Neonatology

Our neonatal intensive care units care for babies born early and newborns who become unwell in their first days of life. We run Level 3 units, the tier for the most intensive newborn care, with specialist neonatal teams on hand day and night.

What is neonatology?

Neonatology is the branch of medicine that cares for newborn babies, usually in the first four weeks of life and until a baby is well enough to go home. Neonatologists look after babies who are born prematurely, have a low birth weight or become unwell soon after birth, and some need care from their first hours. They treat a variety of newborn complications including breathing and feeding difficulties, as well as jaundice and infection. Their work is different from general paediatrics, which cares for children as they grow, and from paediatric intensive care, which treats older children.

When might your baby need a neonatologist?

Your baby may need a neonatologist if:

• Your baby is born prematurely, before 37 weeks
• Your baby has a low birth weight or grew slowly in the womb
• Your baby has trouble breathing or feeding after birth
• Your baby develops jaundice, an infection or another newborn condition
• A health problem was found in your baby during pregnancy

If your newborn baby is very hard to wake, has pauses in their breathing or is breathing very fast, or has a rash that does not fade when you press on it, this is an emergency: go straight to an emergency department.

Most babies who need neonatal care are referred straight away by the midwife, obstetrician or paediatrician at birth. Sometimes a problem is found during pregnancy, and your care team can plan for a neonatologist to be there when your baby arrives. You don't usually arrange this yourself; the birth team calls a neonatologist whenever a newborn needs one.

What to expect

If your baby needs neonatal care, they're settled into an incubator or warmer that keeps them at the right temperature, with monitors tracking their heart rate, breathing and oxygen levels around the clock. The team examines your baby and may arrange tests such as blood tests, a chest X-ray, or an ultrasound scan of the head or heart. You'll be able to stay close most of the time and take part in their care.

Treatment depends on what your baby needs. It may include support such as special blue light treatment for jaundice, help with breathing or feeding, or medicine to treat an infection. How long a baby stays ranges from a few days to several weeks or more, depending on why they needed care. All babies born very early are followed up by a neonatologist after they go home to monitor their growth and development.

Neonatology at Mediclinic

Our neonatal intensive care units in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain care for premature and critically ill newborns from the first hours of life. Every baby is offered newborn screening, including the heel-prick blood test and hearing and heart checks. We encorage skin-to-skin (kangaroo) care and breastfeeding, and you're welcomed as part of your baby's care. Our neonatal teams work closely with paediatric surgery, cardiology and other specialists when a baby needs them.