Expecting Parent

As an expecting parent you want to ensure that your childbirth experience is as pleasant and safe as possible. At LMS we understand that childbirth should be among the most precious experiences a parent can have; it is with this in mind that we developed the computerized obstetrical system "CALM". This system was designed by a female obstetrician. It was created especially for the needs of caregivers and physicians during the course of a woman's labor and it is used in several hospitals across North America.

How does the CALM system help ensure a safe and smooth experience for you?

CALM takes care of your personal information

As you are admitted to a hospital's labor and delivery department, your identifying information and relevant medical history is entered into the system. Throughout your stay, all pertinent information about you is also entered into the system, such as the results of your physical exams. This information is used to evaluate your labor progress and to determine how best to care for you given your personal history.

In the past this type of information was kept in paper-based charts, and as a result patients often had to answer the same questions more than once. Now from the moment information is entered into the system, it is available throughout your labor and any future labor to the medical personnel who need it. This reduces the amount of time you spend answering the same questions and the amount of time your caregivers spend manually entering your information and flipping through charts.

The CALM system also has safeguards to prevent unauthorized personnel from viewing your personal information. Each of your caregivers must use a special password to access your information, and the system keeps a log of every person who accesses your records and of every entry or change to the information in those records.

The benefits to you are twofold: 1) the accuracy and completeness of your information is improved, ensuring you get proper care based on your needs; 2) your caregivers can now spend more time directly caring for you.

CALM continuously monitors both your well being and your baby's

Once you are in labor the CALM system is in place to ensure your and your baby's safety. A caregiver will place a monitor on your stomach to measure your baby's heartbeat and monitor your contractions. Through the CALM system this information is presented on a computer screen in the form of a graph that helps your doctor and the nursing staff to evaluate how well your baby is handling the stress of labor and the rate at which your labor is progressing.

In the past, your caregiver would have had to routinely get the print out to interpret its results. Now you can be assured that your caregiver sees how well you and your baby are doing at a glance wherever they are - the central nursing station, staff lounge or anywhere a CALM PC is set up.

Further, in the rare event that your baby's heart rate falls outside the normal range, an alarm will sound, notifying your caregivers immediately so that they may quickly take action.

CALM clearly demonstrates how well your labor is progressing

The CALM system takes into account information that is specific to your personal history and to your own unique circumstances during labor. Each time a caregiver performs a physical exam; the results (including dilatation, cervical effacement, and position of the baby's head) are entered into the computer. This information, along with your personal history (including number of births, previous caesarean(s) or relevant medical conditions), is used to create a profile of your progress.

Your profile is then compared to a large population of women whose history and labor are similar to yours and who had a successful vaginal delivery. The CALM system uses this historical information to rank how well you are progressing in comparison to the population. Why is this important? It helps your caregiver to decide how to best manage your labor. For instance, should your progress be slower than average, your caregivers may choose to intervene, perhaps by asking you to walk around a bit, or turning you on your side, or maybe by giving you medication to accelerate your contractions. In all of these cases, the CALM system can help the doctor or nurse see how successful their actions were.

More important to your safety, the CALM system helps your caregivers decide when to take more important actions such as using forceps or suction or performing a caesarean. In the past, caregivers had only information from individual physical exams and the status of your baby's heartbeat to make these types of decision – both can be subject to widely different interpretations. Now you can rest assured that your caregivers have the most current, objective and advanced information available.

In addition, the CALM system allows you to be more involved in the decisions surrounding your personal care. Through CALM's clear visual displays you will easily understand your progress and feel more confident in consenting to any actions your caregivers recommend to improve your progress and ensure both the safety of yourself and your baby.