visa is expiring. I can’t seem to find it

patricia23:
Hello! Where you able to use the Covid test from CVS for travel to Nigeria? What airline

Yes yes

Mummywifey:
Yes you can . A friend did this, although they asked for pictures of her in the hospital and in the USA as well.

please did your friend do this before, during or after the pandemic?

Debbieeeeeee:
Thank you very much, I initially booked with cvs but after I saw that I’ll need to provide the ID upon drive through I cancelled the appointment, I’ll rebook the thing now, as for Walgreens the thing didn’t allow me proceed without the social or state ID.

I presented my Nigerian passport as ID when I got to CVS. Luckily, the person that attended to me was a Nigerian woman ���. You get the kit and take the samples by yourself.

Sheila007:
Thanks for the info… do you have an idea what can be done if the father of the child is not present in the us wen applying for passport

I think some mamas wrote about this on the (two) previous pages.

Talosub:
@purpleribbon

Thanks for the details. Please how did you get the birth certificate? I am also in Maryland. But I’m a bit confused on how to process the BC.

Thank you.

Hi mama!

The application for birth certificate started from the hospital. You can call the vital records office in Baltimore, book an appointment and collect it if you need it urgently. It costs 10 dollars per copy. Alternatively, you can go the the office at Montgomery (you don’t need an appointment), it costs 25 dollars per copy.

Lochinny:
Good afternoon! Thank you so much for your advice especially @purpleribbon and @Demmy2021
Been trying to complete everything as my return is next week. I’ve gotten my baby’s passport. Called them and gave them my flight itinerary and booking reference. They gave me an appointment but also told me that they may hasten the process and so that I might get the passport before I go for the appointment and that was how it happened so I had to cancel the appointment as they asked me to.

@Demmy2021, did you eventually pay for the cvs test? Saw on their site that it’s $139 and also did you pay for the NCDC test? And still did you repeat the test when you got back to Nigeria?
If you did, how much did you pay? Been checking their site for the price and saw nothing

@Purpleribbon, I heard there’s a punishment for those who don’t repeat the test 7 days after return. Do you know?

I’m so glad everything went as planned for you! Congratulations!!!

Also super happy that there’s a faster track (and that we are all aware of it) for mamas to get their baby’s passports before leaving.

I honestly have no idea about any punishments in Nigeria. Maybe on my next trip out? I’ll let you know…

Safe journey back ���

mamanababy:
oh thanks looking at Atlanta and Maryland for now because I have family in both states
due to my high-risk pregnancy, i wouldn't want to stay alone
but ill reach out to mama purple ribbon as advised
thank you so much for your help
God bless you.

Hi Mama!

I tried to post a link after I read your message but I got banned. I’ve sent you an email.

Kesspru:
Hi mama. Just wanted to confirm if you applied for the passport writing down 000000 as SSN since you didn’t get it. Thank you b

Yeah

pointednose:
Yes!! helpful tips from Purpleribbon and Dammy2021.

Lets keep it coming Mamas.

Yw. This thread gave me so much info and guidance … I’m just giving back ���

Chubbyface:
Oh really..what risk did u have? And was it this year?( if u don’t mind sharing). Do u think I should apply alone first, get the visa, and then my husband applies later as an escort? (Ps: I am not mentioning that I have relatives over there, so I should need my husband I guess)

Yup, this year (not comfortable sharing details�). I think you should just apply with your husband since you’d need all the help you can get for a high risk pregnancy.

pointednose:
Thanks for the response.

It seems things are moving faster now.

Did they ask for your travel date in order to get you an appointment at the passport agency or post office?

It appears so, yeah.

No, they didn’t ask me for my travel date. I didn’t go to the passport agency at all. The whole passport application process from start to end was at the post office. We first visited the post office, that’s where they informed us about calling in to book and appointment. They also gave us a form to fill and bring along when coming for the appointment. My husband also filled a form online and received a confirmation of appointment email. We took that to the post office as well.

Assinie:
Congratulations on your bundle of joy @purpleribbon. Please do you have any tips or advice on travelling with a tiny newborn. I also want to return to Nigeria 3/4 weeks after delivery and a bit worried that baby would be too small for a long haul flight.
Thanks in advance.

Thank you so much!

