₦airaland Forum

GTBank is officially the worst bank in Nigeria to me simply because they are OVERHYPED. The only polite people at that bank are the customer care reps on the phone and most times they can't really help you. I mean, what forward thinking company does not understand the importance of customer service? I have been very close to tears on several occasions whilst in their branch speaking to their staff - they simply have no manners. I know a few good guys there but most of them have no clue really!.. Infact we should have a name and shame website in this country, these organisations will have no choice but to improve on their customer service attitude. Arik is another example --kmt.

That is why when I hear some Nigerians criticising those who decide to go to the US or UK to have their babies, I laugh. Now, child delivery should really be routine - back in the days, women gave birth to their babies at home. The only problem is when complications arise which will not happen all the time - the Nigerian doctors either are not competent enough to handle the complications or perhaps there are missing some equipment as that is always their defence. Well, as for me - I CANNOT go to a Nigerian hospital to treat a common headache - God forbid! Lost too many people including an expectant mother to that crappy health system.

Not sure why no one has said this but you can put an infant in the front seat but turn off the air bag. At least, that is the warning I've seen in my own car.

Five Simple Ways to Give Your Gassy Newborn Relief

Gas is a natural bodily function which allows for the removal of air swallowed or produced by the bowel as a bi-product of digestion. This expulsion of air is quite easily achieved for most adults and often provides relief from bloating and discomfort.
Unfortunately, releasing gas is not always so easy for infants to achieve, which often leads to severe stomach cramping and upset, crying, fussiness, as well as irregular sleeping patterns and constant sleep disturbances.

Many new parents fail to understand the amount of discomfort a build up of gas can cause a newborn baby. While regular burping generally relieves a portion of an infant's gas, sometimes this practice is not enough. Luckily, several simple and safe methods exist which allow parents to supply relief to a gassy baby, such as:

Provide a Warm Bath

Warm water has always been a popular method of relaxation during stressful times and when not feeling well, so it is no surprise that a nice bath may relieve a gassy baby. Warm baths help to relieve gas by relaxing the infant, while a safe increase in body temperature allows built up gas to expand, easily expelling from the body.

Give a Gentle Belly Massage

Massages are relaxing, soothing, and allow parents to indulge in quiet intimacy with their children. A gentle belly massage will not only calm a gassy baby, but will also help to relieve the discomfort of bloat and cramps caused by excessive gas build up.

When providing a belly massage to a gassy infant, rub a small amount of hypoallergenic massage oil onto your palms. Slowly and gently begin to rub the baby's stomach in a clockwise motion.

Apply a Warm Compress

Warmth works wonders on tense little muscles, and is found to be soothing and comforting to gassy stomachs. This safe increase in body temperature allows gas to expand and easily leave the body, providing relief of cramping and bloating.

An easy warm compress can be created by warming a small towel in a microwave. Insure that the towel is very warm, yet not hot enough to injure a baby's fragile skin.

Administer Sugar Water

Very small amounts of sugar water have been used for centuries to provide relief to those suffering from various stomach and digestive conditions. This safe and easy form of relief can be created by combining one teaspoon of sugar with one-forth of a cup of lukewarm filtered water.

Provide Movement

Gas build up, cramping, and discomfort can often be relieved by performing a few quick exercises. Begin by laying the baby of its back on a flat and firm surface. Take one foot into each of your hands and move the child's legs in a bicycle peddling fashion for one to two minutes. Next, gently bend the baby's legs at the knee and bring the legs towards the chest and back down for one to two minutes.


Oh, I had even forgotten the bicycle movement - it always seemed odd doing it for my lo.

No..tummy massage is recommended for babies with gas issues the world over including the UK where I live. It is not a Naija thing. She mentioned her baby's tummy hurts and that was a recommendation. You recommended ovol drops and I googled it cause I have never heard of it but guess what its available only in Canada so clearly if I live in UK and my baby has tummy issues, no midwife or health visitor can recommend that to me. I know that some health visitors in the UK recommend a gentle tummy massage to help your baby with gas, colic or constipation issues. It is certainly well recommended in the US too but perhaps its different in Canada where you live since you guys have something called Ovol drops that you say does the trick?.I know there is gripe water and infacol which doesn't always solve the gas issues so mums usually have to try out different options till they find what works for them.

