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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

how to register birth if no MW present?

23 replies

asur · 16/09/2006 18:28

Just read another story about a woman who gave birth at home and only her neighbour to help her. Got me curious how the baby gets registered. If all is well and mother doesn't want to go to hospital etc, would the GP just sign the form needed to take to registry office to register the birth?

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mears · 16/09/2006 18:30

Midwife should still attend postnatally and could get forms organised. If it was a planned birth without the midwife it is actually a breech of the law

pupuce · 16/09/2006 18:35

Mears - AIMS says it is NOT against the law... what IS against the law is to have anyone present and pretending to be a MW or assuming the role of a MW.
A truly unassisted birth is not illegal.
If neighbour helped as it was a last minute emergency it's OK.... if neighbour help as part of a plan to NOT call a MW then it can be seen as illegal!

Original poster

asur · 16/09/2006 18:48

I was just about to say what pupuce said. I read up on that a while ago after hearing it was illegal to give birth without midwife present and didn't think it sounded true...

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Original poster

asur · 16/09/2006 18:49

forgot to say, thanks for info about forms, Mears. Just curious how it was done

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mears · 16/09/2006 20:07

You are correct pupuce when someone helps out in emergency. It is illegal to plan to assist delivery of a baby if not trained midwife or doctor. It is also illegal to conceal a pregnancy however it is rare for either to be progressed through courts.

Daisymoo · 16/09/2006 20:33

Really? I was under the impression that it was illegal to conceal a birth, not a pregnancy.

3andnomore · 16/09/2006 22:20

Hm...what then if the "m/w" is your hubby or partner...just wondering...on another forum a girl had a HBAC without assistence and it was planned that way...all went well, too! I was under the impression that that is fine.

Beauregard · 16/09/2006 22:24

I had an unassisted birth in january with dd2,
dp had to catch her just as the paramedics got to the top of the stairs.
The midwives arrived about 5/10 mins later to do checks.
We just registered the birth like normal.

Beauregard · 16/09/2006 22:25

Hasten to add ,it wasn't planned as my carpet will testify.

snugglebumnappies · 17/09/2006 08:30

If a midwife has seen the baby within 6 hours of the birth they can sign the birth notification, very rarely is it the case that someone doesn't contact the midwife within that time. If not then things can get tricky, only know as I am a midwife and attended many women aho had unexpected homebirths, biths in hospital car parks or by the side of the road!

It's not illegal to plan to give birth without a midwife, just to plan to use someone who is not trained as a midwife/doctor to act as a midwife at your birth, how this would be interprited is anyones guess though.

geekgrrl · 17/09/2006 08:35

I had an unassisted (unplanned, I hasten to add - midwife got stuck in traffic, dd wouldn't wait) birth 5 yrs ago. Midwife arrived 20 minutes later and did all the forms just as normal.

cazboldy · 17/09/2006 08:53

Yeah, you just do it as normal. Ds 2 was born before the mw arrived, and can't even remember anything being mentioned about it.

Original poster

asur · 17/09/2006 10:18

what classes as concealing a pregnancy? Does that mean by law, you HAVE to inform a midwife that you're pregnant? I never knew that. If you don't want any involvement from midwifes, can you just have 1 meeting to let them know you're pregnant and then it's not concealed?

As for planning for someone to assist, I thought that it was fine to plan to have a birth with someone other than a midwife/doctor - it was only a problem if that person stated they were a midwife when they weren't. So, it's fine to plan to have your DP/DH with you to help so long as you know that they are not trained?! Maybe I'm wrong..

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clairemow · 17/09/2006 10:26

Re registration, we just registered DS2 this week, and didn't need to take any forms at all. Didn't have to take our birth certificates, marriage certificate, or any info about the baby. DH went on his own, and didn't even take DS2.

Made me wonder what's to stop someone going and registering an imaginary baby? Or someone else's baby?

Daisymoo · 17/09/2006 10:34

Slightly OT, but did you know that if a couple has a baby together before they get married and then tie the knot later on, legally they have to re-register the baby's birth. So I am now officially a law-breaker, but it's tough titty because I am not trogging all the way to the register office again.

edam · 17/09/2006 10:52

Are you sure Daisy? Only that's what my parents did (got married when I was three months old) and my mother's never said anyting about re-registering me. Maybe regulations have changed?

I can't imagine why it would be necessary - the original birth certificate will have the parents' names and the baby's name so what's the point of re-registering? No-one's ever questioned my birth certificate or asked me if my parents were married!

Daisymoo · 17/09/2006 11:39

Yes, I'm sure because this is what a friend was told by a registrar of births and I then double checked. It is something to do with the Legitimacy Act of I think 1926. So unless you're really old the regulations haven't changed since you were born

Apparently it's something to do with the marriage making the original birth entry incorrect by legitimising the birth. Seems a bit of an anachronism to me though.

snugglebumnappies · 17/09/2006 11:40

asur, yes this law was instigated to help protect women against non qualified people acting as midwives however it's wording does mean that it is illegal to be attended by anyone who acts as a midwife/doctor would. I would say in the case of a planned unattended birth then a DP or DH would not be "acting" as a midwife/medic but as a support person i.e.: I doubt they would be checking your pulse, baby's heartbeat, performing a VE etc. In my opinion a midwife is only there to detect any deviation from the norm and give you any physical/emotional support that you need it's you that births (delivers) your own baby so I don't see how a DP or DH could be in trouble for being at an unassited birth.

mears · 17/09/2006 12:38

here is some more info

The father or attendant does not actually have to do anything a midwife does to be viewed as attending a birth.

It is only illegal if it can be proved.

edam · 17/09/2006 12:46

I had vaguely heard of something about illegitimate children being 'legitimated' by their parents' marriage. But I don't think it has much practical relevance, unless your father is a peer. My parents gave me my father's surname and there was never any question during the divorce of any dispute about parental responsibility or anything.

Original poster

asur · 17/09/2006 20:05

thanks for all info provided on attendance and registration - very interesting stuff. I'm trying to find info on concealing a pregnancy which mears mentioned was illegal but I can't find anything on this...

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minisoksmakehardwork · 18/11/2019 09:43

Ds1 was a home birth... so we didn't have any paperwork from the hospital to say when and where he was born. We had the midwives attend after the birth but we had planned on them actually being there for his arrival. He just had other ideas!

If I was new to the area and not registered with gp services etc, it's perfectly feasible to think someone else could register baby as theirs. Especially if I didn't have medical attention afterwards.

brightbird · 18/11/2019 20:02

Ooh, that makes sense @Daisymoo - explains why my birth certificate is from the year after I was born! Further information - apparently that makes me a 'special bastard'. As you can imagine I am quite proud of that title

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