₦airaland Forum

emjaygbols:
Hi Shawbabe, Thanks for ur numerous posts on Northside Hosp birth, I will like clarification on the OB/GYN u used, In ur post after birth, you mentioned that that your OBGYN was a female (used "her" all through) but in ur quote above, u said Dr is Dr. Rosenburg. Which exactly do u use? I'm trying to make a decision. Thanks.

I changed to a "her" and she did my delivery. U don't have to use who I used. Every patient is different. U may dislike her coz she no get time to pamper u, but she's my kinda person. I wanted some one to make me laugh. So check what works for u

firsttymum:
R u telling me no nairaland mama has put to bed recently or had POE experience ?

#thinkingaloud

How una go know when all una dey talk na bank and PTA matter. Seriously yall spolit this thread, infact I am keeping my new findings to myself. I haff vex

Smh. Justwise see as u just let our precious thread turn to Exchange rate thread. During our own time we dare not derail the thread.
Coming now to read more than 10 pages of Gtb vs. Stanbic......it's a waste of time to us who born in the 165 =$1 era and are concerned about cheap hospitals for next project. We no care about 230 or 290 per $1. Another thread should be opened for best naija bank for PTA.

Newmum15:
Pls @phema @ nerfetitiram @shawbabe and all other veteran mums pls what are the most important vaccines to get for the baby before traveling back home apart from Hep B shot?and all other vaccines needed sef.pls help ooo

If u are using Northside, I believe ba y is given Hep B, Tdap and another one I can't remember. Travelled with my baby at 3 weeks and all that was given b4 we left. Started BCG and co in naija

firsttymum:
And that ends the quest for Ohio

Lmao. For real.

Hello everyone, how una dey?

So anymore cheap places/states to birth? I don see Ohio. Which one again?
Planning for number 2

queenestty:
Pls shawbabe how did you made d payment to them? And how long did you get the receipt?

Did u pay before your journey or when you get their?

Pls let us knw the process. Thks

Paid when I got there. I traveled early. Went in January but due in April.

firsttymum:
Ur husband passport page
Ur old passport
Newspaper publication
Sworn affidavit
Marriage certificate
Passport photograph
Application for change of name letter
I think a letter from ur husband( just make him sign at the end of a plain paper.. When u get there use their format and write). I wasn't asked for this when I did mine but my friend was asked. Let the signature match the one on his passport page


Go with original for sighting... Then make copies so u don't treak up and down. Go with cash... Cos the atm there is kinda far and doesn't always work. You shld get ur passport the next day by noon.

It's done only in Abuja.
I did everything with 35000. As at last year December. There's payment for two different things( pray u find one of the guys to help u with the print out payment, that one is unnecessary waka) Then hold extra for tipping....

Thanks hon

How does one do change of name on Naija passport? Is it here in Abuja? And what do I need to take with me? Also how much is it?

Nita2013:
Hello Shawbabe, i read few pages back that you did naija passport for ur LO. Please can you explain the process? Many thanks.

Nne the process no be here oh. It's long and tasking but I'll try write as much as possible to make sense.

1) go to the Nigerian embassy website (google it ) and fill out application for passport.

2) print out the filled form and go to Innovate1 services website with ur ref number and pay. It's $77. If the site is down as usual, then u have to do money order at the post office addressed to them. And another $30 addressed to Nigerian embassy for processing fee. Write ref number on money order and send off to Innovate services.


3) email them to expect ur money order and update ur application online. Once that's done, go at 10am to Nigerian embassy at Roswell with ur print out and payment confirmation page. With ur baby, 1 passport photo, parents consent and data pages.

4) if u meet sane people that day, u can leave with the passport, if not it takes 2 days.

If I remember any step I missed I'll write it later

Newmum15:
@shawbabe pls did you have to pay anything in advance to Northside before delivery?Got a letter saying I have to pay 2 to 3 weeks before delivery.