Btw, How is ovol drops different to gripe water?

jidegirl12: @somebody... no vex oh, I just shared my own advice and precaution and you called that a scare? anyways, let Vikin tell me I scare her with my harmless advice then I'd back off. If you have a problem to share you're welcome too

The baby Center link you posted said same thing I mentioned ( keeping the area dry) so I don't know the aggravation bout what I said. Yes the baby takes a bath but we don't know if the umbilical area is completely healed yet as everybody is different.

Smartmom, don't worry you're safe and you're welcome too. As long as I'm invited to the wedding, I'm good

@jidegirl, not vexed - apologies if I came across as vexed but from my experience, you keep the area dry for some time - usually not more than 2 weeks and I have never heard otherwise. I certainly would be worried if that area hasn't healed after 2 weeks and yes the baby center link says 7 -9 days. And the link also says warm water is fine for the area.

jidegirl12: No water tummy massage Abeg oh ... She's a first time mom Abeg so she doesn't know how to do these things yet ( no family member around oh). oil is preferable, besides just give the Ovol drops and she should be fine.
Massage stimulate gas release anyways,,Ovol does the same without too much physical contact on baby's gentle tummy.
Vikin Abeg no water massage oh, keep that area dry you hear?

http://www.babycenter.com/0_caring-for-your-newborns-umbilical-cord-stump_127.bc

What area dry?? How long does she keep the area dry for? The umblical stump heals after a few days so I'm not sure why you keep going on and on about keeping the area dry? Doesn't the child take a bath?

And besides help is overrated - you don't need any help to do what seems right for your baby. A caring mother cannot harm her child. I had no help and I had never even cared for a child, never changed a diaper and I was perfectly able to handle my baby how I deemed fit and nothing happened to the child. I had books, the internet, youtube videos but most importantly, my maternal instinct. In the end, Vikin will do what she feels is best for her baby but please enough scare mongering about keeping someplace dry for infinity.

[quote author=martinosi]WHAT ROCK DID THIS DUDE CRAWL UP UNDER FROM

THE BOLD PART ABOVE..TELLS ME U R VERY IGNORANT OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN..

DANGOTE IS MORE RELEVANT TO AFRICA THAN BILL GATES OR WAREEN BUFFET WILL EVER BE...![/quote

What has Dangote ever done for Nigeria or Africa? Look, beyond Nigeria, no one gives a hoot about Dangote. His business is heavily focused on Nigeria - let him try and build a global business first and then maybe then he will start to matter.

Vikin: ^^^ this is deep! Nice one.

The massage you didn't say about the method. Some use Warm water/hot and oil. Oil massage is sometimes handy for me.


Also the backing method, I need to learn that one ASAP till she is big enough for the baby carrier but the tie clothe won't get anywhere near my breast Sha. That one important for me.

@ smart mum, don't worry, ur save.

I used warm water for the tummy massage and baby/olive oil for the rest of the body. How old is your lo? I am assuming the cord has dropped and its all healed up?

I still haven't learnt the backing method - every time I remember, I realise I have no wrapper to practice with . I have to remember to ask for one when next famliy are visiting from Nigeria.

Bill Gates has confirmed the cancellation of his trip has nothing to do with Alam's pardon. http://premiumtimesng.com/news/125591-bill-gates-confirms-cancellation-of-trip-to-nigeria-but-denies-alamieyeseighas-link.html

The truth is bitter sometimes but it needs to be said. If our house (country) was in order, then what business does the US have dictating terms to us? Truth is right now AFRICA needs help and will continue to get help till we (leaders and people) show ourselves capable of handling our own affairs. For those asking where Bill Gates charity money has gone in Nigeria, perhaps you need to ask your people. Agencies around the world now find it difficult to fund NGOs in Nigeria and I know this because I know a few people in that sector. They give loads of money to Nigerians in the name of grants and the Nigerians have nothing to show for it. They can't account for the money that has been collected - story must enter. Oyinbo people are not saints - who doesn't know that charity business is big business all around the world but oyinbos know how they will chop and still get help to the people that need it. But some Nigerians are too greedy - they collect the grants and use the money to fund their lifestyles with no thought for the people they are meant to be helping.

