Gagat:


Very interested! How is the dimple tinz done pls?

Oh gosh....lol!...people...lets be real abeg...Dimples are a genetically inherited trait...its not something one soap or concotion will give you..Kai!

If your baby is going to have dimples, your baby will and its not going to be because of something you use or put on your baby.

lollyberry:
Please I need to book my flight for November as soon as possible

The gurus in the house should help me o
thanks

Im sorry, I tried really hard to stay out of this...but what kind of help is needed here?

You need someone to click search on google for you? Or to decide what route you need to fly? Or tell you the airlines that fly to wherever you're going to? What LadyGuinivere stated, is rather obvious! Infact I interpreted her response as patronizing (as it should be sef)

Do you really need someone to tell you that you need to check Google, wakanow, or individual airline websites Do you

Nwunyeebuka:


By right corpers are not to leave the country until u finish serving ur father land.

I'm sorry, but I got a UK visa, during NYSC and travellled for my Grads....the fact I was a corper did not come up as an issue at the Embassy, even though I submitted my NYSC and office permission letters to go for 3 weeks. If you search the entire visa rules, of UK or US Consulates, u will not find a single rule stopping NYSC students, they simply do not make it their business.

kendybabe88:
HELLO EVERYBODY STIL IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING THE VISA, PLEASE CAN A CORPER APPLY FOR THIS VISA BECAUSE I HEARD CORPERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TRAVEL DNT KNOW IF I SHUD DECLARE THAT AM A CORPER AND GO WITH MY DOCUMENTS TO PROVE IT DURING MY INTERVIEW OR I SHOULD JUST BE MUTE ABOUT IT WHEN ASKED WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING. MY HUBBY IS SPONSORING THE TRIP. THANK YOU

Erm...I definately renewed my UK visa and travelled for my graduation in London during NYSC. The fact i was a Corper didnt even come up. This was in 2012. Unless things have changed, I dont know why it should matter.

glassy2606:
Good evening everyone,please can anyone update me as to Whot food stuff,i can travel wth and the ones they won't allow me take it.please ur response will be appreciated.God bless u all

@Glassy2606...Google is really your friend! ☺.

There are some questions you really shouldnt be asking others. It is best to always check the official and most recent information for these kind of questions on the relevant official website. Even if someone tells you here, that may be based on their experience and there's no way of telling how accurate it is (although they have the best intentions), if you are penalized due to wrong info..ull surely be on your own

Here. Take it. Thats the link to the relevant US Authority's website

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82/~/travelers-bringing-food-into-the-u.s.-for-personal-use

You can also do your own additional google search.

Oyin15:
Experienced mamas and papas in the house. Pls I hav some quick questions. I would appreciate if anyone can answer them.
1) Wats the best bank to open an account with. The capital one near my hosts's is asking for tax I'd or utility bill with my name on it which I don't have
2) For those that travelled with toddlers what did u do with them when u went for ur doctors appointments.
Thanks in advance

1. Bank of America, Chase Bank, US Bank...are the foreigner friendly Banks. You can check Phema's post on her experience with one or two of them. They usually require a second form of ID e.g Driver's license in addition to your Passport.

2. No idea!

deeore:
@Bach angel
I was told that by the doctors office cause I have been in contact with them since may,we have been sending mails back and forth and as such they are considering me as one of their old patients before the new fees and would use that as an advantage for me so I can pay the same old quote...i believe what you were told stands for new patients just talking to them now...although u calling d hospital direct would give you the new quote.
u can try the st Marys hospital...i fink one of the doctors at bestobgyn@gmail.com doctors office is affliated with them...don't knw his name just Google it.

Thank you Deore...I have also been in contact since June. And Ive had my first appointment date and time booked since then....even after telling her all this....she still went on to talk about the new price. So I'm not sure. I think its best to just call and ask point blank if the old fees will apply for patients who have booked since then.

