Just stopping by to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
It's been an eventful year, so many beautiful and handsome babies were welcomed to our world. We thank God for all the testimonies and even through the challenging situations. In all things, we give thanks.
Oga Moderator, I salute you o, thanks for all you do.
To all the pleasant ladies that I met in Phoenix, thanks for making it worthwhile and we are looking forward to having you back (wink).
All the Best in 2015 and best wishes to everyone.

Varvara:

Thank you very much. Yes, I know about baby seat. As I know hospital sells it around 40 usd. Sorry, I didn't receive anything from you ((

Pls check your junk mail, I've sent you about 4 emails. I replied each time you sent me a message. It's from Naija Mummy Care.

Varvara: Hello, guys!

My DUE in 1,5 weeks and my husband stacked with administrative proccess. I lose my hope that he will assist me here.
Do you know anybody driver in Phoenix with baby seat?
Anybody is going in Tucson around 20 of October to make a baby passport?
Or could you advice another comfortable and fast way to achieve Tucson?
thank you

Varvara,
Typically MIH will not let you leave or discharge you without a baby car seat, most moms invest in a baby car seat. You can purchase one for a reasonable price at Burlington, Walmart or Target.
The fastest way to get to Tucson is to hire a taxi, private transportation service or book a flight to Tucson.
Considering that you would have a new born baby with you, you probably want to choose the safest and most convenient option.
I've sent you replies to your emails but no response from you.
Plus if you stay at Crossland, you should have met some of the moms on this forum who can help with some of your questions.....I hope.

shelly23: Hope our Phoenix people are ok o! I'm just reading there was a storm and a part of the city is without electricity.

MadameU:
Read that too! I hope everyone is good.

Reporting live from Phoenix ....lol
Yes o, we are fine. Thanks for checking on us. It rained hard for a few hours and stopped. Some areas were affected more than others. The news will typically report the extreme incidences as it gets more attention.....go figure.
Some freeways and streets in Phoenix were not designed to handle a large amount of rain since it only rains a few times in the year so they would typically get flooded for a few hours or so.
Since we live in the desert, it's like Christmas when it rains minus the flooding. The rain is a welcome change coz it makes our weather cooler.

Mestar:

Heading there first week of Dec. with regards acc options, are you looking to get a studio or one bedroom?

Looking forward to welcoming the Team MIH moms coming to Phoenix in Oct, Nov and Dec.
Hopefully the relieve from heat will get here soon.
November and December weather is definitely something to look forward to.

dserious: Hello to all my MIHS heartbrokens.........kpele nu, its not so bad

Just to confirm wat naijaphoenixmum said abt the new prices...yes, its 5,400 for normal and 6,500 for CS

The Chief Financial counselor confirmed to us that all those with Financial appt from October to December would be honored the old price. Infact I asked her 3times just to confirm. She showed me the list of bookings and said yes, old price applies to all these pple.

So wat i would advise is if you already have an appt, call her to confirm again if your name is on her list; and try to beg her to send u an email confirming you would pay the old price wen u arrive. Be polite, and explain to her that u dont want to come all the way and be faced with a bill u dint plan for. Her name is Francesca Hernandez and her number is 602 344 5011.

All d best

@Phema, hope this gives you the confirmation you need and everyone who already booked their appointment till December.

Babymama123: Whoa!!! i feel like crying MIHS don do me strong thing, i was working on a tight budget was thinking @ worse $3,500 not dat whopping addition. i almost booked for my flight yesterday. God dey have got just about 3weeks left to hustle, am am sad, i hope things work out for me, if not na to decide naija things ooh, and hope for a safe delivery. wish everyone well.

Like I said before if you have already booked your financial appointment with MIH before the announcement of the price increase, they said they will honor the old price till December.

Phema:

Are you sure they said that? Did you go there physically or you called them?

I asked and they specifically said that even people with old appointments will pay the new price.

Yes I was there with another mum who had her financial appointment today.
Sometimes the customer service reps can be confused. You may need to call twice to get the right information. This came from the lady who takes care of the financials which is usually the first appointment.

Hello everyone, I came by MIH today. I was told that the new MIH rates are $5400 for normal delivery and $6500 for CS. They added an additional visit for the baby to the Maternity Package.
The lady said that they are honoring old rates for people who have already booked their first appointments till December.
She said that people can now book appointments at the new rate.
They will have information on their website soon.
Hope this helps people trying to make a decision about MIH.