I paid 3 months b4 I was due sef. U should have paid since bcoz that's how u get the 75% discount. U are supposed to pay 30 days b4 ur due date to qualify I believe. So pay asap

HotChoco2:
Hello House,

My travel date is finally here (tomorrow) and i have a little glitch. I have like $5k in my BOA account, $5k cash and want to buy more but the Banks are saying that i cant use my mum's ticket to buy now since her travel date is still in August.

As at today, black market is 226 and i think that is too high compare to 200 at the bank.

Can i just leave the naira in my account and print my statement? I reckon i am better off using GT card rate than buying black market.

Wetin u wan carry ur bank statement do?

I don't why u people are killing urselves with carrying all that cash. Pls 5k is enough for poe. Them wey they question u, them get 5k cash like that? Lol

queenestty:
It's seems its easy to get this dr fagbohun letter / correspondence, it's not easy for me with this atlanta obgyn oh. I don't really knw how best I can get this.

must you have a doctor appointment to show at POE?.

Can the hospital correspondence be and your cash atleast be ok?

Always with my book and papers and phones, yet no tangeble result.

Lol relax! U are too stressed. Letter and correspondence from Dr doesn't guarantee entry. I traveled with no letter or choice of Dr sef. And only 40 dollars in my bag becoz hubby had wired all the money to his Bank of America acct. I just had his Atm cards. And I told the border agent that I have a Dr and hospital in mind and will decide when I visit both. He said ok and stamped me in. I made up my mind when I was settled in Atl. It's all about confidence and how u answer their questions abeg. I no carry any burden of proof oh.

Atl obgyns will not give u an appointment till they get ur records. So u can send it to them if u want appointment but they won't send u any letter or correspondence.

nefertitiram:
Hey babes, how come we shdnt use d post office? I've one down the street frm me and that was where I planned to use. Pls shed more light

Nah nothing wrong with post office but I doubt u can do expedited coz earliest is AT LEAST 2 weeks. But with the agency u can get it that day or the next day. And from her post it looked like she is pressed for time. But if u are in no hurry, u can use post office and just relax till whenever they send it.

Sometingud:
My fellow Northside parents esp. Shawbabe, West300,Nana89, MrsDan, I need your advise on how to procure my daughters US passport. We picked the bC up on Friday. My challenge now has to do with the consent letter as my Husband is in Nigeria at the moment. How do I go about getting it signed from embassy or court? Which is acceptable in Atlanta. If its embassy, how do we schedule appointment for him ?. Secondly, can you please recommend any walk in county or post office where I can get the passport issued in Atlanta, as the POst office around me are scheduling me for later dates. Thirdly, any agent that can help with the Nigeria passport. Lastly, any reliable shipping agent.
Please help a sister, obodo oyinbo don tire me o.

My husband was with me so don't know about scheduling consent form
Don't go to post office for Passport. Go downtown at the Passport agency. Google the address. I shipped my baby things ahead of time through friends and family going and coming to visit b4 I was due. The rest I paid excess liggage fees as it came out cheaper than using a shipping company for $1500.

queenestty:
Hello shawbabe, pls I need to email you, can I pls get ur e-mail address. I PM u though, don't knw if u get it?.

Thanks

I'm not good with checking my messages. But I got a notification. U can ask me on here and I'll answer.

So Northside mamas, when are we having Northside babies parry...so we can gbedu

yuugo:
Hello can you give me the contact of the hospital or their website. Pls does the $4000K cover all d total payments with hospital

It is NOT a hospital. She is using a birth center meaning na midwife go help her push. With no epidural, or medical equipment. A birth center is different from a hospital with Drs. Please do ur own research and read well so u don't get to the US and say u thought it was a hospital. Also visa will most likely be DENIED if ur application depends on the services of a Birth center.

In a birth center if there are complications, u will be taken to any nearby hospital emergency which incurs HUGE bills of 10k plus. Better to stick with a hospital.

Newmum15:
This is quiet informative.But are you saying you paid $232 for Naija passport alone?How much did you now pay for visa?

