Why giving birth unexpectedly could cause delays in your baby’s birth certificate

AUSTIN (KXAN) — This is either someone’s dream scenario for giving birth or their worst nightmare.

That’s how Katie and Nick Vasquez describe the reactions they usually get from people when they tell their story.

“I hopped in the bathtub, I didn’t know what else to do,” Katie said. “As soon as I knelt down, I could feel her head.”

The couple had hoped to get to the hospital, but baby Savannah had other plans. Katie screamed from the bathroom, calling her husband for help.

“A couple pushes and just kind of delivered the baby right right there in the bathtub,” Nick said light-heartedly.

It was a special moment for the family, having dad deliver his baby girl himself. But they weren’t prepared for what would come next.

“We were required to fill out the application, and then provide social security cards, a notarized affidavit for him [my husband] being the witness of the birth, a utility bill, documents from my OB and her pediatrician signed off saying that, yes, I went to my appointments, and I was pregnant all this time,” Katie said.

The list goes on. It’s been six months and the Vasquez family still doesn’t have the correct birth certificate for Savannah.

Texas mom who gave birth alone in car struggles to get daughter’s birth certificate

KXAN found out it’s a more common problem than most might realize.

Steps to get the birth certificate

According to Texas’ Birth Registration Handbook, a birth certificate must be filed within five days of the date of birth. And if a birth happens outside of a hospital, or without a doctor or midwife, there’s a long list of paperwork you have to complete.

“There has to be a lot of protection to prevent misuse,” Texas certified midwife Dinah Waranch said.

The Texas Board of Health put the rules into place, according to the birth registration handbook.

Waranch said the system and rules itself aren’t problematic. However, she noted most people aren’t aware of the birth certificate process if you give birth outside a hospital.

“It’s just not well set up,” Waranch said.

It’s a difficult process that leaves the Vasquez family still waiting. They got the certificate after about four months, but Katie’s name was spelled wrong.

“Has really been just like a vicious circle of them pointing fingers at each other…between the state and the county,” Nick said. “It obviously comes with repercussions [to our family].”

For example, the Vasquez’s said they haven’t been able to get Savannah’s social security card, and it’s affected family benefits through insurance.

“There should be some type of reference that the hospital can provide us,” Nick said. “That would help expedite the process.”

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