First I’d advice you let your baby’s pediatrician know that you are leaving early. They can let you know if it’s okay to leave with that individual child and also give some advice. I had my baby three weeks early so I was also worried about returning with her. I returned with relatives so I had a lot of help during the journey, but if you are traveling alone, you’d still get a lot of “baby privilege”, it’s similar to “pregnancy privilege” so don’t worry too much. Breastfeeding during take off and landing helped to clear clogged ears I believe. If you are doing a combine feed ie breastmilk and formula or if you are using only formula, you can buy the premade formula for your child. The one that doesn’t need refrigeration etc. The Enfamil brand has those for sure but I’m not sure about the others. Getting hot water onboard the aircraft and during transit won’t be a problem, just ask. Your baby’s car seat and stroller would be checked in for free. You get to take a baby bag onboard the aircraft so you can pack as much diapers, hot water, milk, change of clothes etc that you’ll need for the journey. You should let the airline know that you are traveling with a new born so they can prepare a bassinet for the baby onboard the aircraft. The bassinet didn’t work for me because I kept standing up to either check or remove my daughter whenever the “fasten your seatbelt” sign came up. You may have a different experience. Also don’t forget to let your doctor know that you are leaving early so they can do all the tests they would have done if you stayed back. If you have any specific questions, please drop them here. If I remember anything else, I’ll include it.
I wish you a safe delivery and safe journey back!

whiteMandingo:
Wow, cheering news.
So your relatives also got visas issued them?

Yeah, they did

Chubbyface:
Please what is ETC tho?

Emergency travel certificate- ETC
Emergency travel document - ETD

Both refer to the same doc

Chubbyface:
Hello everyone, my EDD is Jan 24. Due to the facts that dates are not available, I was advised to use an emergency because I have fibroid.
My question; is fibroid a high risk pregnancy, and would that enable me get an emergency date and also get the visa approved? I found a doctor in Colorado Denver that is willing to take up the pregnancy process too.

I had a high risk pregnancy (tough period) and my relatives needed to escort me to the US. That was enough grounds for them to get emergency dates for their visas. I already had my visa so I didn’t need to apply. I’m not sure if the fibroids alone is enough grounds but I guess it would work for you as well.

Demmy2021:
What I did was book an appointment with the passport agency. If you have urgent international travel you can do this but appointment is limited. You need to be traveling within 2 weeks to book an appointment. You also need to have your baby travel itinerary. It cost &175 and you get your passport that day

Please, I want to clarify, is this for your baby’s American passport?

Demmy2021:
Correct me if I’m wrong. The Covid-19 test at CVS is free if you have insurance or you using federal program for the uninsured. I have my appointment tomorrow, and since I don’t have insurance and don’t want to use any government program I have to pay $149.

Also, if you don’t pay on the NCDC portal, did you pay at the Nigeria airport? Cos I know you have to pay do that test too

When booking for the COVID test (online) at the CVS (as at august 2021) there was no provision for payment. When I got there, they asked for my ID and I presented my Nigerian passport. They gave me the kit and I followed their instructions. If CVS had charged me 149 dollars for the COVID test, I’d have just gone to do it at my hospital. I paid 80 dollars at my hospital for the COVID test (three days before delivery).

I didn’t pay at the NCDC portal. On getting to the airport, they just registered our details. I didn’t pay at the airport in Nigeria. I didn’t do another COVID test in Nigeria after I returned so I didn’t have to pay.

Lochinny:
Thank you so much for this info dear! I truly appreciate!
Pls one more question! How long did you stay after applying for baby’s passport? Did you know you wouldn’t wait for the passport before leaving or you had to leave because of time? Then also pls did you call the passport agency to tell them that you were traveling? I have about 3 weeks to leave and I was advised to call them to hasten the passport

Don’t mention mama!

I left three weeks after delivery (this was the earliest I could leave). I wasn’t bothered about time frame because the passport was to be posted to a family member’s house. I didn’t plan to wait for the passport at all. I didn’t call the passport office.At the post office, I just wrote a letter stating that my husband and I need to travel out with the baby as we aren’t US residents and we both signed it. I don’t know if you can call them to hasten the passport (so sorry, I don’t have more info on this). I’d advice you pay for all the fast track and expedited services related to the passport. That’s what I did.

Lochinny:
Hi purpleribbon! Please how did u go about covid 19 test abi protocol when going back to Nigeria. Did you take a covid 19 test in US or when you got back home?

Hi mama.

I booked an appointment to for my COVID test at a CVS pharmacy. This test is free. However you need to book for your test early because the slots close out really fast. The test results would be sent to your email in 24 hours. So if you are traveling on a Saturday, take your test on Thursday, so you can get your result on Friday and travel with it on Saturday. Book your test a week before departure so that you can get a date. All COVID test bookings are online and the tests are carried out by the drive thru windows.

Also you need to register on the Nigerian ncdc website. You don’t have to pay for that as well. Just print out the form that would be sent to your email with the “unpaid” stamp on it. Nobody would send you back.

Ps: this information was valid as at August 2021 please and more specifically for Washing DC’s POE

babestell:
Ahhh this is ok.

Bless you and congrats on baby. Hope our american citizen has adjusted to Nigeria,

Thank you!

She hasn’t. My sisters say I brought her against her will ���. She’ll be fine… eventually

babestell:
What was the process to obtain ETC. How long did it take?

Gathered all the documents listed on the embassy’s website + 150 dollars money order, physically went there to submit and was given a date to return for the ETC. Returned to pick up three days later. No stress, No delays.