BRATTLEBORO — Aimee Creelman, Kristin Anderson, and Debbie Kitzmiller from the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Birthing Center will go to Nicaragua in March on a volunteer mission to raise awareness about lactation and other issues related to labor, delivery, and newborn care.
The trio will spend one week in Leon, Nicaragua's second largest city, at the request of Hospital Escuela.
According to BMH Birthing Center Nurse Manager Debbie Partrick, Hospital Escuela has been seeking volunteer assistance in strengthening their current lactation support services.
The group will also bring much-needed medical equipment and educational supplies to provide safe care for their obstetric and newborn patients.
In addition to promoting and supporting lactation, the group will collaborate with Nicaraguan nurses in the care of mothers and newborns in labor and delivery, as well as provide postpartum care.
Partrick says one volunteer is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, while other members of the group hold specialty certifications in fetal monitoring and neonatal resuscitation.
All the volunteers have extensive experience in public health, speak Spanish, and have traveled to Latin America previously.
“Breastfeeding has been shown to improve infant and maternal health, especially in developing countries where lack of clean water is linked to diarrheal illnesses, a leading cause of infant mortality in Nicaragua,” says Partrick.
To donate, you can either mail a check made out to Aimee Creelman to: Aimee Creelman, in care of Brattleboro-Nurses-Nicaragua, P.O. Box 6424, Brattleboro, VT 05302.
For more information, contact Debbie Partrick at 802-257-8228 or dpartrick@bmhvt.org. or visit the Brattleboro Nurses in Nicaragua Facebook page.