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getting the birth certificate

96K views 184 replies 132 participants last post by  lamama2baek 
#1 ·
Hello, everyone! We've got a lot of information spread over a lot of threads, maybe we can start consolidating it into one place. I'll start with Oregon.

First, you want to call the Vital Records Department in Portland and ask for paperwork for registering an unattended birth. If you get someone who doesn't seem to know what to do with you, ask to speak to someone else or call back -- it's a fluke, they do this all the time, and have a very specific protocol for it.

You have until 10 months of age to register a birth. Call the Vital Records office and ask them to send you the paperwork for registration and affidavits (be sure and ask them for a SSN form as well, if you want to do that concurrently -- I hear the SSN office can make a lot of hassle for you if you try to do it later.) In the case of a birth in which there was a midwife who perhaps arrived too late, you can simply have her do the paperwork, but please be aware that this will skew the statistics in favor of midwife-attended birth. In the case of a birth you want to register as unassisted, you will simply put yourself or "no one" or your husband's name in the birth attendant field. You will also need to get two affidavits from people swearing that you gave birth, and those people will have to get them notarized. You do not need proof of pregnancy.

From 10 months of age to the seventh birthday, you will have to do a "delayed filing". This is similar to a regular filing, except that before they will send you the registration materials, you must go through the process of proving that no birth has yet been registered in your child's name. They will send you a birth and death order form, which you fill out with your child's name and your name and address and send back to them with $20. They will send the form back to you notarized and signed by a clerk saying that no such registration exists. Then you will call the Vital Records office again, tell them that you are doing a delayed filing for a non-attended homebirth and that you have the notarized birth and death order form, and they will send you the rest of the paperwork. When you've got that all ready to go, you'll send it all back to the Vital Records office. It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is, it's reallly very straight forward.

After the seventh birthday, you will have to go to court to register a birth. It involves all the same paperwork, you just have to get a judge to okay it. I have a friend who did this and everything went fine, although she said it was very stressful having to go before the judge, not knowing if he was going to give them a hard time or not.
 
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#3 ·
In Kansas you need to call the Vital Statistics Office in Topeka and tell them you need to register an unassisted home birth. They send you out a little packet with some forms to fill out and you need to send them back with a "proof of pregnancy". There is a list of acceptable people in with the forms they send. They will send you the birth cert, you sign it and mail it back, and they send you a final copy for a small fee. It was VERY easy and the two ladies I delt with never batted so much as an eyelash. They're pretty used to it.
 
#4 ·
I'm working on Louisiana...letters to legislators already in the mail!
:

Vital records here ACTUALLY demanded two dr's statements and tried to tell me that well baby checks "are the law". Oh, and that I'm neglecting my children by not taking them to the doctor and getting their "shots"...hopefully she won't have a job left when I'm done here.


I can't STAND when people try to force their uneducated opinions...and to do it in an "official" capacity...wow, I think I'm still mad.

Anyway, I'll post here when I know something!
 
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#6 ·
For Idaho:

You need to call vital statistics to get a homebirth worksheet. If it is just you and your DH you are informant and DH is certifier. If there is ANYONE else there regardless of if they did anything, they are the certifier. Even if they were watching the kids in the basement. You only need proof of pregnancy and proof of address (with one or both of your names on it). Paperwork and proofs needs to be mailed in within 15 days of the birth. If it isn't you get a warning (I know this because I got one
) and a couple extra days. Anything after a month is considered late and you will get something else that has less standing in a legal sense. I can't remember what the letter called it. After you mail it in they will send you another sheet that you and your spouse (or the certifier) will sign. I haven't gotten ours yet but I think you mail that one back in as well and then they send you the birth certificate.
 
#7 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by dnw826 View Post
I hear IL is pretty easy-proof of pregnancy (will a WIC thing or u/s work?), the baby, and a picture? Right?
I had an illegal MW attended birth in IL and I seem to remember needing a notarized letter from someone who was at the birth (my mother showed up just after) and prove of my address plus a worksheet. As far as they cared, it was UC because we couldn't say there was a MW.
 