I doubt it tho because the appointment was with bestobgyn...and not the hospital directly.

deeore:
@delvy
hi am a silent reader that contributes once in a while,u gave me a heartattack when I saw that new jersey quote, because that's the hospital I intend using.
I made alot of calls ur right but when I called the doctors office,that's bestobgyn@gmail.com, they insisted I stick to the previous bill sent to me which is the 6550 for vd,I called twice sef to confirm and the lady I spoke to said that amount is ridiculous and was laughing that I shouldn't worry and stick to d old quote.
but I decided to search further so am not caught unawares got some hospitals like saint Marys which is 4000 for vd and 5000 for cs not inclusive of epidural,Dr's fee n paeditrician.
st Joseph vd 7861 cs 10961.
sorry for the long story.

This is so confusing. When I called, they confirmed the Hackensack fees had changed. And suggested I find cheaper hospital options if $8900 is too expensive. I am wondering what they mean by 'insisting you stick to the previous bill' when they have no say over what the hospital charges, they work in the Drs office (NJbestobgyn) and have nothing to do with hackensack mountainside. They seem to be giving a lot of conflicting info.

I called Jersey city medical center and VD cost is $4000, while CS costs $7500. However finding a Dr affiliated with Jersey city at a reasonable fee is an issue. I called over 15 Drs...fees average $3000, minus Paed and Anaesthesia...other Drs I called will not accept patients beyond 20 weeks - 27 weeks and definately not in the third trimester.

All of a sudden Hackensack's website shows "Access denied"...trying to access it from here. Hackensack mountainside not Hackensack UMC.

Hmmm....

delvy:
Hi for those who maybe considering using hackensaw mountainside hospital in New Jersey for child birth , their fees have been increased effective Aug 1st from $3800 to $8900. Most of their affiliate doctors are still quoting the old price, pls call the hospital directly to re confirm.

Hmmmm....I was told effective from Sept 1st tmr, I just called right after seeing this. In any case, whenever it changed...its still a disaster!

Massive thanks for sharing this info

shawlar:



I wonder what bachangel finally decided on....
I'm just wondering cos I also have the same reservations/dificulties making up my mind on the whole US birth thingy

@shawlar @helovesme...so after much pondering, I finally decided to have my baby is the US. One of the winning arguments....I dont see why my child, coming into this world, completely innocent and not responsible for the 'sins' of previous Nigerians, should have his/her potential halved just by our very limiting green passport.... As parents to be, I hope we are making the right decision. Will see how it goes.

Decided on New York, settled on a hospital and a Doc, first appointment date set...due end of November...just trying to decide when to stop work. Planned end of Oct initially, but due to very annoying bosses, huge workload and impossible sales target i am just not ready to deal with, thinking of leaving end of Sept since I can take 6 months mat leave (4 fully paid and 2 half paid)

All the best with your decisions!

wayinoma:
I would advice you to have your baby in tthe us.i had my first 5years ago and it has taken 5yrs to correct the mistakes the doctors made plus am extremely lucky n blessed to be alive.


author=chidaroy post=33395590]Ok so I know lots of the people here are used to the different turn my response usually takes
I like to look at things from different sides but today I will just answer your question by telling you my story.

My husband and I had our wedding at the end of February this year (note... I am married on an ijebu man. Their party no be here). We were the major sponsors of the event and I was already six months gone then. In march(few days after we returned from our honeymoon), our house was involved in a fire accident that engulfed 90% of the property in one side of the house +wedding gifts. (newly weds who have just come out from a major expense, we had to renovate the house and replace all the properties). Then I came to the US in April (notice the closeness) to have our baby.

Now that I have given you that summary, it will help you relate with my story. When I found out I was pregnant, I had no concrete intention of having the baby in the US but somehow I jokingly mentioned it to my husband and he bought into it. When I got a visa in January, I still wasn't sure that I wanted to have the baby abroad but as days past, I kept going deeper and deeper into research and findings. The more events unfold, the more reasons we had to give up on the idea and just like you, if I had my baby in Nigeria, I will pay zero.

One day, I sat down and did the maths,.... If it cost 4 million to have a baby in the US today, when he grows up and decides to school in the US or Canada, the average school fee per session for international students will be more than 4 million more than what a citizen should pay per session. (considering that exchange rate might ever go down). So I would have spent 4 million today to save say 20 million or more tomorrow. That was my math.

I decided to stick to it even when my husband and I almost couldn't afford it. Somehow we agreed to each contribute 50% each of the total cost(it's easier when you have a supportive spouse). I didn't know there was something more God had planned.

