Audio Video Recording Policy

What to know before recording your baby’s birth.

Having a video or audio recording of your baby’s birth can be a wonderful way to relive the joy of the moment. We’re happy to honor your wish to record the birth, provided that the recording respects the personal and workplace privacy of Swedish staff and doesn’t interfere with the safety of patients, family members or employees.

If you do want to record your baby’s birth, discuss it with your provider as soon as possible.

Swedish Medical Center will permit audio and video recording of the birthing experience as long as you agree to and follow all of these procedures:

  1. The patient or legal guardian must consent prior to recording. Consent must be noted in the patient’s medical record or on the consent form.
  2. Each medical, nursing or other health-care provider present during the labor or delivery must consent verbally or in writing prior to recording.
  3. All recording equipment must be battery-operated, self-contained and portable to ensure that there are no hazards to personnel and/or family members from external cords, wires or related equipment. Tripods and detached light sources are prohibited. (All recording equipment is the responsibility of the patient or the patient’s family. Swedish shall not be responsible for any damage to or theft of recording equipment, or for any injury resulting from the use of such equipment).
  4. The operator of the recording equipment must respect and promptly comply with instructions from medical personnel to discontinue recording at any time. Failure to comply with these requests or conditions may result in removal from the vicinity.
  5. Recording is not permitted during the placement of regional and/or general anesthesia, or during certain other services, as determined by the attending physician. Recording will be confined to the non-sterile field during operative procedures. Recording will not include anesthesia, patient or fetal monitors.

Swedish Medical Center has the right to make and retain a copy of any recording made within the facility. A recording will not be considered part of the patient’s medical record.

We’ll do our best to honor a patient’s request to record the birth, but we can’t guarantee that it will be possible in every situation. The medical or nursing staff present during the labor and delivery will make the final call as to whether or not recording will be permitted.