getting the birth certificate - Page 9

[Multimomma]

Updating Oklahoma's information.

I just called the office of vital records, and while slightly hostile, she was helpful. (WHAT?! No prenatals?)

You need to have a copy of both parents drivers licenses, a utility bill, and THREE letters from people who've seen you pregnant. The letters have to state their name, address, phone numbers, and the fact that they saw you pregnant and saw the baby immediately after, plus have to be notarized.

Mail all of that in to vital statistics, attention New Birth/Darla and they'll send the paperwork. You'll fill that out and send it with $10

[paintedbison]

Went today to do this in Texas. I needed the following:
1) letter from doc/mw stating prenatal care
2) letter from ped stating she was a baby? because obviously this is more proof than the baby?
3) utility bill or something to prove residence in our county
4) mother's driver's license

I had prenatal care with an ob, so it wasn't hard to provide these things. They didn't give us any hassle whatsoever. They were actually really nice about the whole thing. It did take an hour of sitting in the nasty health department, but it wasn't too bad...

[melysah]

Here is my experience so far with Long Beach office in los angeles county in california. Apparently if your child is born in long beach or pasadena you have to go to the respective offices in these cities. We live in Long Beach so we passed by the office picked out the form and packet and it stated that we needed the following:
1. Identity of parents (valid id card)

2. Pregnancy of mother :
a proof of pregnancy which is a letter written on official stationary, signed by you midwife / doctor / clinic and has their professional license number and it contains:
mothers name and address,
The Date you were seen,
result of pregnancy test ,
Date of mothers last menstrual period ,
Date baby was born

3. evidence that baby was born alive:
bring the baby to the appointment

4. birth occured in california
electric power, natural gas or water bill for the period the birth occured showing mothers resident address or an affidavit from someone who was with the mother at the time of birth or current rent receipt or statement from a state or government agency that shows mother was reciving services on the date of babys birth eg wic or medical

5. Identity of witness with valid Id could be husband friend or family member, witness should accompany at the appointment or if 911 was called then a report from paramedic or copy of 911 call

I had called ahead and asked the lady what is the procedure. She really didnt want to talk in the phone and rushed me off and just told me to just bring our identifications when she calls us for an appointment.

I filled out the packet and dropped it at the office with copies of the proof of pregnancy and my electric bill. So we waited and she never called us back to set an appointment we tried calling her and leaving her several voicemails and she never called back, most of the time her phone goes directly to voicemail. we even dropped by and she was not in that day. when we do finally get her on the phone two weeks later, she told us that she mailed us back the packet because it was missing some stuff and that she could not call us because we didnt give her our phone number. While our phone number was in the affidavit of birth and she gave it back to us saying we should bring it back when she calls us for an appointment.
So we got packet back a day later with a letter stating that the information that was missing was:
1. my phone number.
2. proof of state mandated PKU test or completed waiver
3. proof of pediatric exam
4. identification of the mother and father
5. an the affidavit of birth info(which she had told us to keep and bring back when she called us for an appt)

So now it has been about 5 weeks after the birth and we find out we were supposed to do a pku test.

The mandated PKU test or pediatric exam was never mentioned as a requirement in the original application and she never told us we needed these.

So just to let you know if you are in los angeles county or long beach do get the proof of pediatric exam and pku test or waiver before hand because even though its not stated in the packet it is required for the birth certificate.

has anyone ever gone through this, the pku thing and how did you deal with it? If you havent done it?

So Im still in the process of getting the birth certificate if I have any progress will update

[cellarstella]

The most recent forms from Oregon state that you may file up to one year before you have to file a delayed filing. This is different from the previously stated 10 months.

If you are not married, you also may need a paternal affidavit, which is $50 after the first 14 days. My midwife from my first screwed it up and so today when I got my first DD's birth cert and saw that "father" was not filled in :::, I had to get the paternal affidavit. But since I had just paid $20 for the birth cert they said I could bring the cert with the affidavit and it would only be $30 more, for a total of $50.

[4given1]

Info for Montana 2010

MONTANA

REQUIREMENTS FOR FILING AN UNATTENDED HOMEBIRTH IN MONTANA

A completed homebirth worksheet should be used to collect the birth information prior to completing the blank birth certificate form.

Documentation to substantiate the facts of this birth are required unless the certifier is a midwife who is on the Office of Vital Statistics approved list or a physician or a physician’s designee is involved in the delivery. Documents used as proof of the fact of birth must be dated within 30 days of the date of birth and must establish the following:

1.Proof of birth or proof of pregnancy
2.Proof of residence in Montana at the time of birth or proof that the birth occurred in Montana.