On arriving here, I had my first doctors appointment. After the doctor looked at my report and all, he immediately recommended that I go for a scan urgently but because I was too in a hurry to go home that day, I decided to have the scan the next day. On getting home, I noticed that I started bleeding (it's my first baby, I have zero experience and the first thought that came to my head was miscarriage). Still amidst the panic, I ran back to the hospital only to be subjected to a comprehensive scan.

After all the equipments were deployed, I heard for the first time that I had a case of Placenta Previa(Google it). Note: I was 36 weeks gone at this time and it was the first time ever I was hearing that. I was made to believe by my doctor in Nigeria that I was going to have a normal delivery till I got here. A patient with placenta previa cannot have a normal vd except the case corrects. Hence, attempting to have a normal delivery in Nigeria would cost the mother or child or both lives.

So to answer your question, if I finally decided to have my baby in Nigeria and experienced that bleeding, the doctor would have thought I was going into labour. He would have induced me and that might have been it for my child and (or) me. So are you still asking someone like me what the benefit of having my baby here is?

Even if I have to slave all my life, I have made a solemn decision not to have any other child in Nigeria (so help me God). If the only thing God helped me achieve through this trip was to get medical care(lots of people under look the importance of that),then I wouldn't mind if the next one costs 20 million naira.

Still in doubt? I don't expect you to be. It's not just what you achieve for your child but what you achieve for yourself.

Thank you wayinoma, Im giving this a lot of thought. I had a preconception that people who had their babies in the US had tons of cash to spare. I.e cost of having a baby = 5% of their savings. And thats why I am a bit worried...For us, it is about 30%, which seems like a lot..hence my uncertainty.

shelly23:
I went to college in the US at 16 and I turned out very ok, infact those were the best years of my life! And the major reason (besides better healthcare) I'm having my kids in the US.
As a student, I know what my parents went through to pay school fees (this was during the Abacha era, so things were VERY tough for them) and I also know that if I was a citizen I would've had access to financial aid and more scholarships to help ease the burden.
Even after graduation, I know I missed out on a few jobs because the companies were not interested in doing a work permit for me. Fortunately, I eventually got a job, but it definitely wasn't my dream job and I ended up earning much less than I should have cos the company felt they were doing me a favor by getting the work permit for me. I eventually moved back home after 10yrs of living in the US and even though I don't see myself living in the US again, I'm determined to have my kids there. Let them decide to live there or not when the time comes.

You seem to already know what you want to do, so I won't bother trying to convince you. For anyone else reading this, when your kids eventually go to college, please make sure they take financial aid if they qualify, not student loans o! I have friends who are still paying student loans 15yrs after graduation (that's the only good thing about not being a citizen when I went to college, cos I graduated without any debt )

@shelly23 I agree with you and I know there are thousands of people who went to Uni outside the country at 16 and turned out perfect. Im just saying that its an idea I am wary of esp because of the way I was raised and the my parents ideals. They insisted for the first 2 of us and then got lax with our last born and let him leave for the UK (and that didnt turn out too well) Again my thoughts on this are based on my personal experience. Doesnt mean I wont change my mind in the future.

As for already knowing what to do, honestly I dont..even though everyone has kindly contributed their views Im sure you understand that it would be unreasonable for me to suddenly jump on the US band wagon just because everyone has raised very valid points. I would need to discuss in detail with Hubby, pray, review finances and finally decide.This can only come from within.

Thank you for your encouragement tho

Beryl15:
My pple Biko make una allow the babe ( bachangel) rest o!
We have given her more than enough info to convince her and in the end, it's up to her and hubby to make the final decision. Let's not forget that.

Yes @Beryl15, thank you, I guess ure right. It is good to sound out others, but ultimately the decision will have to be mine and Hubbys def

9jabiggurl:
@bachangel, to add to what @mabel said.....the ends justifies the means...truth be told in the long run you save up a lot on visa acquisition for your kids every 2 years for the countries you want to visit...with that blue pali trust me you cant go wrong..its one of the best decision you would make and give your children ....please go for it.
few years down the lane you don't want to regret this decision like my dad did....gave birth to 1st two in uk and came to nigeria under 'the economy is good i dont want to be a slave in another man's country" (a typical Ijesha thinking) and gave birth to the remaining four here unfortunately i fall in the remaining four category and till today he bites his fingers for taking that decision 40 years ago....
Please go for it if you can afford it.....

