In August of 2023, a group of Madre y Niño volunteers traveled to 11 remote locations in northern Guatemala, teaching 190 lay midwives how to help babies breathe in the golden moment after birth.
Working in partnership with the Ministry of Health, each Guatemalan midwife was given a handheld device to deliver air to the newborn (known as an ambu bag) and was instructed on its use. The midwives were also given a bulb to suction secretions from the mouth and nose of the newborns, and other birthing supplies.
The Madre y Niño team included board members Deborah Bell, a nurse practitioner; Kimberly Garcia, a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner; and Malia Knight, a Registered Nurse. Other team members included Dolores Pasierb, a nurse anesthetist; Buffy Taylor, a Certified Nurse Midwife; and Emily Flynn, a Registered Nurse student.
Plans are in place for the summer of 2024, to teach midwives how to take blood pressure and identify signs and symptoms of preeclampsia (a dangerous pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure), which is the second-leading cause of maternal death in Guatemala.