Bill Gates is no saint but truth is no Nigerian so far has been willing to demonstrate that kind of generosity to causes they believe in whether we agree with those causes or not. Comic Relief in the UK this week raised a record £75 million from poor and rich to help fund causes all around the world not minding their country's economic woes. Nigerians believe in giving all their money to their greedy pastors or keeping it in the bank and yet they ask why the west wants to help them.

And just so you all know, Jonathan also gave a pardon to Major Bello Magaji who was convicted and sentenced to prison by a military court for sexually molesting 4 young boys and was subsequently dismissed from the military. What a country!!! Clueless leaders, equally clueless followers.

http://hotnaijanews.com/2013/03/18/goodluck-jonathan-pardons-homosexual-molester-major-bello-magaji/

Vikin: Am a professional now ....and she likes swimming, so after bath I leave her in the tub for few minutes..problem now is her stomach...it hurts so much sometimes.

Hey! Congrats on your birth of your lil one. You should definitely massage her tummy - it is recommended by health professionals all over the world especially when the babies have tummy issues like yours. I think you need to massage clockwise - google has loads of details as usual..I found this link too http://www.netmums.com/baby/you-and-your-baby/time-with-baby-massage/baby-massage-at-home. I massaged my baby's tummy without fail everyday and we never had colic or gas issues.

@ the original topic, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the "naija" way of bathing a baby. No body/nation has a monopoly of knowledge and so the fact that oyinbo pple don't do it doesn't mean it has no benefits. Infact, all these our naija methods have found their way to the western world albeit with their own modifications and this is because oyinbo people are open minded and look at things that work in other places and modify it to suit their needs.

1. Massage - just google baby massage and see how much resources are dedicated to it. My mum bought me loads of baby massage books when I was expecting my first and NONE of them was written by a Nigerian so not sure how it is a naija thing. Infact watch baby yoga videos and see what they've done for centuries in Nigeria being monetised and called fancy names. I however strongly BELIEVE that the massage should not be painful, it should certainly not make your baby cry - that is where the oyinbo modification comes in.
2. Moulding of the head - you don't mould a baby's head if it is the right shape. If your baby's head is oddly shaped as a result of the birth, then by all means massage the head GENTLY. There are many guides online. Doctors advise you to wait as most times the odd shape will correct itself after few months but not all the time. That is when helmets are then recommended - I know I would rather massage my child's head than put a helmet on it. Even oyinbo people do cranial osteopathy for babies which is this same massaging the head to the right shape.

Backing the baby that is done in Nigeria has found its way into the western world all in the name of baby wearing and there are now all sorts of baby carriers that help with this. I agree that some of our Nigerian practices are archaic but certainly not all. The thing about oyinbo is they are open minded and ask questions. I suggest we do the same - I asked all the questions when I was having my first and researched EVERYTHING and now I know what is supposedly good for my baby and what isn't. Oh and my very oyinbo nose is all thanks to my mother moulding my nose.

Rossikk: You get time my brother. Fact is you can post this information a thousand times, it won't stop these folks from kissing bill gates' asss. He is a white man and therefore God's representative on earth. These people have no cure for their condition.

Why don't you stop kissing Jonathan's ass? There appears to be no cure for your own condition. Bill Gates is human so he is bound to not be perfect but judging from records, he is a much better person than Jonathan who people elected to improve the nation and not drag it down by being totally clueless and now granting pardon to a a thief.

Rossikk: Who told you we have no research centres for sickle cell? Ignorant, dumb cretin. Why don't you return to the kitchen where you belong you numbskull woman?

