Susan Niermeyer, MD, MPH, FAAP
University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine
To develop and implement an evidence-based curriculum, adaptable to clinical and training use wherever babies are born.
Helping Babies Breathe is a neonatal resuscitation curriculum for resource-limited circumstances. It was developed on the premise that assessment at birth and simple newborn care are things that every baby deserves. The initial steps taught in HBB can save lives and give a much better start to many babies who struggle to breathe at birth. The focus is to meet the needs of every baby born.
Helping Babies Breathe emphasizes skilled attendance at birth, assessment of every baby, temperature support, stimulation to breathe, and assisted ventilation as needed, all within "The Golden Minute" after birth.
Helping Babies Breathe is an initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics and many partners, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID), The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and Saving Newborn Lives/Save the Children. The curriculum was developed with input from the World Health Organization (WHO). All this is made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from the Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine, and support from Latter-day Saint Charities.