@9jabiggurl Thank you for your contribution....I'm hoping I won't, my child will thank people like you.

coefoe:
Really? After all that have been said? Are you trying to show off or are you naturally like this

'Sigh'* And Its posts like this I don't get, What exactly am I showing off,

Do you know my real name, did I post a picture of my myself? I am a faceless stranger behind my computer as you are to me. If I was saying this to you in person and you said I was showing off, as shallow as that is, I would understand even that!

How do you showoff when you are invisible in the first place? don't I need to "show" before I "show off"??

Thank you @Popri. I mentioned in my initial post that the American passport and access to better Healthcare are the two main advantages of having a baby in the US, so I do agree with you. I'lld definitely feel more comfortable if something went wrong in the hands of the US medical care team in than one in Nigeria.

Popri:
@bachangel, I am a qualified Medical Doctor here in Nigeria, I didn't train here though but have worked here, and I will clearly tell you that you cannot compare our healthcare in Nigeria to the US..
I am very concerned about my health especially when I have an alternative option..
If you are privileged to have all the info you have, then you should thank God. So many people have money, billions but are not so informed or exposed enough to know, so let your knowledge be to give you the best.

Giving birth is a major event that seeking the best healthcare possible is something of upmost priority to me, even when the outcome is very successful and it turns out 'easy' so to speak...You must have visited an NHS hospital in the UK during your MSC and I'm sure you wouldn't want to compare it to our services here.

Litigation rate is very high for ob/gyn Doctors in the U.S. so even for that reason alone, you get the very best there, amongst other reasons; emergency response time is shorter than ours, abeg I cant even shout..patient-doctor ratio is not to be compared to us so the Doctors will always give their best, plus mode of training is incomparable!

This is the little I can add to the wealth of knowledge above...
This thread is so informative and i sincerely appreciate everyone here for the concern for each other.

May God make all our dreams come true..
Y'al should stay blessed!

""3) Thou should arrive at ur departure airport 3 hours ahead of time to make sure thou gets preference for bassinet. Very important. Also that thous shall not be running to thy gate with yelling baby in thy arms. For thou shall apear like a mad person. ++

Haha ..lol @running to thy gat with yelling baby in thy arms, funniest post I've read all day! Congrats on your LO!

Shawbabe:
Hello my people,

I am safely back in Naija oh. Operation birth is complete for me, thank God it ended in praise.

Just 3 important tips for first time mums coming back with their infants:

1) Thou should not buy thy infant ticket with American office of thy airline, or thou shall pay $400+ for a one way ticket. Buy thy infant ticket from the naija branch and get someone to pay them in naira for u.

2) Purchase an Infantino baby carrier coz thou shall need it @ the airport, for thy stroller and car seat shall be taken from thee and checked in all the way to naija. So if u don't wanna carry ur baby for hand thru layovers and security, buy one! Or thy hand shall break from carrying baby.

3) Thou should arrive at ur departure airport 3 hours ahead of time to make sure thou gets preference for bassinet. Very important. Also that thous shall not be running to thy gate with yelling baby in thy arms. For thou shall apear like a mad person.

That's it folks! Till next pikin is conceived, thanks for everyone's contribution and for the laugh thru my final weeks of pregnancy oh. Love all of una.

Thank you all so much for your responses to the concerns I raised about having a baby in the US.

I am really more convinced than I initially was, although getting to 100% will naturally take a bit more thinking, planning etc.

What this has taught me is that as different people with different backgrounds, we have different priorities. Fact is having a baby in the US is more important to some of us than others. Again necessitated by the experiences we have.

For instance, I have a very Green Nigerian passport, but I dont think I Ive ever been denied any opportunity. Did a BSc in Nigeria. Went to a top 3 UK university for MSc and got the dream International job that allowed me work in exciting places for a couple of years. I dont feel I lost out on anything. So in my mind, If I could achieve this with a Nigerian passport, why cant my child? Yes its annoying applying for visas but getting one has never been an issue, Ive travelled from Indonesia to the Bahamas and several places inbetween.So based on my experiences, i havent lost out on much.

