For nearly two years, Teresa and Jeff Williams have lived in a state of suspension, unable to plan for their family’s future and unable to fully enjoy their young children.
In cases where there is a Fire and EMS report related to the birth, D.C. Health said it accepts this single document as sufficient proof that the baby was born in the District. The ordeal has wracked the Williams family with anxiety and fear at what should have been a celebratory time. Instead of watching JJ bond with his sister, Tamar, and experiencing life anew as a family of four, they’re plagued by the feeling that they are letting down their baby boy.who has served clients across the D.C. region, said the Williamses’ predicament is unsurprising. When her clients give birth in Maryland or Virginia, she said, the process is straightforward and easier.
In the District, there are fewer than 100 home births per year — less than 1 percent of all births, according to D.C. Health. Three months later, the family went to the Health Department building and paid $23 for a birth certificate. It was their first time doing so; a home birth company handled the paperwork for Tamar.
Teresa spent weeks tracking down proof of her pregnancy test. She requested documentation of her ultrasound, a receipt showing online purchases to be delivered to their home address and an Xfinity bill.Teresa didn’t have a midwife or doula. She didn’t go to a hospital or call EMS. JJ saw a pediatrician on Aug. 22, within two weeks, not five days, of his birth.“We didn’t go to a hospital at all,” she wrote Dec. 23, 2022, in an email, which was provided to The Washington Post.