Does anyone know how birth certificates are obtained for home birth?? Also, do moms who homebirth traditionally opt-out of the congenital diseases blood tests? If not, do they do them later? I was just thinking about how if a baby with PKU was born to a couple at home, how the parents might ever know the child had PKU {or some other disease routinely tested for}?

[Lash]

totally depends on the state-- typically the midwife files for you

You can order/buy heelsticks to use at home to test PKU

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/pku.html

You can also do at home or take to hospital

If you have your baby at home, you should take your newborn to a local hospital, clinic, or health department in the first few few days of life to get blood drawn for screening tests. It's best to do this on day two or three, and no later than day seven. Your state's newborn screening program can provide more information about how to take care of screening after a home birth.[/b]

The midwife costs though typically covers those costs. I know mine files the birth certificate and does the newborn tests bedside

Thanks Lauren!

[Lash]

Sure!

[thepinkleprechaun]

For our baby we'll just go to the pediatrician on base when he's about 5 days old.


As for the birth certificate, my midwife said we have to get the paperwork from the county that we live in, and then 2 adults have to sign affidavits saying that the baby was born, what time, etc. She said it's really a piece of cake! It's probably different depending on where you live but the midwife should know how to do it.