This isn’t the first time a guy tries to stream the birth of his child live on the internet (it happened on Ustream back in August 2007), and I’m confident it won’t be the last: Allan Branch yesterday streamed a minute of his wife’s c-section on live streaming site Qik, using a jailbroken iPhone. Right after the birth of his baby girl Sarah, she was even given her own Twitter account in addition.
The video is actually just of his wife’s head and part of the surgery room. It doesn’t show any of the actual surgery or even the baby. You can find the video on Qik here, but here’s the embedded clip:
Leaving aside the fact that Branch ignored the advice of the attending nurse, who asked him to turn it off (many hospitals prohibit any video taping in surgery rooms for malpractice reasons), doesn’t this make you cringe just a little bit? There’s no question that everyone has the right to determine how far he or she wants to go in sharing their private lives on the internet, but I imagine a lot of people will deem live streaming a child’s birth inappropriate. Are there no private moments left anymore?
Personally, I think the video doesn’t cross a line at all, although I can hardly think of anything more private and intimate than a child’s birth that could be streamed on the web. That said, thanks to Allan, who is a Rails developer, for letting us know and all the best for his family!
What do you think? Acceptable or opening up Pandora’s box?
you bet it does!
I think its fine, its actually pretty cool he wants to share it with the world.
This is certainly crossing a line! Did he take the woman’s permission before doing this? I wonder what he was trying to achieve with this video. Becoming famous I guess!!!
‘the women’ is his wife!!! Think about it. I’m pretty sure she was ok with it
I don’t see any issue. I don’t need to watch, and I don’t need to share.
If the qik turns into a site full of weird fetish video that’s their own look out. It’s not as if they’d be alone in that regard.
The want to share a happy occasion is human. It’s the reason why social networks will never die…
It would be over the top if it was anyone except @lessallan. He is the best! Everyone should follow him!
Hahaha too funny this got picked up. Sarah’s twitter account was setup as a joke by a friend.
http://twitter.com/lessallan
Well, there are probably more of these videos on the net. It was a matter of time, with more and more video phones out there.
Cell phones are not allowed in most hospitals because of RF interference with monitoring medical equipment, although this policy is constantly ignored. Many, many fathers-to-be sneak into the delivery room video phones, digital cameras, etc. Some of them are lawyers claiming that they have the right to use them.
In our hospital, we had two incidents last month, where relatives showed up with their attorneys demanding to be allowed to film the entire delivery. Go figure.
>Robin, although it is referred to as “malpractice,” the correct term is “medical liability”
It is funny that this is “offensive”. Why should this content be brought into question? You can get all kinds of crap on the net. I would think that sex on the internet – which is so widespread it is accepted as the norm – is way more offensive than this. You can see people getting into car accidents, getting almost killed…why is birth going over the line?
They can steam whatever the hell they want. Who cares? It’s the internet.
I usually am more of a steamed vegetable kind of person. Steaming the birth of a child also seems to be a tad difficult. And weird, if I might add.
But yes, I’m with you when it comes to freedom of steam. Different strokes for different folks.
I think sharing to the public is a bit much. I can see if s/he has family around the world then stream away only in private.. But who in the general puplic wants to see that. I think this is getting too caught up in living though the Internet and though the Internet
Raisins, you have a right not to watch! its not like you are being forced to watch this. So if he likes to publish it to the world with a header that tells you what it is, then it is fine, it gives you an opportunity to use your best judgment before you press play.
As long as it’s done tastefully then I’m fine with it. I know we had our mother-in-law on the phone when my wife was giving birth. It was cool to have her as part of the experience.
Of course, I’d probably make the video private to some extent.
Kerry Katona, a British z-list celebrity, had MTV cameras present in the delivery room for the birth of her fourth son Max.
Where desperate celebrities and MTV lead, the rest of the world will surely follow
I agree with Anthony, it is just human nature to be noticed and recognized. If it weren’t, why would Twitter be so popular with so many people talking about how they just got out of the shower after a sweaty run??? Yes, a baby birth is different then 140 characters of text, but its all in the same context. People want to be recognized and standout.
If someone wants to stand out and be recognized, then do something that stands out – not something that any mammal can do. Don’t just procreate, create.
I am so tired of my generation acting like they invented breeding. Navel-gazing is one thing – but navel-gazing attention whores?
live streaming is very powerful but you dont see much of it on business websites. you would think by now most professional sites would have a live streaming attendant during normal business hours. someday the public will have the right to see live executions of prisoners online. coming in or going out there is no limit to where live streaming is headed.
1st Amendment
any questions?