U are in Atlanta so don't follow what she did. Her process from what I read was quite different from mine and like she said that's for DC. Passport is $107 in atl. 77 for passport and 30 for processing. Visa is $180

Hawttattoo:
Oga Tvegas I dey hail.. Abeg I don check Amazon tire for Telemundo but can't find any. Please can you tell me how to go about it,this boredom is killing me. thanks

I don't think u type in Telemundo into the search box LOL! Maybe try typing the name of the specific show. I don't watch all those telenovelas becoz they're all bootlegged drama

Nogen:
My dear, we are fine and y'all? One of us here admonished me for bringing my native food to America when I could have bought them in the USA. She said stock fish is cheaper in Oakland than in Naija. I don't know if everyone is going to Oakland and if it was an offense for me to have brought my native

Lol Oakland is a village oh...filled with nigerians. In fact it's like Nsukka lol...the houses too and all that graffiti everywhere. So yea definitely naija food will be plenty and cheap there. Was there 2 yrs ago to visit a friend and I thought I had traveled to Nsukka not yankee. Lol

hotmummy2015:
abeg if anyone knows any African store in Atlanta - not sure I can pack all this load, and I must eat moi moi oh

@shawbabe etc pls help

Google Mom and Pop. They have a huge range of products. What area of the city will u be at?

woaini:
Thanks shelly you have been so helpful. I did not even ask about the passport. They just said if I want return then an adult has to also make the trip. I am just confused. The return ticket is like 118 dollars but it must be tied to an adult ticket. Did you book return for just your infant? I will call them back concerning the passport atleast to avoid any drama on the day of travel
I got my ticket through an agent but they told me from beginning that they don't handle inclusion of infant ticket that I have to call the airline for that when I am ready and I don't really know the class of ticket I've got

How many times I go tell una. Click on my posts for acrobatic way of getting infant tix as return for less.

hadetola:
Papas and mamas. Is it ok to just collect the Nigeria passport and travel with the baby back. Then come back to process the USA passport latter or ask relative to pick up the passport and send. There is no time to wait to collect. It's seems Tennessee takes like 2monthbyo get;BC

I don't think u can even process naija passport for am without BC as well. Check tho

nefertitiram:
If not that you are 34 weeks gone, you would have carried out a door to door search... but right now, it's fire brigade mode. most hosps may not take you at that stage
Maybe you should try negotiating a payment plan with any hosp that takes you, so that you don't get stressed out. And please don't take medicaid.
Btw, how did you cross Houston POE with $4500 and no hosp plan/correspondence! You are very Brave!

I don't think crossing POE with that amount is a problem. I crossed with only $40 Canadian sef not USD. And no hospital correspondence either. I think those CB officers dey look face b4 them stop u lol
Or could just be she's well traveled in the US. But she's brave to go with that amount for bills and no hospital in mind.

betty24:
Hello good people in the house,a friend gave me Info about nairaland. I arrived US 4 days ago to have my baby,HoustonTexas to be precise I have $4500 on me and i am 34weeks gone. Kindly advice which hospital or birth center that i can afford with this amount. Thanking you in anticipation as I earnestly await your response.

E go hard oh. Coz it seems it's from 5k and above for hospitals. And they'll now pressure u to use Medicaid. So u just upped and left with $4500 and no hospital in mind? U are a brave woman oh

stlov:
Hello peeps. I wish to commend mamas and papas on this trend for ur meaningful and informative contributions which have been very useful . Pls help a sister. I am in Richmond texas. I really want to ship products like baby food, diapers, cloths et al to lagos but don't know how to go about it. Please I need your advice on d shipping company to use and d cost.

For me I didn't use a shipping company, coz the quote them give me reach $1500. So I bought big duffle bags like 3 and sent 1 with my hubby's friend going to naija then. Paid the $200 luggage fee. Then my husband and I took the rest with us. But u have to deflate and unbox every item u buy for space when u pack. So u might wanna check if paying for excess baggage is better for u versus using a shipping company.

akindolz:
Thanks.
pls which supermarket in lagos can i get these babies formula (similac gerber etc) cos most ones I found r the likes of sma gold etc

Similac Advanced (the blue one) in naija is N10,500 for the powder. Something that is $24 in yankee. Gerber is N12k in naija.

