Addressing Neonatal Mortality in Rural Guatemala

In October 2025, Natalie Nanez, a pediatric resident in the Boston Combined Residency Program (BCRP) Global Health Pathway at Boston Children’s Hospital, traveled to Tecpán, Chimaltenango, Guatemala, to partner with Wuqu’ Kawoq Mayan Health Alliance to address Neonatal Mortality in Rural Guatemala. Through clinical, educational, and community-based activities, the project focused on strengthening neonatal and maternal health care in a low-resource setting.

Working alongside neonatal and prenatal coordinators, Natalie participated in maternal and newborn home visits, supporting assessments of infant growth, feeding, jaundice, respiratory status, and other key indicators of neonatal health. She also provided breastfeeding and feeding support for low-birth-weight infants and gained insight into the cultural, family, and structural factors that influence maternal and newborn care.

Key project outputs included a hands-on training session for neonatal technicians on the use of the Dream Warmer and an educational lecture on congenital anomalies, including imperforate anus and cleft lip and palate. The experience also helped identify important opportunities to strengthen newborn care, including the development of standardized approaches to safe sleep, kangaroo mother care, feeding support, and other neonatal care practices.

The project strengthened the capacity of community health workers and laid the foundation for continued collaboration on standardized neonatal protocols. Next steps include developing a neonatal guideline and flow sheet for technicians, incorporating clear recommendations for feeding, monitoring, escalation of care, and Dream Warmer use. Future work will also include the development of teaching materials, ongoing collaboration with Wuqu’ Kawoq to refine and implement neonatal protocols, and research examining breast milk caloric content and maternal nutritional deficiencies and their impact on infant growth. Natalie plans to continue supporting this partnership through future visits and ongoing collaboration with the Wuqu’ Kawoq team.