(I wouldn’t watch it though … thankyouverymuch)
that’s a surprise – apparently TechCrunch is full of prudes. wouldn’t have expected that of TC.
if you don’t want to watch it, don’t. it’s really that simple. amazing how people always blame others for something that is their own personal choice.
let’s move on to a real topic, TC.
People should be able to do whatever they want to do in their private lives — that’s why we live in America, after all. If you don’t care for the content, don’t watch it.
Lisa, I see that the Internet is already part of your private life. How so? Have you posted your nude pictures on Myspace already? I would like to see them!!!
“Private life” is one thing, the Internet is “public life”
Jean, you didnt make sense at all?! As Lisa pointed out, its a “Choice”. Everyone has their own level of privacy.
Lisa choses not to post nude pictures of herself, while allan choses to post videos of his wife’s child birth.
Those posting nude pictures of themselves, choose knowingly to post those pictures for everyone to see.
Child birth is always acted out in movies, and if real people dont post real videos of childbirth, then for those who are curious, there is no way to try to educate yourself on what it is really like.
Amlar, I am sorry that sarcasm is not part of your culture… either that or you have to grow up.
Speaking of exploitation. This is hilarious.
http://singlepi...aphic-children/
If he had to look through his phone, to shoot only what was appropriate for streaming, then he missed, live, with his own eyes, the birth of his baby. Or is there an iphone TRiPod?
It’s certainly one of the most exciting moments in anyone’s life. It’s also nerve-wracking, private, special and emotional. We didn’t even let our parents into the room when we had our first child so why should the web get a front row seat? It’s just weird.
No care ever. This guy just wants to make sure nobody watching ever has the desire for more sex than he will be getting over the next few years.
HeHeHe!!!!
Allan and Anna are good friends of mine and I had been thinking and praying for them all morning. This little video clip was intended for us, their friends and family and I was delighted to get to see that sweet little face. Don’t blow all of this out of proportion just because the tech industry was having a slow day.
As long as it doesn’t actually show the “graphic” stuff (which is gross, sorry to those who enjoy the “miracle of birth” stuff), i’m fine with it.
Social Networks are stupid, and are the people who spend a lot of time on them. If you want to meet people, get a dog and take it to the park. Get out of the house. Live life.
Says the person, commenting online… Irony is dead.
Definitely agree with you, Jeff. ‘ Mr.Angry Old Man’ should take his pipe and go out for a walk instead of pressing his eyes against the computer screen.
Definitely OK to video. Especially for the medical liability reasons. I could not care less about the “sharing” reasons.
I hope that this sheds some light onto the “mysterious” medical world – ALL patients going into surgery, including deliveries, must sign a “consent” by which they authorize the surgeon/s to perform medical procedures on them, plus allow other medical personnel, including students, to be present in the room.
The written consent also allows the *surgeon/s* to take pictures and film any part of the procedures for educational purposes. These consents are prepared by teams of attorneys working for the hospital: their purpose is to assure that the patients clearly understand everything that will take place in the OR. Witnesses must sign all consents also.
As to “medical liability” yes, pictures, videos, written reports, etc., are all legal documents, but only when the surgeon and medical personnel *in the room* are responsible for them, *NOT* when spouses or any other relatives or friends of the patients do it. Why? there are many legal reasons for it: one of them is that this unauthorized “documentation” could be “doctored” [pun intended] by them and used to file frivolous suits hoping to get some money from doctors and hospitals. Believe me, it does happen!
YO PEOPLE, I’M LIVE STREAMING!
YO PEOPLE, I’M LIVE STREAMING!
YO PEOPLE, I’M LIVE STREAMING!
YO PEOPLE, I’M LIVE STREAMING!
YO PEOPLE, I’M LIVE STREAMING!
kind of sad that this is considered “child birth”… we live in awkward times…
After working in a major hospital and trauma center nothing shocks me about human beings as to what we do for, with or against each other for good or ill.
Mick Jagger will one day arrive on stage on a walker after a hip replacement. That racy tattoo on firm bosom will one day become wrinkle and go south. One day the baby from this video might one day curse or bless the video or his parents
Crossing what line? If the content doesn’t interest someone or even repulses them – DON’T watch. If granny’s, friends etc. want to watch live – why not.
How come his wife doesn’t have the logo of a Poker site tattoed on her forehead?
What a lost monetization opportunity!
This has got to be one of the most inane discussions I’ve ever read here. People who have no connection whatsoever to this person’s life, commenting on what is acceptable? Didn’t anyone here watch delivery videos during Health class in high school? Childbirth is an amazing incredible thing. The fact that he wanted to share it is his choice, and a choice that he is legally entitled to. Save your judgements for Sundays.