The following may be submitted as proof of birth:

1.A copy of the mother’s prenatal or postnatal medical care record.
2.A copy of the medical record of the child if he /she was seen shortly after birth by any of the following: physician, registered nurse, nurse practitioner or public health nurse.
3.The laboratory results of the metabolic screening test (PKU). The blood sample must have been collected within ten days of the birth and forwarded to the laboratory within twenty-four hours following collection.
4.A notarized affidavit from the mother’s employer confirming the dates of her pregnancy or the fact that she had a baby recently.
5.A notarized affidavit by a public official that confirms the birth of the child to this mother. The public official must have personal knowledge of the birth.
6.Insurance policy that identifies the child’s date and place of birth.
7.The child’s certified blessing or baptismal certificate. The blessing or baptismal certificate must either have a raised seal of the church or be accompanied by a notarized statement from the church minister or other church official.

The following documents (listing street address or rural route) may be submitted as proof of residence:

1.Utility service or telephone statements at the time of the child’s birth.
2.Bank statement at the time of the child’s birth.
3.Social service records at the time of the child’s birth if parent(s) or child was receiving public assistance (e.g. WIC, Food Stamps, Medicaid), or child support records.
4.Mail - Personalized delivery through the U.S. Postal Service and cancelled by said agency. This must be postmarked at or near the time of child’s birth.
5.Rent or mortgage receipts at the time of the child’s birth; a notarized statement from the landlord may also be required.

Note: Other documents may be accepted as proof of birth or proof of residence at the discretion of the State Registrar.


Missoula County: You will really get the run around if you don't word your question right when you call. If you ask about filing for a "delayed BC" they will likely understand what you need. Linda Crawley can give you a homebirth worksheet - 2 papers to fill out with the birth info and the mother's pregnancy history. Ms. Crawley is a free notary and can witness your signature to these documents! The father can be the "certifier" or witness of birth. All you need are photo ID’s - no affidavits, proof of pg, doctor's notes, etc. If you want they will also send your info to the SS office for you to receive your child's SS card. A normal short form copy of the BC is $5. She will send you a form once she types up the info from your worksheet.

[Erica_Jo]

Did you ever find out?  I am planning a UC in Frederick County, MD and I was also wondering how I will get a birth certificate.

[dayiscoming2006]

[BabyFireFly]

NEW YORK

I saw only two posts about NY...one said the town clerk's office and the other one said that they are having a great deal of trouble getting theirs. I am in Sullivan County and due in a few weeks, so I was wondering if anyone had any more information. I have looked on the county website as well as the NYS site and have no been able to find anything.

Any info. would be appreciated.

[mamajw]

Hello

I'm a brand newbie to the forum. Glad I found you and hope I can reach you.

Can you tell me how you got your birth certificate with your last one? I'm also in Wayne County, MI.

Thanks so much. SUBMIT

[MissMia]

Springfield, Illinois:  

call the county clerks office (in the building where you can pay your CWLP bill by the library) and speak with Dottie.  They won't give you the paperwork until after the birth, but they will mail the paperwork to you quickly.  Mail back $15 and the completed paperwork, very easy paperwork, except you need one witness to sign a form in front of a notary public (this can;t be you or your husband).  I had my parents do it even though they weren't at the birth.  

They called me about a week later and set up a time for me, the baby, and my husband to go to their office.  They complete the BC at this time and are supposed to hand it to you, but the printer was acting up so they mailed it to us.  They were very friendly and kind during every interaction we had with them :-)  This was in Sep of 2011.

[dayiscoming2006]

In Billings, MT / Yellowstone County. You go to the registrars office and fill out paperwork for a home birth. You need to provide proof of pregnancy and proof of live birth. I used a doctor's note for both. I didn't have much for prenatal care (3 horrible visits with hospital midwives), so I asked my family doctor to write the notes. He saw I was pregnant during a couple of unrelated visits and I went to him after the birth for the newborn exam. I think that was it. It was annoying having to have the doctor's notes but thankfully I had a doctor that was decent and willing to help me out. I don't know what would have happened otherwise? I assume they have no choice but to complete the registration somehow if you really just don't have any other proofs. They must have to accept some "lower" proofs of some sort. But it really would be a pain if you don't have exactly what they ask for. The registrar was really nice. All the hoopla you have to go through is totally worth it in my opinion though. 

[SilverSage]

Originally Posted by dayiscoming2006 

In Billings, MT / Yellowstone County. You go to the registrars office and fill out paperwork for a home birth. You need to provide proof of pregnancy and proof of live birth. I used a doctor's note for both. I didn't have much for prenatal care (3 horrible visits with hospital midwives), so I asked my family doctor to write the notes. He saw I was pregnant during a couple of unrelated visits and I went to him after the birth for the newborn exam. I think that was it. It was annoying having to have the doctor's notes but thankfully I had a doctor that was decent and willing to help me out. I don't know what would have happened otherwise? I assume they have no choice but to complete the registration somehow if you really just don't have any other proofs. They must have to accept some "lower" proofs of some sort. But it really would be a pain if you don't have exactly what they ask for. The registrar was really nice. All the hoopla you have to go through is totally worth it in my opinion though. 

