Stillbirth: Death, Birth, Certification of Birth, and Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth Certificates

Matt and I were first time parents when Peyton was born. We had little knowledge of what it took to be some one's parent let alone where to begin in planning a baby's funeral and memorializing their life. We were lucky to have our parents and Nurses take the lead in contacting the funeral home, Pastor John Hite, and Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep and assist in filling out hospital paper work. At the time, and even now, it was not something I could have even thought of, let alone actually do.

I remember at some point after Peyton's birth my Mom coming into my room with a Nurse and handing me a clipboard with several papers attached to it. They tried their hardest not to tell me what the pre filled out paper work was for, but I knew. It was for Peyton's death certificate. I looked at my Mom questionably waiting for some sort of explanation. Peyton was born. I labored and birthed her over the course of twenty hours. She lived. And yes, I understand she did die. But, first she lived.

In order to die you must first be alive. And Peyton was alive. She was very much alive. More alive than I will ever be again. 

My Mom and the Nurse explained to me however, that I would not receive a birth certificate. But why? I know Peyton lived. She loved to place her feet in my ribs and push out towards my belly with her tiny hands. She loved to do somersaults when she heard her Daddy's voice. She constantly was punching my stomach, making me toss my dinner. She had a HEARTBEAT... a beautiful and strong heartbeat. And then, she did not.

I was told that in order to receive a birth certificate you must be a live birth. And I understand that, though I do not agree with it. Peyton died inside of me while attached to me by the umbilical cord.... a part of me died; yet I am still considered alive. Maybe I think too much in depth about things, but it did not make sense to me then and it does not make sense to me now. 

Almost immediately following Peyton's death I became addicted to researching how I could preserve my daughter's life... anything that I could get my hands on that said she was indeed ALIVE, I needed. I promised myself I would stop at nothing.

In my research I discovered that some states have something called a MISSing Angels Bill. To watch the video for the bill please follow this link - http://www.missingangelsbill.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=61. Ohio is not one of those states. Ohio does offer a Certification of Birth, which was once called a Certificate of Stillbirth. It is a document that states your baby was indeed born, but is vastly different than a Birth Certificate and a Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth. I am currently working on a petition to help pass the MISSing Angels Bill in Ohio. Please look for that in the future. Anyways, in order to file for the Certification of Birth you must have a copy of the death certificate and it must be on file with the Department of Vital Statistics. Though the cost of a Fetal Death Certificate is $21.50, a Certification of Birth is free.

Peyton was born deceased on November 17, 2012. The paper work for her death certificate was submitted by Matt and I, and Maryann, from the funeral home, immediately. The OB that followed me through my pregnancy and his partner, who delivered me, however, did not submit their portion of the paper work for the death certificate. Maryann would call me weekly to see if I had heard anything from the OB's office concerning the death certificate. I left message after message for the two OB's, but never received a phone call back. Maryann also attempted to contact the OB's office several times. After thirteen long weeks, I decided to call the OB's office one last time and let them know if I did not receive the death certificate in a timely matter (the funeral home told us that death certificates usually take a week to fill out and file, and families usually receive the certificate at the funeral) that I would seek legal counsel. The receptionist I spoke with for the umpteenth time informed me that I would hear from someone by the end of the day. No one returned my phone call that day, or even the next day. I waited another three days and called back, stating the same thing. Still, no one returned my phone call.

The two OB's were with University Hospitals, but because of my insurance I delivered at Hillcrest Hospital, a part of Cleveland Clinic. I decided that it would be best to get into contact with the President of Hillcrest Hospital vs. someone at University Hospitals because we had a wonderful experience with Hillcrest and we delivered at their facility. They also conducted Peyton's autopsy and other examinations at the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. When I called Hillcrest's information desk I asked to be directly transferred to the President's voicemail. I left a very nice but firm message, and within an hour I received a call back. He personally told me that he was going to transfer me over to someone who would be able to walk through the rest of this process with me, but if that I did not have the certificate in my hands by Monday to call him back.

The woman I spoke to was in contact with Maryann and the OB's office that day. The death certificate was filed on Wednesday February 27, 2013. Maryann called us that Friday and informed us we could pick the certificate up from the funeral home in the morning. On Saturday March 2, 2013, after fifteen long weeks, the death certificate was in MY hands.

I mailed the paper work for the Certification of Birth to the Columbus, Ohio Department of Vital Statistics on Monday March 4, 2013. About a month later I received a letter denying my request for a Certification of Birth because the death certificate was not on file. I immediately called the Columbus office and left a message asking for more of an explanation. After faxing a copy of the death certificate I was told to expect something in the mail within the next few weeks. On May 2, 2013 I received Peyton's Certification of Birth in the mail. It was the happiest moment I have had since we lost our sweet Peyton, but I believe that when the MISSing Angels Bill is passed in Ohio I will be even happier. I will stop at nothing.

If you or someone you know has lost a baby to stillbirth and want to file for a Certification of Birth with the State of Ohio the following links will help you do so. If you have any questions, need any guidance, plea or would like to help with bringing the MISSing Angels Bill to Ohio please email me directly at jredarowicz@gmail.com.

http://dispatchpolitics.dispatch.com/content/blogs/the-daily-briefing/2013/04/4-25-13-stillbirth.html (This short article states the change in Certificate of Stillbirth to Certification of Birth. AWESOME!)

http://www.odh.ohio.gov/vitalstatistics/vitalmisc/fetaldth.aspx (Information on Fetal Death Certificate and Certification of Birth.)

http://www.odh.ohio.gov/~/media/ODH/ASSETS/Files/vs/general/applicationform.ashx (This is the form you will need to print and fill out for the certificate.)

http://www.missingangelsbill.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=61 (Information on the MISSing Angels Bill & video.)