In Mexico, it is not at all necessary to give birth in a clinic. No, of course, you need a doctor who will observe you before and after childbirth. But it is also possible to give birth at home, under the supervision of a doctor and with the help of a midwife or even a doula. Most ordinary Mexicans do this — they go to the clinic only as a last resort.
Often, the cost of childbirth in a clinic — the most expensive part of childbirth. In addition, in Mexico there are no maternity hospitals as such. Childbirth can take place in almost any clinic, public or private, where there are requirements suitable for this (in other words, they cannot be in a dental clinic). In addition, a specialized doctor or team can be called either to any clinic or home.
After birth, it is essential to record and confirm the fact of the birth of the child. This is done with the accompaniment of the Certificado de Nacimiento («certificado de nacido vivo») — This is the very first document that a child receives in his life. This is not yet the birth certificate (Acta de Nacimiento), which will later be issued by the Registro civil (registry office). This is a document confirming the very fact of the birth of a child. Sometimes it is called a birth certificate. And it must be completed within 15 days from the date of birth.
When giving birth in a clinic or in the presence of medical personnel, the Certificado de Nacimiento is issued within 24 hours after birth.
For home births, the Certificado de Nacimiento is issued by the doctor, midwife or any medical personnel (ambulance team) present during or after the birth. The certificate is issued without payment, the price of medical staff services during childbirth can range from no payment to several tens of thousands of pesos, depending on what level of doctors you will involve in childbirth.
The certificate includes the data of the mother and the medical worker, the gender, weight and height of the newborn, and the thumbprints of the mother’s right hand and the newborn’s right foot (any ink can be used). The certificate is signed by the mother and the medical professional. Then the health worker delivers the certificate to the medical institution within 24 hours, where it is further processed and certified by the institution’s seal. If the certificate is signed by a certified midwife (and in Mexico all midwives are certified), her signature is sufficient to finalize the certificate.
If no medical personnel were present at the birth of the child, the certificate can be issued within up to 15 days at any nearest medical institution. The presence of the child is mandatory. Additionally, the certificate contains data on the condition of the newborn according to the APRAG and Silverman-Andersen scales.
However, if parents — non-residents, we strongly advise you to ensure the presence of certified medical personnel or a midwife during home births in order to avoid problems with further obtaining documents. The medical institution has the opportunity to refuse to issue a certificado de nacido vivo if a pregnancy history is not provided or if there are suspicions that the foreigner’s child was not born in Mexico. In this case, you need to contact the Children's Prosecutor's Office (DIF) along with witnesses who will confirm the fact of the birth of the child.
The original Certificado de Nacimiento is given to the mother, the first copy remains at the health facility. A medical institution or midwife is required to notify the Registro Civil of the fact of birth within 15 days, for which a second copy is used.
The mother of a newborn must, within up to 60 days (or up to 6 months, having received an additional extract from the registry), contact the Registro civil to issue an Acta de Nacimiento — birth certificates.
We described in one of the previous pages how to obtain a birth certificate and other documentation for a child.articles.