Phema: For those going to Phoenix; I tried calling other Hospitals in Phoenix and non has an all-inclusive maternity package like MIHS. They could only tell the hospital fees which is about $3k for almost all of them. You will have to get your own Dr, pay him/her, also pay for epidural, Paediatrician, Aneasthesiologist, laboratory test etc.

However, I got one hospital (Northwest Medical Centre) in Tucson, AZ which offers a maternity package plan (again, just hospital fees) for $1800 and $350 for epidural. Excludes Dr's fees, Paediatrician fees, lab tests etc

This is me, signing out on the searching game. Will just have to wait till I get MIHS new price to make a decision between MIHS and Doctores Para Ti.

Chei! I speak English tire today. From Naija accent to fake American one to even middle eastern one sef, sotey my credit finish. I load another one again, them finish am. I don try!

Lol @accent....no be small thing. Kudos to you.
Pls note Tucson is about 2.5 hrs away from Phoenix. All the best

Freshface: Hi guys. Pls how do we get flights from Nigeria to Phoenix? I Can't find anything direct. I'm thinking of stopping in New York, then connecting to Phoenix. Pls help.

To my knowledge, there are currently no direct flights to Phoenix from Nigeria. Whenever I travel to Nigeria from Phoenix, there's usually a stop over in another US city i.e. Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Houston etc.
Even with European Airlines like British Airways, you will still have a stop over in another city before coming to Phoenix. All the best.

lizcom25: Please people do you need to get a notary at the US embassy in nigeria when you will be in the US two days after your wife puts to bed??

This is info is from the travel.state.gov website. Hope it helps

Both parents/guardians must appear in person with the minor and provide consent, authorizing passport issuance to the minor. If one parent/guardian is unable to appear in person, then the DS-11 application must be accompanied by a signed, notarized Form DS-3053: Statement of Consent from the non-applying parent/guardian.

Tvegas:

Nice article but am I reading right? How many applicants appear at the embassy with a bank statement balance of $60k ? If people can shell out 60k, then why so much hustle for el paso, whmc and mihc on this thread. Lmao

I think people that find this forum are blessed. There are people out there who have no clue and have possibly paid that amount.
The key is doing your research and knowing your facts when you go to the Embassy.
They want to see that you are prepared financially for any unforseen incidences because it is not fair that you expect to use tax payers money. I think the moral of the article is do your research, be truthful and make sure the financial statements you show at the Embassy cover your accommodation, hospital bills, living expenses and any unforseen incidences or childbirth complications as well.

This article by This Day was published Feb 2013.
It should help dismiss some US Visa fears and myths.

US Embassy Outlines Condition for Baby Delivery in the US

Contrary to the widely held notions in the polity that to deliver a baby in the United States, a pregnant woman has to conceal her pregnancy during her visa interview and while entering the US, or she has to travel before her pregnancy starts to show, the US Embassy has clarified that it is okay to decide to have a baby in the country.
This is against the backdrop of the practice where some Nigerians deliberately lie during visa interviews in their bid to secure automatic US citizenship for their children.

The Embassy outlined some conditions which have to be met before such a visa which falls under medical tourism category is issued.

This it said, is necessary to encourage applicants to be truthful during visa interviews.
One: The applicant has to show proof of available funds of at least $140,000 (about N22 million) to pay medical fees, and secondly, the applicant has to show proof of the need for medical attention in the US such as high risk pregnancy and the likes.
US Embassy Chief of Consular Section, Ms. Carol Cox, in an interview with select journalists in Abuja, yesterday disclosed that it would cost at least $60,000 to have a baby in the US.

In instances where complications arise from the delivery, the medical bills may go as high as $140,000.
Availability of the funds, Cox said is very important as it is necessary to ensure that American taxpayers do not have to pay such bills.
"We owe the American public who pay taxes to make sure that those who seek medical services in the US pay for such services. This is essential because there are those who have the money and are not willing to pay.
"It is very frustrating when you see a woman who is obviously pregnant, sometimes seven months gone, tell you during a visa interview that she is just going to the US for a vacation," she said.

Commenting on the fate of those who have incurred bans in the process of visa applications, Cox said while they are allowed to appeal, the outcome would be determined by the gravity of what incurred the ban in the first instance.
She added that it would be difficult for such appeals to come through in instances of fraud.
"It is important for applicants to be truthful because if there is any discrepancy in what you say and what you have written in your form, your credibility is gone," she said.