A perfect example of too much informaton on the web.
all accurate information has positive value
Yes, this cross a line.
The line between interesting, relevant posts and pointless, moronic, totally useless ones.
“TechCrunch is a weblog dedicated to profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies”. Are you sure?
Maybe you should add “when we have nothing to say we just write about anything we find in the internet just to keep the ad clicks up”.
>> It doesn’t show any of the actual surgery or even the baby.
so, you wanted to see blood and amniotic fluid? would that make you happier?
>> doesn’t this make you cringe just a little bit?
yeah, are you paid to write this?
>> There’s no question that everyone has the right to determine how far he or she wants to go in sharing their private lives on the internet,
exactly, there’s no question, so why the fu*k are you writing this?
>> but I imagine a lot of people will deem live streaming a child’s birth inappropriate.
you “imagine”, “a lot of people”… really, you don’t have to write about any silly “thought” that cross your mind. did someone tell you that? is there and editor here?
>> Are there no private moments left anymore?
did someone put a gun in your head to make you watch this?
>> Personally, I think the video doesn’t cross a line at all,
WTF?? so, again, what’s the point on writing this???
>> That said, thanks to Allan, who is a Rails developer, for letting us know and all the best for his family!
ohhh, so the father is a Rails developer, so it’s tech related news after all… (?)
>> What do you think? Acceptable or opening up Pandora’s box?
yeah opening a pandora’s box full of stupid bloggers with nothing relevant to say.
techcrunch is a microsoft fanboy, media hype machine, like all the rest in media that “make it” into “revenue positive” land
the most interesting question is this: did they sell out to make it, or sell out after they did something interesting
I love this comment!
I found this post on Twitter and it was a good reminder of why I removed Techcrunch from my feed reader.
So, you read TC and post a comment on TC to say that you don’t like TC?
Oh, wait! I got it: Nick Dominguez=retard Douche bag.
I was wondering the same thing.
Why shouldn’t it be allowed? It’s their life, no one is forcing anyone else to watch it.
Um, forget about what this says about the internet for a moment and stop to think what it says about marriage.
If the mother in this scenario was anything like my wife was during the birth of our three sons, then she needs, at a minimum, to know that she can call on her birth companion — ideally her partner — at any time for anything.
It’d be nice to know he wasn’t busy playing with toys.
Unbelievable.
Agree. But then, having a functioning brain is not a requirement for fatherhood.
The video is kind of cute, if you wish. It doesn’t show anything improper and I do not understand why so many people here overreact….
Uh right. Because if she yelled “honey I need you” he wouldn’t hear her and stop recording, because he’d be SO ENGROSSED in what he’s doing.
Dude is right there, next to her, ready to help if she needs anything.
This is guy is an idiot. C-Sections typically involve spinal anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia can have multiple complications. For example, his wife’s blood pressure could have suddenly tanked fostering an emergent fire drill to stabilize her. The spinal anesthesia could easily have failed as the surgeons worked to stabilize and repack her uterus after delivery. She could have been emergently intubated under general anesthesia. The baby’s delivery could have been complicated by cord position, etc. I could go on and on. He’s lucky that there were apparently no complications, but he’s stupid to have taken the chance of capturing an horrible mishap for all the world to see. If there’s any thought that the video somehow helps with a malpractice suit, that’s crap. In the first place, he wasn’t filming on the right side of the drape, and there are plenty of eyes in the room. Note, for example, the pediatrics service at the warming table where his kid was immediately taken after delivery. What an idiot.
@anesthesiology resident — When everything goes well in the OR, for any procedure, it is because everyone involved is doing what is expected of them, including the patient.
What you describe is only part of what could go wrong. As per Dr. Wagner’s comment above, the physicians and *only trained medical personnel* should be allowed to use cameras and/or video equipment for educational purposes only. No one else.
I understand that doctors are lenient in this respect and allow fathers or other relatives to take pictures – cell phones and uploading videos to the Internet is another matter. I, personally, do not allow cell phones in the OR.
Another thing: the use of any electronic device in the OR can trigger a fire with dire consequences.
This is plain common sense and has absolutely nothing to do with “individual rights” or the “first amendment.”
Good thing nothing bad happened… like death.
wow this is just sick not my cup of tea to watch a baby birth
What’s the difference between that and all the baby birthing shows that are on television all day long? Those are more graphic =P
Doesn’t matter to me, if you don’t want to watch it – you don’t click.
it’s funny how sex, violence, and death are totally cool, but live streaming birth can be found even remotely offensive.
what’s interesting is that if someone had created a fake birth clip and posted it on youtube, nobody would have cared. but because it’s the real thing, it becomes offensive. an invasion of privacy – which, last time i checked, was supposed to be a personal choice.
