Video and still photos

Restrictions on birth photography

Thoughts?

It's honestly not a new issue among those of us on labor and delivery. We have a set policy on videotaping at my hospital (which now includes all types of video - cell phones, video cameras, internet video cameras, and any other new video technology).

The whole thing comes down to this:

You can videotape as long as everyone in the room agrees to it, a tripod is not used (tripping hazard), if someone asks to stop the videotaping you will stop, and the mother must also agree to be taped.

There is a lengthy consent that must be signed by the mother and the person who will be doing the videotaping.

My thoughts (personally) are that it's your birth. If you want to videotape, please do! However, if the videotaping is getting in the way of me doing my job, I'm not going to be happy about it.

I had an unexpected resuscitation of a baby several years ago, and the grandma was right there videotaping everything. Usually, babies will perk right up with some tactile stimulation and a little blow by oxygen. Not with this baby. It became obvious that the baby needed more resuscitation measures.

Grandma was literally in my way of accessing the baby so that I could assess, evaluate, and implement necessary resuscitation measures. I looked right at Grandma, and said clearly "STOP TAPING & STEP BACK PLEASE." She was kind of shocked that I said that, but she did it. As I continued with resuscitation, she realized just how worrisome the situation was. Was she pissed that I told her to stop taping and back up? I don't know. All that mattered at that point in time was me getting some assistance to help with the resuscitation, and get this baby to look pink instead of gray. (Hello oxygenation! Let's look a little more perky here baby!)

Once baby was stabilized, pink & crying, I said to Grandma that she could videotape again.

I have come across people videotaping in the halls of labor and delivery. In the halls? Seriously people! There are other people out there - women in early labor who are walking around in hospital gowns, their support people, nursing and medical staff. I sincerely doubt that the other laboring women want to be on your videotape. The staff are more than likely discussing patient care or are consulting with CNMs/MDs in person or on the phone about private patient information.

Videotaping in the halls? A big no-no! Would you want to be taped while doing your job, without your consent? I somehow doubt it.

Then there are the visitors/labor partners who are videotaping interactions with nurses surreptitiously. Yep, I know what that item you're trying to hide in your hand is. Why are you being so secretive about taping? (Audio and/or video) Guess what? I will call you out on it. It's only common courtesy to ask permission of the person you're taping before doing so.

(All that person got was just some routine nursing education on their tape, by the way.)

I have been videotaped, early in my nursing career, giving a complete first baby bath with physical assessment. I think it was great for the family! I involved the older sibling in the bath and assessment as well. It was a GREAT teaching moment for everyone involved. This was back when I worked in a LDRP where mom and baby stayed together in the same room from labor to birth to postpartum to discharge.

As for still pictures........take as many as you want. Some doctors don't like the pictures done during the birth itself, but I think they're an awesome photography moment.

Nurse, can I have some tylenol for my headache?

Alternative title to the post: how to wait an hour or more to get medication in the hospital.

Let's say that you (the patient) are requesting some tylenol for a headache. Assuming that tylenol is not already ordered by your physician, the nurse needs to make a phone call to your doctor to get that order. She then needs to write it in the order sheet of your chart. Then she faxes that order to the pharmacy. Since tylenol is hardly considered a stat order, the pharmacy takes their sweet time entering it into the "system" so the nurse can get the medication for you.

In the meanwhile, the pharmacy can't enter the medication into the system until the nurse has entered your height, weight and allergies into the computer. Only once that is done, can pharmacy enter the blessed tylenol.

Then the pharmacist/assistant does their thing and enters the tylenol into their computer system, which is then entered into the medication dispensing system on the nursing unit.

By this time, it's probably close to an hour since you've asked for that tylenol. Oh, your aching head!

The nurse can finally withdraw the medication from the medicine dispensing unit (commonly called Pyxis) and give you the pill(s).

Oh, but wait! Now she needs to log into the medication administration system at your bedside. She scans your bracelet, and now must make sure that the medication is entered correctly in THAT computer system. She needs to verify it and sign electronically that it is correct.

You get your pill(s) now, right? Nope.

Next, she scans the barcode on the pill(s), making sure that the pill(s) match the order. She also asks you to state your name and date of birth to confirm that you are who you are.

Check!

Yeah! Now you can have your tylenol for your headache, an hour or more after you requested it.

Welcome to hospital bureaucracy.

Welcome to my world.

Plug for another website for expecting parents - and a plug for me!

I would like to introduce my readers to a "new to me" website for couples and parents.

Expecting Words is hosted by Laurie Puhn. Her bio on the site reads:

Laurie is smart, sincere, and down-to-earth. She is a communications expert who provides practical advice and isn’t afraid to share her own personal experiences. She is an author of the best seller, Instant Persuasion: How To Change Your Words To Change Your Life, and makes frequent guest appearances on Fox News Channel, Good Day NY, CNN, and Weekend Today Show. (Visit http://www.lauriepuhn.com for a complete bio.)

Laurie emailed me and asked if I would write an article for her site for expecting parents and what to expect in the hospital. More specifically, how Dads can help out in the labor and birth process. I wrote up a piece for her site, which will link back to my blog, so............go check it out! (My post is not up on her site just yet. It should be there soon though!)

Birth as a business

In other words, "The Business of Being Born."

Yes, I finally was able to watch this documentary. (Thank you Netflix!)

I don't know where to begin. The snippets from homebirths, birth center births, and hospital births were just....well...amazing! Watching this documentary evoked so many different feelings and emotions in me.

Amazement........and how powerful a woman's body can be.

Ecstasy........at seeing the raw emotions of birth.

Joy.......at seeing mothers breastfeed their newborns.

Femininity...........seeing mothers catch their newborns at birth.

Frustration........at the hospital system.

Anger.........at the physicians who are ignorant of birth.

Inspired.........when Marsden Wagner said, "The best way to humanize birth - is to get the hell out of hospitals!"

Intrigued..........by the physicians who back up homebirth midwifes.

Honored........to witness such an intimate time in several families lives.

Curious............to see what a homebirth midwife in NYC (of all places!) does from day to day.

Sad...........to see what science and physicians have done to women over the years past and present.

Blessed...........to be able to work with birthing women.

Encouraged........to finish my midwifery degree!

Ready............to be part of the positive change in birth.