Getting mine was so easy!

(Was it this board who was going to put together a state by state type database where we could search to find someone in our state & find out what they needed for a BC?)

I did have prenatal care with 5 different OBs (yes, I was searching for a good one my whole pregnancy, ahah). So it MAY have made it easier to "prove" the baby was mine.

In Mississippi, the lady on the phone with the Dept of Health was kinda rude. Had me really scared. Asked me all these really intrusive & mean questions. I was afraid they'd take my kid away...She said I'd need:

Proof of pregnancy letter from Dr
ultrasound pictures
pictures of me pregnant
a note from a pediatrician that "proved" the baby was ok.
our Driver's Licences (????)

I didnt have any of those on hand when she came. (A different lady came out to the house) All she did was come in, tell me how beautiful my girls were. Touched my sleeping Ella's arm & commented on how healthy she looked. Didn't ask for *ANYTHING*. Just handed us the form & asked if everything was correct. We said it was, and signed it & she was off. Her BC came in about 2 weeks. No big deal at all :) They really need to change their phone staff, ahah.

Aubrey

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Depends on your local regulations and the mood of who is enforcing them...

I got the kids and I all dressed nicely, and went into our local Bureau of Vital Statistics, and politely explained the situation. It took a bit of clarification to get them to realize there wasn't a Midwife involved. I just smiled until they got it. I didn't want them to be upset and start thinking about ways to make it harder. They were absolutely lovely about it, and I had a pleasant time filling out the forms etc. Once I had the birth certificate I was able to get a social security number right away, so our little tax deduction is now official.

Kiley

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You are not required to have a birth certificate at all, but if you want one, the procedure varies from state to state. Some states require that a doctor saw you during the pregnancy (at least once, to confirm the preg), and then again afterwards (with differing time frames) to confirm that you've given birth-- though I don't think any state can force you to have an internal exam, or take any tests you don't want to take. Other states just want proof that you have a baby-- duh, I can borrow my friend's baby!

We live in New Hampshire, and didn't bother to file anything or see anyone while I was preg about a birth certificate, as we didn't plan to get one for Dora. But when she was nearly two, we had to get a new insurance plan that required her to have a SS#-- and to get *that*, we had to have a birth certificate. So, we were required to prove that a doctor had seen her with me within the first year of her life. She hadn't been to see a doctor until she was 18 months old or so, but she did accompany me and her brothers to *their* doctor's visit when she was 9 months old-- and my totally awesome doctor wrote a note that she had seen Dora with me then (um, I think the idea behind the law was that the child actually be seen for a doctor's exam... heh heh). A few local papers also wrote articles about Dora's birth when she was less than two weeks old, with photos, and I took those in as further proof that she was mine... Getting the certificate took slightly longer than usual, because it was considered a "Delayed Record of Birth", and had to go through a few extra hoops, but we got it within a few weeks of filing... And got her SS card in a WEEK!!

I think that when dealing with bureaucrats, you really need to act like you know exactly what you are doing, and that you are totally within your rights to do what you wish. Don't go in pleading for them to give you something, but go in saying, "This is what I need, here is my documentation, thanks a lot!" And always SMILE SMILE SMILE, and thank those that are actually helpful...

Beatrice-- mama to Max (6, CNM hospital birth), William (4, LM home waterbirth), Dora (2, family UC), Wee One (in belly, arriving late-Winter, UC)

*Bee's Official Disclaimer: All of my answers express my own personal opinion, and as I am not a trained birth professional, but better, an experienced mother, none of it ought to be construed as medical advice.*

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