My wife and I twittered and live-streamed her last birth experience in November 2008 without even giving it a second thought. We used a private justin.tv channel and it worked flawlessly (and it recorded the video for us to retrieve later).
.
Why? Several reasons:
1. To share the experience with family members overseas who couldn’t be there in person but who otherwise would have been;
2. Her mom chose to watch from home rather than be there (she was the first time round and thought it was too stressful). In hindsight, she explained how nice it was, at the really tough times, to be able to just look away from the screen and mute the audio.
3. To share with our friends how wonderful the birth experience can be. In the rush, I couldn’t get my iphone to stream correctly, so I set up a laptop and webcam and put it near my wife’s head. The birth center and midwife didn’t mind at all and asked us for a copy later they could share with other clients (we said no problem). There was nothing graphic shown (plenty of graphic stuff uttered, however
If you position the camera such that you’re streaming graphic stuff, that’s OK IMO as long as you are totally aware of who is watching. I wouldn’t make it available to the general public or users. Which seems to be what this article is about – “public birth streaming.”
disgusting..
glad it was private…
The birth of a child is a beautiful experience and I can fully understand that you want to share that with your close friends and family (as a father of 3). Did you give a second thought that something might go wrong during birth? Where you aware of that when you decided to stream your babies birth? Just wondering…
This is stupid
I hate the Fox News-style headline: “Does this cross a line?”
I hate any media outlet that tries to gain their audience by asking heavily biased questions in their headlines. Neutral questions are never asked, because they do not boost audience (”How do you feel about this?”). The technique has been overused in recent years. Fox News is among the worst (”Palestinians protest treatment in refugee camp. Do these people make your skin crawl?”). A headline that simply states a fascinating fact, something that a tech crowd might be honestly interested in, would be preferable.
The person is wanted to keep that video as an memorable incident if so he wants ,he crossed the rules of the hospital.There is also nothing to hype on video .It’s up to the persons to decide to reveal their private life to the internet ,similar thing happend moms showing feeding their babes on facebook .I think there should be a line between our public life and private life. we have to kept some secret and some open.This is my personal opinion only.
I recorded the cesarean birth of my daughter (asked and got permission from my wife and the delivery team first). My father took pictures of my birth back when he was one of the first men allowed in the delivery room, which I thought were pretty neat when I saw them as an adult. I probably would have done something with Qik if it were around at the time, so that my parents could have seen it as it happened.
I think it’s a great way to share the moment with friends and family. You may choose to keep this private, others may choose differently. When my daughter is old enough, if she wants to she’ll be able to watch it, and I think that’s pretty cool.
As for those that think it’s an exposure of liability to tape in the delivery room, fear by doctors of video records of their actions (and ours) is disconcerting, to say the least. I can see why malpractice insurance companies wouldn’t want it, but the doctors?
The question is not relly whether he is breaking the line – he is breaking the rules, and that’s it. If he had wanted to do it, he and his wife should have contracted private nurses for her to give birth at home.
On the philosophical and ethical question, fine that he wants to share, but to all those who are saying that it’s fine, just realise what it means – we’re creating a society where people are increasingly expected to share everything. My girlfriend’s friends judge her more and more when she says she is not on Facebook because it’s not for her, she does not see the point.
We’re creating a society where public disclosure and sharing everything is becoming the norm, and then virtual observation rather than real life. It’s not just potentially an ethical debate, it’s somewhat pathetic.
What’s the big deal? Nothing is shown. Have any of these people who are up in arms actually seen the video? What I’ve seen on the Internet can be a hundred times worse!
All, this was done previously with world-wide media attention almost 10 years ago! 6/17/98 – when I worked for America’s Health Network (sold to Newscorp about a year later) we put on a live streaming birth from Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando. It marked the first online birth ever streamed and still today ranks as one of the largest streaming events of all time (birth of Baby Sean). There may be folks that feel this crosses the line – there were then too – but the reality of this is that it was and is a very educational event, and most folks saw the benefit of that. There are literally thousands upon thousands that are very unnerved by the birth process and these type of events help. In addition to the live birth event I have been personally involved in medical events streamed live including surgeries on the heart, brain, knee, back among others. Educational events of this nature are helpful to many so let’s look beyond what some consider reality tv fare and see the true value of these events.
Thanks,
Steve
@levelwing