Im also slightly wary of a 16 year old going of to Uni for BSc in the US or UK where the moral boundaries are hardly there..By MSc, there a bit more mature so thats more reasonable for me. And thats also because I was raised on this philosophy.

But anyway, with a US passport, the final point is that I will give my child the OPTIONS, and that is what is key l. I may change my mind about BSc outside the country and so many other things etc. I guess if I do find the US passport really that useless in the future I can burn it (lol, joking) but atleast the OPTION is there in case Nigeria really goes from bad to worse (i hope not) and that's what is important.

Thanks to everyone once again. Please lets come back in 20 years to review our decisions on this.

Hello everyone! Congrats to all the Mums to be.. Been following this blog for a while now. I have been married for about a year now and we are expecting our 1st child.

My question comes from a very different direction. wonder if anyone has questioned or attempted to justify how worth it having a baby in the US is? When I worked out the costs, with the current exchange rate it works out to be N4m. (This is about a quarter of our savings).

N4m includes flights, hospital bills, shopping and accomodation. Although I will be staying with family before the baby is born and will move to an apartment when my hubby joins me just before baby and afterwards. I do like my space, especially at such a sensitive time. It also seems to me that several people are fine with having a baby in the US while their husbands stay back at home maybe to save cost or whatever but that is out of the question for me and his presence is the most important thing but that raises cost a bit.

So my husband and I are really unsure for the following reasons.

1. Giving birth in Nig will cost me N0.00k because my office will pay for it all. In the US we have to spend a reasonable chunk of our savings.

2. There is no risk of my hubby missing the birth cuz in the US he can only be away from work for 3 weeks max and babies smtimes decide to come out 2 weeks ealier or later, making it hard for him to be there in time and also leave the US together.

3. In Nigeria, I can work up until the week I'm due, leaving me plenty of time to spend with my baby afterwards.

4. I can have a proper naming ceremony 8 days afterwards with my whole family, also sentimentally, the same Doctor that brought me into this world 30 years ago, will also be my OBGYN and help deliver my own child.

5. I would be in my own comfortable space at home, and its just less stressful than the logistics of travelling.

Ofcourse the advantages of the US, ...the passport and....not sure what else...better healthcare I guess.

So my question to other Mums to be, Did you struggle with these kind of thoughts or other sentimental reasons? It wld be nice to hear your feedback. Between I already have a US visa.

Thanks!

P.S: Because Ive seen how abusive it can get here, I hope people can genuinely see I am only sharing my concerns and trying to see if others had similar concerns. If these things never crossed your mind, lucky u.

'Quote from: emisun on July 07, 2010, 02:20 PM
I believe it amounts to pathetic fallacious statements if any one states that private unis are better compared to public unis. First, unis are capital intensive and so can't be an issue an individual can hand(don't tryna prove me wrong citing their source revenue). Secondly, most private unis are profit making outfit for some irrational animals that go by the name "politicians". And finally, the cadre of people u see in the private unis don't get a picture of what survival of the fittest is all about in these crazy world of conflicting values and interest that will perpetually keep us having wars around the globe.'

'quite a dumb post, survival of the fittest has nothing to do with schools u know, crappy thinking'

exactly it is a very stupid post!!, people that like forming grammer are the ones who have the most unsensible things to say!!!, so what does survival of the fittest have to do with academic learning, why didnt u go and study in a jungle and have your lectures in caves or on top of trees if u wanted survival of the fittest, just because you live a comfortable life in private unis dont make it worse or doesnt mean they dont know abt survival in the 'crazy world'.!!

For those fools who think that because Covenant University produced 95 first class students in the whole graduating set of over 1, 000, its an unworthy school or it has been watered down, esp whoever said 1st class in cu, 2:2 in a pub univ, it shows how un-intelligent and unobjective u are.

You dont need to be Einstein to reason logically!!, go to Cambridge University or Oxford University's websites or evn my own uni, University College London and see the number of people who graduate with first class esp in cambridge!!, almost a third of the graduates in some depts, this shows that the students are actually smart and they are studying in reasonable environments!!, so the fact that there are a lot of first class students mean that the students themselves are smart, that simple!!

afterall in the so called public unis, don't some people buy there ways thru degrees