An introduction to Helping Babies Breathe: the “Golden Minute” is here for South African newborn babies

It is estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that one million babies die each year due to birth asphyxia. Birth asphyxia is the inability of a newborn baby to breathe immediately after birth. In order to understand the golden minute after birth (the first 60 seconds of a newborn baby’s life), a new programme named Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), was developed by the American Academy of Paediatrics. The “Golden Minute” can set the stakes between life and death for newborn babies.