[tleroy1964]

Another new guy question:

My Birth Certificate says I was born in Rochester, NY, but does not list a hospital name! I just noticed this. Is that normal? Is it legal? Is there anything I can do to find out the hospital name?

Thanks,

[michellemartin]

Would they not list a hospital if you were a home birth? I know of a lady who within the last five years birthed at a hotel rather than a hospital. Could that have been a possibility?

[tleroy1964]

Thanks Michelle,

My Adoptive Mother told me a hospital name, but although I love her, I'm not going to trust anything unless it's corroborated. Why would it be blank!

[chris1965]

Ted, my hosptial of birth isn't listed on my amended birth certif either but is listed on my original. I understand the practice of omiting the hospital on the amended certif isn't all too uncommon. No it's not illegal but just a lame attempt to be elusive.

You could research the doc that delivered you and see which hosptial he worked thru at the time of your birth. If he's a D.O., then the osteopathic hospital in Rochester would probably be the one.

Chris

[tleroy1964]

Thanks Chris,

but there is no Dr. name on my birth cert. to go by. There's a signature from the Director of Vital Records at the bottom, but that's about it.

I believe it was Rochester General Hospital, but can't be sure, and I'm pretty sure I won't get any information directly from the Hospital.

[radiodoll]

Hi.

My hospital name was not on my amended certificate, but found on the original. My Doctors name was listed on both. He was known to be one of the doctors delivering at the maternity home where I was born. That was a good cross-check. Try checking the doctors name with maternity facilites in the area where you believe you were born. You might get some info to follow.

Radiodoll

[Sniffles]

You know I never really looked at my BC until now. Mine does not have the hospitial nor does it list a doctor. I guess I just never even looked at it. Now it does a line across that space.

I pulled out my children's BCs just to check and theirs have the hospital and Doctor on it.

I just don't understand why they did it though because the home told my a-parents what hospital and what Dr. We even have the newborn record.

Now I will say that on mine there is no spot for the Dr. name, just the hospital. On my childrens it has a spot for both.

[radiodoll]

Interesting!

If you follow the process of ordering BOTH amended birth certs, you will find that they are different and most likey contain different pieces of the puzzle. Apply for a copy of your birth cert in the state capitol files and then again in the local (city, town) files where you were born.

The city/town birth cert is usually the one with the least info.

The state filed birth cert has more details. (generally)

Also order your "social history" from the state files. You can do this with certain paperwork and fees depending on the state which holds the adoption info.

Radiodoll

[tleroy1964]

radiodoll,

I don't have or have access to my original birth cert. As far as I know, all records are sealed in NY, and I have to go through the State Dept. of Health and Human Services in Albany. They have the Birth Cert. I use for my search. I have requested non-id info which would include the adoption agency, but will not tell me the name of hte hospital.

[Sniffles]

radiodoll-

I can't get mine either unlees I have both of my b-parents name. I have my b-mom's name, but I am not sure about the b-father. I think she may have married him, but I am not sure.

I do know that his name is on there because it two years to finalize my adoption because they had to find him to sign away his rights.

I think I may try to file and use her husbands name since I think it is him, but if it's not I have to wait at least another year before I file again.

Angela

[radiodoll]

Hi Gang-

Let me try and be more specific.

First - No you won't get your ORIGINAL certificate unless your birthparents AND your adopted parents consent.

BUT.... we each have 2 amended birth certs which USUALLY contain different information, and if you get lucky, one may tell you the doctors name - you have the city -and then you go from there. USUALLY you get the most information from amended certificate that is filed at the State Capitol department of Vital Satistics. But there is a DIFFERENT amended certificate filed in your town or city of birth.

If there is no hospital, it means that you were most likely born at a local maturnity home. Sometimes the STATE amended certificate will tell you the name, sometimes it won't.

In order to get your personal file (which will STILL not tell you everything if it's from a "closed state") you must fill out a request form and your adopted parents must also fill out forms to allow the STATE to send you your social history. If there is ANYTHING in your file - not always the case - often you will discover the name of the maturnity home and the doctor. I ended up with a LOT of other stuff as well - a very thorough interview with my birth mother - where the pertinent search info was deleted. It's very interesting.

Sometimes people have letters in there file, or other keepsakes - you never know. I've heard of everything.

You cannot begin an adoption search without these 3 things. That is my experience in Missouri.

Does that make sense?

Radiodoll

[Sniffles]

Yes it does, but here in Texas we can get our original bc if we have both of our b-parents names. It is a new law that went into effect on Sept. 1. I just do not know for sure my b-father,s name.

I was adopted thru an agency, but I can not get my non-id from them without having to pay almost $150 for it. That is something that I just can not afford. If there is a way to get it thru the state then I would like to know. I do know that I can not get my adoption file open without an intermediary and that cost at least $300.

As far as the hospitial name, I was born in the hospital and not the home. I have my newborn record from the hospital that has the doctor's name on it. My bc still does not list the hospital. There is a space for it, but there is just a line across it.

In my experience I found her name without those things. Well the search angels found it in the birth indexs and I went to the libary to make sure it was the right one. I got very lucky unfortunatly for my brother's case we have not found his b-mom's name yet.

[tleroy1964]

I have a certified copy of the Birth Certificate from the State, but I will check to see if there is a different one filed with the County where I was born.

I'm also going to a meeting of the Rochester Angels Support Network:

http://www.nyadoption.org/angels2.htm

this coming Monday. I'll post if I find anything.

I think there are state specific forums on here, aren't there? The laws seem so varied from state to state, and even within states. I'm wondering from some of my conversations whether some of the people I speak to know law, or just go by hearsay.

It seels like an automatic answer of "those records are sealed."

[Sniffles]

You know I've wondered the same thing too, are there state specific forums?

I do belong to another group that is for my adoption agency, but I have not really looked at all the forums for this site.

[carolynppk]

My hospital is not listed on my birth certificate, but it is not listed on my children's birth certificates either. Old ones like my husband has, had the hosptial. If he were to lose it and go to the county he was born in to get a new one, it would not list the hospital. The ones I get from the hospital when my kids are born are from them, but they are not "official" anything, just a faux birth certificate to put in their baby book. In Indiana, the hospital is not listed on the birth certificate. Neither is the attending physican. It has the child's name. Place of birth (city and state), date of birth. It has the parents name and their birthplace (state only).


Carolyn