From NEWS AU
BABYCAMS being rolled out at five private hospitals in NSW next month will allow parents to use live video streaming to introduce their new additions to family and friends on the other side of the world.
The Look@MyBaby cameras are also being attached to the cribs of babies in round-the-clock special-needs care, so mum and dad can check up on their sick child's condition from home or elsewhere.
The webcams, which are the size of an iPod and mounted on top of the baby's bassinet, were first trialled 18 months ago at Mater Hospital in Townsville, helping soldiers from a nearby army base to stay in touch with their newborns when stationed abroad.
Parents who sign up for the service receive a link to a webpage that they can send to relatives and friends, or share on Facebook.
Prince of Wales Private Hospital general manager Deborah Latta said cabling was being laid to cover all 28 post-natal beds in the eastern Sydney hospital's maternity ward.
There would also be cameras for the eight cribs in the special care nursery, benefiting those parents unable to be with their sick baby at all times.
"If the mum and dad have to go home and they call the hospital saying, 'We've woken up at three in the morning and we really want to see our baby, can you switch it on for us?' we can do it," Ms Latta said.
"Sometimes it might be that the mum and dad are inundated with people wanting to come in and if they can settle people down and give them a way of seeing the baby, it will reduce the number of visitors if they're not up for that."
The hospital is also negotiating with the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel at Coogee to have the system installed there because about half of parents visiting the hospital make use of a "recuperation" package at the hotel for two days.
Other NSW private hospitals using the service include Norwest, Sydney Southwest, Nepean and Newcastle.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/webcam-babies-show-theyre-never-too-young-to-get-online/story-e6frfro0-1225929430393#ixzz10c3EVVpt
RSS Feed