The first thing moms want to do is show off their new bundles of joy to family and friends.
A new electronic birth announcement program allows hospitals to do just that - by posting baby pictures on hospital Web sites.
WebNursery, launched last fall by First Foto, is an online extension of the company's photographic service used by thousands of hospitals nationwide.
Hospitals can offer this as a free service to maternity patients, boosting patient satisfaction in the process.
The program is designed to work in conjunction with a hospital's existing photographic service and involves a photograph taken of the newborn with a digital camera then downloaded into a computer installed with WebNursery software. The images are then uploaded onto the hospital's Web site, accompanied by the baby's first name and last initial, birthdate, weight, length, mother's first name and doctor's name. For security reasons, last names are never used.
So far, 16 hospitals are using the software, says First Foto's corporate communications manager Pat Sommer. The program costs $140 per month with a fee of $1 per baby. The first 30 days are free. For more information call 800-423-5431.