#8 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Chantelhayes View Post
I had an illegal MW attended birth in IL and I seem to remember needing a notarized letter from someone who was at the birth (my mother showed up just after) and prove of my address plus a worksheet. As far as they cared, it was UC because we couldn't say there was a MW.
We don't have anyone else coming over. Will dh work, or would my 17yo brother work (he might be there, but might miss it)?
 
#9 ·
Georgia:
You need proof of pregnancy and 2 affidavits of attendance.
For my proof of pregnancy, I brought in my own prenatal record. The affidavits of attendance were signed by my husband and myself.
The forms are available on the GA Friends of Midwives website. I had no trouble. The county told me that probably, it wouldn't be enough to have my own prenatal record. I told them that was too bad because I never saw a doctor. They said they'd give it a try. The state had no comment, just sent the BC.
 
#11 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by dnw826 View Post
We don't have anyone else coming over. Will dh work, or would my 17yo brother work (he might be there, but might miss it)?
Do you feel safe calling the office and asking ahead of time? I am pretty sure they said Dh "wouldn't count". But what would they do if it were just the two of you? I don't know. The ladies there (in Belleville) were shocked and appalled that I had done it at home by myself.
:
 
#12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Chantelhayes View Post
Do you feel safe calling the office and asking ahead of time? I am pretty sure they said Dh "wouldn't count". But what would they do if it were just the two of you? I don't know. The ladies there (in Belleville) were shocked and appalled that I had done it at home by myself.
:
I will have to call tomorrow and see. Otherwise I can just get one of my friends to say she was there, I guess.
 
#13 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by dnw826 View Post
I hear IL is pretty easy-proof of pregnancy (will a WIC thing or u/s work?), the baby, and a picture? Right?
We're going through the process in IL (Chicago) right now. If the baby is less than 3 months old, you have to go through the county Board of Health, who prefer both a notarized letter from any 3rd party aware of your pregnancy AND a letter on letterhead from any medical-type who's seen the baby stating that they've been seen and are healthy. There's 2 affadavids (sp?) from the mother and father that need to be completed and notarized as well. If the baby is older than 3 months but less than a year, you have to go through the County Clerk's office.

It took me about 5 phone calls with multiple transfers to get all the correct info, but we've got an appointment in 2 weeks to get it all done. *whew*
 
#14 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Beakybird View Post
Well Idaho sounds easy enough other than I do not have a written proof of pregnancy. What can I do in that case?

Rebecca

You can get a test done at District 7. Any item dated before the date of the birth will work. Before I got my ultrasound I was going to just get a test done there and I would have been 8 months pregnant.
 
#15 ·
KENTUCKY- *this is what I did. i've heard there are several differant people of authority giving out several different sets of requirements.

I took the following info to the local vital statistics office and they sent it to Frankfort:

Proof of Pregnancy-a letter from the local Health Department (don't know what I'll use next time since I refuse to go back to the Health Department
Proof of Live Birth-they said over and over that I needed a letter from a doctor and I said...."but there was no doctor at the birth so how can he prove that this is my baby?" Finally, they settled for a signed affidavit from the 2 witnesses of the birth (DH and Me). Since KY doesn't have a form affidavit online, one of the MDC UCer's gave me the link to GA's and I changed it around to suit a KY birth.
Proof of Residencea utility bill
Driver's Liscensedon't know what they'd say if you didn't have a lisence

overall, the process took quite a few phone calls.
 
#16 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by skyblufig View Post
We're going through the process in IL (Chicago) right now. If the baby is less than 3 months old, you have to go through the county Board of Health, who prefer both a notarized letter from any 3rd party aware of your pregnancy AND a letter on letterhead from any medical-type who's seen the baby stating that they've been seen and are healthy. There's 2 affadavids (sp?) from the mother and father that need to be completed and notarized as well. If the baby is older than 3 months but less than a year, you have to go through the County Clerk's office.