There is a 'birth affadavit' available, but it's a bit of a hassle. I'm not in your county, but I think it's kinda universal statewide given how many times the state sent the paperwork back. I had a UP/UC so no prenatal records and because of flooding, couldn't get to a doc in the requisite 2 days. I had done a pregnancy test at a family planning office, but lost the paperwork. (Note to self - FILING SYSTEM!) We had to get a letter from my DH's boss stating that I was pregnant and had given birth and have a friend who was at the birth fill out the birth affadavit as well as the proof of residency and all the rest.

[OrangeMoon]

New York City  This is different than New York state! It was not exactly easy for us to go about our uc/up here, I'll just say that.

Here is all the info I received. Hopefully it will save you a trip or two.

Page 1

Dear ________,

I am in receipt of your request to register the birth of your child who was born at home. To do so, it will be necessary for you to make an appointment to come to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 125 Worth Street, Room 125, in Manhattan, for the registration. You will need to prepare for this appointment because there are people who must come with you and documents you must bring along. I have attached the "Procedures for home or unattended birth registration" to this letter. Please read them carefully. They are complicated and detailed because we must be sure that the child you wish to register was born to you in NYC, and not elsewhere. 

Cetrain documents that you will bring to us most be notarized. The Procedures will tell you what they are. Before your registration appointment, these documents must be taken unsigned to a notary republic who will stamp and initial them, guaranteeing that they were signed in his or her presence.

If you were not married when the child was born or at any time during the pregnancy and you want the fathers' name to appear on the birth certificate, the enclosed Acknowledgement of Paternity form must be presented at the registration appointment. If you are now married to your child's biological father and the child was born while you were unmarried, you may also use this form. It must be completely filled out, witnessed and dated by two persons that are not related to you o the father.

To register your child you must do the following:

1. Collect the documents that you need to bring to the NYC DoH & Mental Hygiene Vital Record Office.

2. Get the ncessary documents notarized, and

3. You must bring your child to be registered, and any witness(es) to the birth, to the appointment.

4. Call me to set up your appointment.

My telephone number is [phone] / 788 4550

Please call me if you have any questions regarding this letter or the procedures for home or unattended birth registration.

Sincerely,

Ms. Flor Betancourt

Page 2

Necessary  Documents:

-NYS Drivers License (Mom/Dad)

-U.S. Passport

-Confirmation or pregnancy

-Prenatal care visits charts (I did my own)

-Mothers Birth certificate.

-Fathers birth certificate.

-Bank statement.

-Certificate of marriage (if married).

-Affidavits along w/ copy of ID's confirming pregnancy.

-Letter from Pediatrician for child's first check-up and follow up appointment.

-Utility bill or official correspondence (Before/after pregnancy).

-Proof of residence (lease/rent receipts).

Page 3

Procedures For Home or Unattended Birth Registration

The registration of a home or unattended birth must occur at the DoH & MH office at 125 Worth street. If the infant was taken to a hospital immediately after the birth, then the hospital will register the birth with our office.

These are the steps of the registration process:

At the time of registration, the parent or parents must present:

Okay, pages three and four go into the details of all o the things you need to bring but it's too much for me to type out right now. Hopefully the contacts and other info have been helpful.

We were interviewed by three women at the department of health to register our up/uc baby for at least an hour and a half. They go over everything you bring really carefully. Be on your A game, they ask really personal questions about the birth as well.

[eknuckles]

WEST PALM BEACH FLORIDA (PALM BEACH COUNTY)

Call the vital statistics office and ask to talk to Melissa. Don't be afraid to explain your situation, they were ALL

very nice and respectful.

1)They will mail you a packet of papers or pick them up yourself. It will just contain the

state statutes on unassisted birth certificates, and two separate papers for two people to say they witnessed

you being pregnant. I was told that it had to be notarized but once I was there in person they explained it actually

did not, instead it just needed more signatures showing they saw the other people sign it. (confusing?).

2)You will also need to copy all licenses or other proofs of ID. Lastly I was told that I needed to bring in proof that

a doctor had seen my child. (I called up a reallyyy cool midwife who was very open to unassisted birth and did

that at my house for me).  I wasn't sure how true it was that I needed proof of my baby being seen, since

the state statute states that I do not. Upon my interview, she let me know that she had to do only

one other unassisted birth, and since he was Rastafarian they did not have any medical history and she let it go. Again

they are very nice so I don't believe you actually HAVE to take your child to a pedi or anything.