And you are?? Why don't start by telling me where these GOVERNMENT FUNDED sickle cell research centres are? How come the sickle cell carriers cry out daily for more assistance from the Government? The known cure for sickle cell, bone marrow transplant - how many have been successfully carried out in Nigeria? How come people are going to the same western countries like the USA to take advantage of the resources they have invested in finding an suitable cure for sickle cell disease to get these transplants done?

LOOK, when you have travelled the world like I have and when your brain starts working, you will realise that I am talking of world class research centres, not those miserable centres in Ibadan or wherever. And just in case your empty brain doesn't know, the most work done to aid sickle cell in Nigeria is by the NGOs not by any government. When next you can you call someone ignorant, make sure you have any info to back it up. IGNORAMUS!

Billyonaire: How much Bill Gates wants to bring that we do not have ? Is charitable act supposed to be tied to Politics ? I keep saying that Mrs America is an hypocrite, if you sincerely wanna help sick people, do you tie their lives to politics ? The Feds will release $700m to cater for the void that Gates Foundation is supposed to provide. Mrs America can go to hell with her Greek's Horse. We are sovereign and we give State Pardon to any Criminal we chose to. F/u/ck them!

Please don't be silly - Bill Gates Foundation is alive and kicking in Abuja, Bill Gates is not petty enough to shut down aid to people who genuinely need it because of a clueless and morally bankrupt President. He is simply not making a scheduled trip to Nigeria and it is supposed to send a strong signal to Jona. Which hospital can Jonathan or Alams boast of equipping in this Nigeria? What "cause" can they genuinely say they have supported?

tatiana009: Imagine someone saying we have our own rich people like Dangote and Adenuga...SMH . Have they not been Nigerians since? Why haven't they helped in eradicating even one disease so far? In 2013 we are still one of the few Countries with Polio and we are not ashamed! Now someone wants to come and help with one of the numerous things killing Nigerians, HIV-AIDS and can no longer do so because he cannot affort to have his name tainted and you're saying who cares! Nigerians truly deserve the leaders we have!!!

Lets no even go too far.....Sickle cell disease nko that is a black man's problem - we don't have a dedicated research centre setup either by idiotic leaders or greedy men of God. Of course we don't need the West, the Nigerian people are very capable at NOTHING.

Billyonaire: So in Essence, the Gate's Foundation aid Project was conditional and not charitable. It was not Charity geared towards the cause of the poor, but another strategy by US government to seduce Nigeria Government to doing their bidding. To hell with such Greek's Horse. I implore the Federal Government to release $700m in a single batch to the Health Sector to continue with the Polio programme. Charity and aid are supposed to be granted freely without political ties. Nigeria is not the 53rd State of USA. We are sovereign, we can afford $700m, to hell with Noe-Colonialist, World Policing, Mrs America.

Why can't the Federal Government come up with their own ideas? Did we really need an aid project for the government to know our healthcare system needs a lot of help.....We can afford $700mm but the stupid leaders people like you support prefer to pocket that money rather than develop an adequate healthcare system for its people.....

disisflex: Who is loosing...is he coming to share money to nigerians or buy some more oil blocs..well Dangote has canceled his trip to USA over bill gate s nigeria trip cancellation.

Delafruita: you mean he is coming to market his software to a country with one of the highest ranking of piracy in the world?oh my gosh...you're so intelligent.how did you easily decode his motive?

Delafruita, sometime you have to marvel at the stupidity of some Nigerians. If Microsoft has to market its software, you mean its Bill Gates who is no longer CEO of the company that will come to Nigeria to come and market it? A multi billion dollar company has no marketing department? Why are Nigerians so dull?? Why? Why? Why? It is so sickening.

Bill Gates has done more for Nigerians than Dangote or Adenuga ever will. Can those two Nigerians just give over $28 billion (we are talking 4.5 trillion naira) of their money to charities all over the world including a country as alien to them as Nigeria? This same Dangote that his most famous act last year was to provide 100 semi skilled jobs to Nigerian graduates? And you dare to compare Dangote and Gates? Let Dangote build a global business first and give out half of his wealth to charitable causes, then we can start talking.

