See: http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-likely-born-in-hawaii/
They found the birth announcement in the Honolulu newspaper at the time:
Here is information from the posts of the woman who found that birth announcement:
18 Lori: Hi, I’ve talked to the Department of Vital Records and the Honolulu Advertiser.In 1961, the hospitals would take their new birth certificates to Vital Records. At the end of the week, Vital Records would post a sheet that for the news paper to pick up that contained births, deaths, marriages and divorces. The Advertiser routinely printed this information in their Sunday edition. This is not a paid announcement that his grandmother could arrange. This is information that comes from Vital Records - we know this because this particular section reflects those records. They didn’t have a provision for paid, one sentence announcement that would be included in the Vital Records. At the time, if a child was born outside a hospital, the family would have 30 days to apply for a birth certificate and Vital Records would expect to see prenatal care records, or pediatrician records of the first check up, etc. They’d also want the notarized statement from the mid-wife. Of course, they can apply later but that would noted as a different kind of birth certificate. I think TD has already addressed that. This information was received by Vital Records the first week of his birth = that suggests the hospital.
Next, the announcement is from Sunday, August 13th and Obama was born on Friday, August 4th. Hospitals usually don’t take birth certificate information the first couple days to avoid changes. So it was likely filled out on the 4th or so, as hospital stays were usually 3 - 5 days at the time. Lastly, having worked in a newborn nursery in college, hospitals don’t ask for documentation. If mom says she’s married, that’s what they write. They have no authority to question her statement.
In Honolulu at the time, paid birth announcements weren’t in vogue. Frequently families would post one year announcements that included pictures from the party, etc. I haven’t checked to see if that exists.
25 Lori: katana, As I just said, the birth announcement comes from the Department of Vital Records - not from the family. On Fridays, Vital Records would post a list of births, deaths, marriages and divorces that the papers would pick up and publish. That’s what this is. The information in there is the information Vital Records provided to the newspapers for public record. That’s all this is. The marital status only reflects what Ann Dunham told the nurse about her marital status - the hospital has no authority to question the mother’s word.
The family played no role whatsoever in this being published and we know this from where it is placed in the paper.