Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles has debuted (via TUAW) a new iPad program that allows mothers who are not able to visit with their newborn babies in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to connect with them via a video chat on multiple iPads, dubbed BabyTime.
The program is available to mothers who undergo cesarean sections or other complications during pregnancy and will receive an iPad while the partner iPad will be set up next to the baby's incubator in the NICU. Mothers will be able to virtually visit their babies on a secured Internet connection twice a day.
"BabyTime will help bridge communication with the family and the baby's medical team and is an excellent use of technology to help new mothers bond with their babies, even when they cannot be physically at their babies' bedside," said Charles F. Simmons Jr., MD, chair of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Pediatrics and Ruth and Harry Roman Chair in Neonatology. “When doctors and nurses are treating a newborn in the NICU, mom can be right there asking questions and getting updates, even if she’s on a different floor.”
Simmons estimated that 20 to 30 percent of mothers who undergo c-sections do not feel well enough to travel to meet their babies in the NICU. The goal of the program is to reduce any stress or fear that mothers may have about their new babies, while allowing the mothers to communicate with doctors and nurses.
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Next up, fetuses will receive iPod Touches after being in the womb for 12 weeks. They'll be able to initiate "FetusTime" with their pregnant mothers at any time up until, and even during, birth.
If the baby is in the incubator, for obvious reasons shouldn't be unnecessarily touched by anyone including the mother.
Great idea, while also preparing future iPad users...
Babies will feel helpless without an iPad in their crib! Heheh!
Of course.:rolleyes:
Just because a you felt no need for this in your situation does not mean that this would not be useful to other parents with say, a 23 week ega baby or a baby born with other complications that would necessitated a lengthy NICU stay.
Jeez, some people need to look outside their own perceptions and be more empathaic to the needs of others.
I've worked in NICU for 5 1/2 years and been with parents in conferences as they were given bad news/difficult decisions to make and I've also provided emotional support and couselling to parents as their babies are/dying or have died-some of the flippant replies on this thread are horrible.
Really sad.