If you really think that Bill Gates is coming to take from Nigeria what your stupid leaders haven't finished sucking the nation of, then goodluck to you.

Fhemmmy: As an application, it is your duty to find a way to get to where the job is and not the employer to make provision for the applicatant . . . Also, how many millions would they have to pay out before giving jobs to the ONE

Not necessarily - while interviewing for graduate jobs in the UK years ago, all the companies paid for your transport and hotel expenses if you were coming from out of town and just transport fare if in same city and we are not about talking 3 star hotels here. I don't know if its because we were "poor students" but its certainly not unusual.

@personaldomest - your post piqued my interest. However, please can you please clarify your relationship with the OP in the link below. The information is very similar but it seems his thread was closed by the mods as they suspected it of being a scam.

https://www.nairaland.com/1198796/charcoal-production-sales-it-yourself

Also, can you confirm

1. The price of one bag of charcoal i.e. market price
2. There is a huge variation in the returns in previous thread and this one so it would be useful to know why the huge difference. Also, what is store for you? I think it is important to be transparent in the numbers to give comfort to potential investors.

Ikanium, so glad to hear you are settled in school. I also sent you an email - been meaning to send one. I think kulyie's suggestion about selling recharge cards is a good one but of course it has to be what you are comfortable with. Anyways you have my private email now so we can stay in touch. Take care!

You will get better responses in the travel section.

Why were not prepared for the bills when you and wife decided she would have your kid there? These are the things the US Embassy seriously frowns upon. Your wife went to have a baby there and you guys did not have a plan in place as to how you were going to foot the bills? I am not the US Embassy but 1)She was pregnant when she applied for the visa and probably said the reason for her visit was visiting family or whatever. However, she went on have her baby there so she lied about her reason for applying for the visa. 2)Emergency medical insurance? Whats that? I haven't heard of that one. But the US Embassy will want to see evidence of all bills paid. To be on the safe side, I will suggest you pay the bills yourself. Ask for a payment plan from the hospital. And next time, you should ask the hospital in advance for the self pay option - its always a lot more cheaper. Perhaps you can still ask them for that option, your bills could be slashed in half if you are lucky.

eyoniggar: @OP, you are getting more bashing than normal response to your original post. Simply scan the visa page and post it here on Nairaland, scan it in such a way that vital info wnt be revealed on here.

My Wife had travelled to US twice btwn 2009-2011 on visitors VISA, she was issued one year VISA twice those visits, and she only spent two weeks the first time,and spent 3 weeks the second time. Last year august, she applied, then she was given multiple this time and was never asked a single question about being pregnant and all that in which she was already 4months pregos then.

She gave birth December and the hospital bill was crazy, the clinic bills alone was up to $6,000, while the hospital bill was like 16,000 dollars plus, I quickly seek solution as to how I can take care of the bills. My cousin over there advised that my wife should apply for an emergency medical insurance for the hospital bill only, then we can pay the clinic bills ourselves. I was able to pay $4,320 out of the clinic bills, 2 days after making the payment over a month period after applying for the medical insurance, my wife received response from the hospital that the Medical insurance has been approved, not only for the hospital bill, but also for her clinic bills, I was really surprised. Now sorry OP for derailing your thread, but is any1 here that knows about this medical insurance? Will it affect my wife when next she wants to re-apply? If it will affect her, I might have to make proper arrangements to make the payment, but is there anyway to cancel the insurance coverage? Kinda confused. Any help would do.

ayinba1: Well, I guess a lot of things have changed. The last I recall, it was pretty tough to get a quick appointment so that's a good thing if one can get an appointment within a short period. Also, the guy whose brother was out in 5 minutes, I would say "impressive". The US Embassy must have gone through some amazing transformation.

The process is to book an appointment and get an agent to bring the date forward. The agents that do this are a dime a dozen - it just costs money. But I think the OP already had her appointment already scheduled and was looking for some advice online and phrased her question the way she did that she was planning to apply. In any case, there is nothing special about her situation so I don't see why she needs to lie.

