With computer users watching by the Internet, a 40-year-old mother gave birth to a black-haired boy Tuesday.
Clogged computer traffic limited the number of viewers.The boy, Sean, was born at 8:40 a.m. MDT, more than 41/2 hours after the broadcast began over America's Health Network's Website. The cable network has 7.2 million TV viewers as well as the Website.
The woman, who identified herself only as Elizabeth, groaned several times before the 7-pound, 8-ounce baby popped his head out. Viewers over the Internet didn't see anything more graphic than an episide of "ER." Cameras were held at Elizabeth's side and in front of her hospital bed but nurses' backs blocked any view of the actual delivery.
"Here comes Sean's head. He has a lot of hair," said Dr. Walter Larimore, who narrated the birth for the Internet audience from the delivery room.
At least 50,000 people tried to log on to the Web site, overwhelming the system, which was set up for about 10,000 people at a time.
Even the network's own technicians had trouble getting access to the site from the media room at the hospital. When they were able to log on, the picture was fuzzy.
"I wouldn't say we underplanned," said J. Tod Fetherling, president of America's Health Network-Interactive. "We had scaled out for the biggest number we could imagine and we have reached beyond that."
Larimore, host of "Ask the Family Doctor" on America's Health Network, gave a play-by-play description as Elizabeth was injected with a hormone to induce labor and later sat on a large plastic birthing ball.
Elizabeth said she wanted to help educate other women. She was approached about the idea because of her history of easy childbirth and quick labor. Doctors had been planning to induce labor even before they were approached by the network.