3) As I was picking up this packet, we set up a date for an interview. We gave them all of our paperwork, and she

filled out the Certificate of Live Birth. She then typed up the birth certificate and we were on our way. All in all the

interview (meeting- not an interview) went well and lasted about 45 minutes. She was also totally cool with me

breastfeeding! Which is a plus.

Any questions feel free to message me.

[Lingab]

Does anyone have any information on obtaining a BC for West Virginia?

Edited by Lingab - 12/10/11 at 8:13pm

[BaileyB]

I have a really stupid question. The online store that I got my birthing supplies from has a "I was born at home" 'birth cert.' Obviously that is not a 'real' gov. issued birth cert., correct? And that will not give me any advantage when trying to get a 'real' BC?

Here's what I got for MN:

In person:
You can get a birth certificate in person - same day service - from any local issuance office in the state, regardless of your county of birth.
By mail or fax:
You can get a birth certificate by mail or fax from the Office of the State Registrar. (See application for mailing address and fax number.) The State office does not have walk-in service. Please allow 2-4 weeks for processing your request.

Minnesota Certificate of Birth Application (PDF: 340KB/2 pgs) (Interactive PDF: 343KB/2 pgs)

Tips for requesting a birth certificate:

• If you fax your application, do not fax it more than once. Each faxed application will be processed as a separate request.
• Make sure all boxes are complete. Write "unknown" or "none" as needed.
• You must have tangible interest to get a birth certificate.
• Certificates for confidential birth records are available only to certain people. Even if you have tangible interest, you may not be able to get a birth certificate for a confidential record.
• You must provide your full name, date of birth, and mailing address or your application will be rejected.
• The application must be signed and dated in front of a notary public.
• If the notary public uses a raised seal and you want to fax your application, make sure the seal is shaded with a pencil so it can be read on the faxed copy.
• If no birth record can be found, you will receive a certified "Statement of No Birth Record Found."
• According to Minnesota Statutes, section 144.226, the fee for a birth certificate or certified statement of no record found is non-refundable.
• For customer security, fees are collected upon receipt and credit card numbers are redacted.

If you have questions, you can e-mail us at [e-mail]

[lia_joy]

Originally Posted by BaileyB 

I have a really stupid question. The online store that I got my birthing supplies from has a "I was born at home" 'birth cert.' Obviously that is not a 'real' gov. issued birth cert., correct? And that will not give me any advantage when trying to get a 'real' BC?

Here's what I got for MN:

In person:
You can get a birth certificate in person - same day service - from any local issuance office in the state, regardless of your county of birth.
By mail or fax:
You can get a birth certificate by mail or fax from the Office of the State Registrar. (See application for mailing address and fax number.) The State office does not have walk-in service. Please allow 2-4 weeks for processing your request.

Minnesota Certificate of Birth Application (PDF: 340KB/2 pgs) (Interactive PDF: 343KB/2 pgs)

Tips for requesting a birth certificate:

• If you fax your application, do not fax it more than once. Each faxed application will be processed as a separate request.
• Make sure all boxes are complete. Write "unknown" or "none" as needed.
• You must have tangible interest to get a birth certificate.
• Certificates for confidential birth records are available only to certain people. Even if you have tangible interest, you may not be able to get a birth certificate for a confidential record.
• You must provide your full name, date of birth, and mailing address or your application will be rejected.
• The application must be signed and dated in front of a notary public.
• If the notary public uses a raised seal and you want to fax your application, make sure the seal is shaded with a pencil so it can be read on the faxed copy.
• If no birth record can be found, you will receive a certified "Statement of No Birth Record Found."
• According to Minnesota Statutes, section 144.226, the fee for a birth certificate or certified statement of no record found is non-refundable.
• For customer security, fees are collected upon receipt and credit card numbers are redacted.

If you have questions, you can e-mail us at [e-mail]

you are correct that the online one is just a novelty and won't help you get the BC.  The things quoted above are the proceedures for getting a birth certificate that's already been filed (acquiring a COPY of your birth certificate.)  and dont apply to getting the birth certificate filed innitially. 
       You will need look at the statutes for filing for a birth certificate for an out of hospital birth or talk to someone in your county's vital records office -- They should be able to tell you the requirements and send you a packet to register an out of hospital birth. Remember, if you do run into a hassle that you have a right to this information under "open records request" law... I did some research a few years ago, though and I seem to remember MN was one of the states that was very helpful & upfront. Unfortunatly, I can't find the info they sent or I'd pass it on to you.

HTH

Lia