No one understands how the US Embassy works really. I know someone something similar happened to. She lied and got denied but she later admitted that she lied initially and was issued a visa. I have several friends who have gone to the US Embassy in the last 2 years and told the interviewing officer they were going to have their babies there and they were given visas. As the OP said, the US does not frown on medical tourism, they just don't want you cheating their system. And of course they value honestly, they want to know if you are going to have you baby there so they can assess whether you can afford it. I don't know why some Nigerians cry more than the bereaved - they make up all sorts if stories as if the US Embassy frowns upon medical tourism when in actual fact they don't. If the US Embassy doesn't mind women going to have their babies in the US as long as they pay their bills, I suggest other people mind their business really. It's not like we have a decent healthcare system in Nigeria - iimagine maternal mortality still being rampant in this day and age in Nigeria. Please if you can afford it, even Ghana is a good option.

Every human being needs help. This is not about being lazy. Imagine having a long day at work and getting home to start cooking, givings kids a bath, tidying up? It could even be your mother or a relative helping out. Anyway I was brought up to not stress myself and outsource any tasks I am not up to. I don't have a live in maid but I use services of people to make my life easier e.g. cleaner, caterer, dry-cleaners etc. I don't buy the excuse of sexual assault either - the people I know personally were assaulted by close relatives so that is not a reason to say I won't hire a maid. We had maids and relatives in the house growing up and we all turned out very well. Personally, I believe a lot of Nigerians are very mean to their maids and expect them to treat their kids right but we know life doesn't work that way and karma is very real.. Also, hiring a child as a maid to look after your home is very irresponsible. Thereis nothing wrong with hiring a mature maid/ nanny with clear responsibities to assist a woman on the homefront. I also don't subscribe using one person to do all the work in the house. Personally, I find housework overwhelming and would expect anyone else to find it so regardless of whether they are paid to do it or not. So in my case, I will hire one person to look after my kids when I am not available, another to do housework with the aid of washing machines etc

We say thank you after every meal - my husband and I were brought up to say a greeting after a meal. Actually we say a prayer to any older person around after eating but I guess the true culture is to say it to the person who provided the food. "There are several greetings I have heard being said including "your enemies will not kill you" said in the local dialect. I will definitely teach my kids to say thank you after a meal, it is good manners.

This shouldn't be a topic of debate. It should be when the Doctor advises it is safe. When I was leaving the hospital, it was among the do's and don'ts after discharge. Wait 6 weeks and if it doesn't feel right, come back to the hospital. It seems like in Nigeria, it is guess work - I see no reason why a doctor would not advise the couple as it seems a lot of people use guesswork to determine when to resume their sex life.

donchris369: Mrs somebody may God bless you and reward you for putting smiles on your fellow somebody's face.

Julesbloom: wow really short of words.
God bless u richly @ somebody, u r really a somebody.

God bless you both.

[quote author=Efemena_xy]A woman true to her words.

May the good lord bless you abundantly Mrs Somebody...[/quote]Amen and you too.

Yomieluv: @Mrs somebody,ur action shows we still have good Nigerians,may u neva lack in life,ur reward shall be in multiple folds.

Amen - God bless you too!

SlyIg: God bless Nairaland!
God bless Seun!
God bless Mrs. Somebody!

God bless you too.

Peterwins: @OP/Ikanium. Now that you have done this. I will make an anonymous donation in your GTB account.

@Somebody(f). GOD bless you.

God bless you too Peterwins and I am glad that despite the tough love,you still reached out to Ikanium .

Oh wow...I can't keep track of the people who have prayed for me. Thank you so much - may God bless you too for taking the time out to say a blessing on behalf of someone you don't even know. May this 2013 bring each and everyone of us unusual blessings and God's unprecedented favour. Amen.

@Degis, I am sure you can send Ikanium with a PM with the payment details to avoid the publicity. God bless you helping this young man in need.

Never!!!!!!!!!

However, I can allow them visit occasionally. My summer holidays spent with my cousins growing up were the bestest. I would want my kids to have that - a strong bond with their cousins/family.