U are better off buying SMA Gold. If u don't want to ship from yankee. Except u don't mind spending almost a $100 equivalent for just one tub Similac in naija which will last about 10 days. Then u buy another one.
For Abuja residents, H Medix sells Similac and Gerber. Dunno for Lag.

@Nef, sucre26, popri, Phema and Akindolz yall welcome.

akindolz:
Hello peeps, Kindly direct me to the page where how and Wat 2 ship down to nigeria was mentioned either by @Tvegas or @shawbabe. I could only find @shawbabe s points abt when leaving / getting on board the plane.....Please assist

These are the things I shipped and found useful, u don't have to get everything oh but for me I rarely buy or shop in naija coz of time and unnecessary exuberant prices they sell them for. so I shipped:

Onesies: from 3 months and above

Warm zipper Pajamas onesies (this is very useful as my baby is always in our room which is very cold coz of my husband and his -0 degree a/c settings lol.

Wipes: I shipped tubs and refill packs. U run through quickly so ship a lot.

Huggies diapers: one pack size 1, one box size 2, one box size 3 and 2 boxes size 4. Many I got from my baby shower in atl so I just unboxed them and shipped.

Baby Formula and Cereal: Similac and Gerber. The liquid bottles of similac and Gerber cereal

Baby clothes up to 2 years old. I'm not buy aba-made in naija....mba lol

Baby bouncer: paid $30 in walmart.....and it's N50,000 in Next store Abuja. Can u imagine?

Baby Bassinet: for afternoon naps. Paid 35 bucks in walmart.

Baby Microwave sterilising unit
Baby bottles
Johnsons and Aveeno baby products
Bottle brushes, rack and dryer
Baby soft blankies
Diaper creams
Baby crib romper
Bedsheets
Baby flat storage boxes
Baby plates, bowls, spoons, extra nipples
Diaper bag
Plastic waterproof bibs (for when they start eating solids)
Baby shoes from 6 months up
Baby hangers
Baby food warmer
Baby Travel system
Baby car mirror (for ur rear facing car seat, check Marshalls for this. It's like $6)

If I rmbr anything else I'll write it down.

hadetola:
shawbabe are u saying it's cheaper and better to just get the Nigerian passport. But if you want to come with the baby next time you will have to go and apply for USA visa in Nigeria. Also the benefit that baby can travel to some countries without visa will be forfeited

Nah u can get both passports since u are heading to atl. I saw ur pm notification. I haven't read it but I'm guessing u are asking for Dr and accommodation? I stayed with family in Atl and Dr is Dr. Rosenberg. His schedule is tight though so call in advance. Are u using Northside?

@ the other 2/3.....if u wanna fly there, good luck and safe journey. My post is directed to Atl mamas. I know nothing else about other states.

Just a word of wisdom here:

For all ofbu getting Nigerian visas for ur babies, take out time to do the maths.

Visa fee is $180 + $30 processing fee
Passport is $77 + $30 processing fee

It is cheaper and wiser to get the naija passport and also save urself the hassle of gettingnand paying for it when u decide to get it in Nigeria.

hadetola:
.
Hello dear pls how long did it take you to get your burthcertificate pastor and visa at atlanta

The BC is ready at the Vital records office on Skyland Drive already. But u need to get confirmation of birth in paper from the hospital b4 u go to the vital records for BC. 1st copy is $25 and $5 for each extra copy.

As for Pastor? We used Pastor Adeboye

I kid lol. I guess u mean passport? Once uget the BC call the passport agency number (google it) and book an appointment. U don't necessarily have to come at the exact time u select on the automated machine as long u are there early. Then depending on ur travel plans, u show ur flight itinerary to the lady then she can select an expedited service for u for $165. They ask u to come collect in 2 days. So if u apply on Monday, it's ready on Wednesday for pickup.

I didn't get naija visa, we got a naija passport as well. Now the story for that one is for another day becoz the payment process is tasking but all things being equal, it should take 2 days for naija passport as well.