People posting picture of their ill children

[Notsowifeymaterial]

So normally when I'm browsing on fb and see someone's posted a picture of their child on the sofa or in bed captioned aw my poorly baby 😢 I usually ignore it or if it's a friend I'll comment hope they feel better soon etc.
But yesterday someone on my friends list posted a picture of their child actually on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance captioned poor baby off to hospital. He's struggling to breathe.
I was imaging the scenario as this..
Paramedic - right ok we need to get this child to the hospital right now. Mum are you ready?
Mum - hang on can you just step back a sec whilst I take a photo.
Paramedic - umm.....
Mum - ok I'll just take one more so I can see which is best, ok got it. Hmm should I apply a filter. Which one will get me more likes do you think? shows paramedic the photos
Paramedic - um I'm sorry miss but we do really need to get to the hospital?
Mum - right of course. Let's go. Does the ambulance have wifi so I can post it on Facebook?
paramedic internally facepalms
BTW the child ended up being fine and is now home.
Aibu to think that that's just inappropriate for a mother to do?

Fuck me justwantcookies, I think you need to take a good look at yourself.

*out of you

Lots and lots and lots of parents take photos of their dying children. Heck there are even charities out there who arrange for professional photographers to take pictures of families and their dying children (Remember My Baby in the UK and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep in the US) It's positively encouraged by bereavement specialists, especially when the child is very young.

No-one can say what they would do if their child was dying in front of them unless they've already been through it. If I was ever to lose another child you can bet your bottom dollar I would be taking as many photos as I could - to have only one or two photos by which to remember my dd1 devastates me.

I also took a photo of ds2 in an ambulance as we were being transferred to another hospital with a possible dodgy appendix, partly because he actually looked really well despite being in quite a lot of pain and partly because he asked me to so he could show his siblings after the event. I asked the paramedic transferring us if it was ok and he said yes so I guess as long as the child is stable, then I didn't commit the crime of the century.

When ds was critically ill the staff looking after him where the ones who said I should take photos. Thankfully he did recover, and the photos played a massive part in my trying to deal with things afterwards, I rarely look at them now but I like having them - strangely knowing the pictures are there helps me block the memories of the awful time in my head more because I know the pictures will stop me forgetting (I can't really verbalise what I mean there)

Yes me too sirzy. My dad took video footage of me caring for DS in his incubator. At the time I was not happy. Now, nearly 7 years later, though I've never watched it, it really reassures me to know that if I wanted to look at it, it is there.

I'm speechless at the idea of sneering at whatever somebody with a dying child chooses to do. It's actually really depressing to think there is anybody out there quite that morally bankrupt.

And actually, the more I think about the OP, the more revolted I feel. You've laid out a whole, hugely detailed little scenario based on the idea that somebody - a friend of yours no less - would wilfully prevent their child getting medical care in order to take a photo for social media. On no evidence whatsoever except the musings of your nasty little imagination. Youre basically accusing her of not loving her child. Despicable.

I don't post pics on FB and pre FB I documented DCs life so took pics post op, when sick etc and these are of great interest to adult DC and GD. Pics that tell a story are more interesting than endless pics of family posing in their best outfits

To the poster who asked why we take so many photos nowadays than previous generations, it's simple really. It's free.
My parents couldn't afford to get films developed, they rarely took photos as they were so precious, one day my sister opened up the back of the camera and ruined the film. As a result between the age of newborn and 18 months there are literally no photos of me, or our life at the time. It's one of my mum's biggest sadnesses in her life (some of you might find that dramatic, but it's true and yes there is a deeper back story and history) as a result my mum bought a digital camera as soon as she could and literally always has a camera in her hand. She instilled in her children how important it is to document life and how much photos would mean to us when people we loved had gone.
And as it's free, who cares if someone takes 100 pictures or just 1, if it doesn't affect you, i think people need to butt out.

PawPatrol that's a really good point. I'm terrible at remembering to take photos, so maybe I should do it more. Your mum is right.

Zzzzz sometimes seeing a pic of a sick relative or friend in hospital is reassuring to the readers or maybe explains why the poster is unavailable.

YANBU I think it's such bad taste! especially when the child's older & may not want everyone seeing them in such a vulnerable situation.

I really dislike all the viral facebook ones, where parents claim they are being so brave and posting about there DC taking legal highs/drugs etc to raise awareness! With pictures of them on breathing machines fighting for their life? Who would think of facebook at that time? And do they not think how this might effect their child in the future? It will always be there for the world too see, Future employers & friends will always be able to judge them.