What is Neonatology?
Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics which focuses primarily on the medical needs of newborn babies, or neonates. If a baby is born prematurely or presents with an obvious medical problem at birth, he or she may be brought directly to a neonatology center for intensive treatments. Neonatology teams generally limit their practice to babies born in the hospital but not released, or those transferred from other neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Once a mother and child are released from the hospital, most neonatalogy centers will refer any emergency care to a standard pediatric care unit. A pediatrician who wants to become a neonatology specialist must first earn his or her standard medical license and then complete three more years of training. Most neonatology work is performed at larger hospitals with the resources to provide state-of-the-art NICU equipment and staffing. Most expectant mothers with normal pregnancies would never encounter a neonatologist under most conditions
Neonatology is the art and science of diagnosis and treatment of newborns , from birth to 28 days. Pediatricians who specialize in this particular area of newborn care are called neonatologists; neonatal nurse practitioners are fully certified registered nurses (RNs) who have two extra years of training in the area of caring for the neonate. When should I consult a neonatologist? The Division of Neonatology is always available whenever serious complications arise. We work closely with the Division of Perinatology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who alert us to any mother who is experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. Consultative services are available in conjunction with the perinatology division at any point in your pregnancy. In other cases, when serious conditions develop at birth or shortly thereafter, a neonatologist can be called to consult on a case or on an emergency basis.