It took me about 5 phone calls with multiple transfers to get all the correct info, but we've got an appointment in 2 weeks to get it all done. *whew*
Holy crap! Is it easier through the County Clerk's office?
 
#17 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by OtherMother'n'Madre View Post
You can get a test done at District 7. Any item dated before the date of the birth will work. Before I got my ultrasound I was going to just get a test done there and I would have been 8 months pregnant.

What a pain! I am due any day now. They would seriously think I was insane coming in for a test LOL. Oh well, we'll see what happens.

Rebecca
 
#18 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by SublimeBirthGirl View Post
Georgia:
You need proof of pregnancy and 2 affidavits of attendance.
For my proof of pregnancy, I brought in my own prenatal record. The affidavits of attendance were signed by my husband and myself.
The forms are available on the GA Friends of Midwives website. I had no trouble. The county told me that probably, it wouldn't be enough to have my own prenatal record. I told them that was too bad because I never saw a doctor. They said they'd give it a try. The state had no comment, just sent the BC.
I'm also in GA, and currently trying to get dd#2's bc. Here's what was required from us:
(a) proof of pregnancy - Since I had prenatal care, I was able to submit a copy of that.
(b) proof of the mother's residence on the date of the out-of-institution birth - This has been problematic, as we officially moved into our house the day Heidi was born. I'm going to try a utility bill, a copy of my homeowner's insurance or a copy of the mortgage paperwork.
:
(c) photo id
(d) 2 affidavits from people in attendance at the birth OR a signed affidavit from a licensed physician describing his/her knowledge of the mother prior to birth and knowledge of the newborn resulting from his/her examination of the infant - We used my husband and my doula.
(e) They reserve the right to require supplemental information and/or a home visit by a public health nurse or other health professional before issuing a birth certificate.
:
 
#19 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by dnw826 View Post
Holy crap! Is it easier through the County Clerk's office?
I have no idea! I'll be able to let you know if our appt doesn't go smoothly next week. Dd was born 7/27 and our appt with the Health Dept is 10/23. Still less than 3 months, right?!
 
#21 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by reducereuserecycle View Post
KENTUCKY- *this is what I did. i've heard there are several differant people of authority giving out several different sets of requirements.

I took the following info to the local vital statistics office and they sent it to Frankfort:

Proof of Residencea utility bill
Hmm, this should be interesting because I am actually a TN resident but planning to have a UC in KY {I'm a surrogate and we're planning the birth to be at the baby's parent's house in KY.} I wonder if they are going to have an issue with the fact that I don't actually live where I'm giving birth. I guess we'll have to make some phone calls.

re: Proof of Pregnancy-Does an u/s pic can work as proof of pregnancy, because you can alter a pic to put your info on it.
 
#22 ·
Here is a link to a thread I started a while back with more states:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=691471

** I wanted to add to the Missoula County MT info that I ended up having to go back and give more proof. A copy of my utility bill from the month of dd's birth for proof of addy and also a copy of her lab receipt for her PKU. If we hadn't had this done I don't know what we would have used. I guess it is a proof of her existence?
 
#26 ·
Update for IL (Cook County, anyway). It went really well. We were in and out of the Health Dept in under 45 minutes. We had a note from the family doc we see plus the two affidavits (from mother & father) that we got online. We had those notarized at our local bank branch for free. And that was it! No u/s or proof of pregnancy required. She asked about date of LMP, any blood work done, when was prenatal care started, etc., but never asked asked by whom, so if you DIY, on paper it'll look like you had the most prenatal care anywhere in the world.
On the phone and on the affidavits it said to bring a marriage certificate if the parents are married but when we got there she said she didn't need it. Anyway, Zel is now officially existing afa the state of IL is concerned. Now for the ss#...

Some links:
affidavits (mama) http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/...ZZ9996haR.html
(dad) http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/...ZZ9996hbR.html

Board of Health (312)744-3798, ask for Mrs. Farmer, best to reach in late morning
 
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