Speaking on visa wait times, the embassy has reduced the wait times from six weeks to 30 days for applicants in Abuja, and to 21 days for applicants in Lagos, she disclosed.

Public Affairs Officer of the Embassy, Ms. Debra MacLean reiterated that the visa is not a guarantee that an applicant would enter the US.
"If the applicant is found to have materially misrepresented his purpose of visit, the immigration officer at the airport may refuse him or her entry. This officer is the one who really determines who enters the US," she clarified.

The DS 3053 - Parental Consent Form for American passport application. I've seen too many mums have heartaches over this form because of mistakes with the dates.
Pls tell the father of the baby to take a moment to check ALL THE DATES are correctly filled while he is still with the notary to avoid costly couriers payment.

ogbenyalu: @ hawtmum pls which state did you give birth? because this notorization thing is just confusing. i heard different states have different laws e.g for texas it must be notorized in the us embassy. pls correct me if am wrong. am using mihs and i dont know about arizona state laws concerning this issue. pls can d mamas in phoenix help us clarify this. thank u in advance.

Most Arizona mums I've met, usually have the father of the baby notarize the consent form for the US passport at the US Embassy in Nigeria and sent via courier to them.
However if the dad will be with you at your passport appointment, this would not be necessary. Hope that helps.

nefertitiram: Hi all, esp @oawele been a while. Been silent cos I have trying to consider my options.
I have finally decided to scrape and save to have my babies in US.
I am 5mths now, bt looking like 7mths cos it's a multiple birth. I have decided to use MIHS, but have to stop over for a business meeting in October in NY. And I am due in Dec, so inadvertedly I have to stay in US for 2mths. I know nobody in US, and I hear MIHS is a 4hr flight from NY. I am confused at this point.

I will be travelling alone, I am expecting 2 babies and I know nobody in US. Will any expectant mother here be using MIHS, let's hook up so that boredom will not finish me. And what will I be doing in the desert for 3mths?

You are a strong woman o, may God continue to keep you thru the whole process. I live in Phoenix. You would be coming at a good time when the weather is much bearable. I'm sure if you choose an accommodation where other Nigerian mums stay, it won't be too boring.

Ibtisam24: Hi dear moms I reach Phoenix from ny 2 days back and I went to Mhis it's really nice like some recommend and very big hospital and treat me well. Thank you for all Moms or Dads who adviced me or recommend me to use Mhis.

Welcome to Phoenix. Make sure you stay hydrated by carry a cold bottle of water with you always. This heat.... e get as he be o.

Ibtisam24: Dear house do you any contact or address of notary in Phoenix and the cost? My hobby should give me a latter to allow me apply for baby's passport if he does not be here the time of delivering baby.

Go to www.yellowbook.com, then search for "notary public" in the zipcode close to where you are staying i.e. 85XXX. Then call their phone no to get more info.

justwise:

Please no indirect ad here, any info you are not willing to share openly here is not worth mentioning.

No indirect ad intended, there's information on the http://travel.state.gov. It's had to tell what is classified as an ad so being careful what I share. Just trying to help.

lizcom25: Hello People, Please what do i need to process for my baby's passport and visa after birth. I have read in on the thread and i want to sure to know what i need to do while still in Nigeria. Thanks

Visit the US travel website http://travel.state.gov

rul77: Am 20weeks pregnant nd would luv to av my baby in d states d only problem is my husband is not going with me nd I only av friends in New Jersey looking for affordable hospital between 4k to 5k any help pls

Research the Maternity Package Plan for Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) in Phoenix, Arizona. Seems like it would be in your budget.

Just came across this thread after meeting some contributors here in Phoenix. Phoenix, even though it's not a popular pick for most Nigerians, is a great place to visit. I have lived here for many years. If you are visiting at this time of the year and between May - September, be ready for the hot summer. Yes, hotter than most places in Nigeria but it is dry heat so you don't sweat as much. You just plan to go out really early in the morning or evening when the sun goes down unless you have appointments in the daytime. Because of the dryness, make sure you drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration.
Otherwise it's one of the best place to be between October and April, we have one of the best weathers in the US at that time of the year. It doesn't snow here. We may get occasional rainfall.
As per where to stay when you get here and how safe it is, there are a lot of factors that come in to play, the safety of the neighborhood, your budget and nearness and ease of access to hospital of your choice and other facilities.