Neonatology – what is it? Indications and course of the visit. Neonatology and pediatrics and perinatology

Proven content

Neonatology is dealt with by doctors specializing in the care of newborns. Newborns can present a unique set of health challenges that require a high level of skill and specific medical expertise. This is especially true for premature babies and those with still undeveloped organs. Neonatology also plays an important role in more routine aspects of care, such as counseling parents before, during, and after childbirth. Training neonatologists helps them prepare parents for the day-to-day aspects of caring for a newborn baby.

What is neonatology?

Neonatology is a separate specialization that covers the medical care of newborns, especially sick or premature newborns. It is a hospital specialization and is usually practiced in neonatal intensive care units. The main patients of neonatologists are infants who are sick or require special medical care due to prematurity, low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation, congenital abnormalities, sepsis, pulmonary hypoplasia or perinatal hypoxia.

See also: Over 200 specialists have debated the treatment of newborns

Neonatology – what do neonatologists do?

Although most babies are born without problems, neonatologists provide the first line of support for high-risk births.

Neonatology usually provides the following types of care.

Prenatal consultation

When a child is expected to remain in the NICU due to prematurity or another risk factor, neonatologists will meet with the family to clarify the situation, provide information on the care the child will receive, and answer any parental questions. It also allows doctors to start developing treatment plans for the newborn.

Presence in high-risk births

Neonatologists will be involved in high-risk labor to ensure that your baby is born in the best possible conditions. The first few minutes after your baby is born can be extremely important to your baby’s health and survival, so neonatologists can start treatment right away.

Respiratory therapy

Many premature babies have difficulty breathing because their lungs are not fully developed. Neonatologists use a variety of practices and treatments to help your newborn baby until he is able to breathe on his own.

Stabilization of the condition of the newborn

In the same way that doctors treat critically ill adults in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), neonatologists help stabilize newborns with life-threatening conditions to keep mothers and babies together until they can receive adequate treatment.

Diagnosis and treatment of diseases

Neonatologists are constantly working to diagnose and treat a variety of infections, birth defects, and respiratory disorders in patients and premature babies so that they can safely leave the ICU with their families.

Providing proper nutrition

Young children need very specific foods to grow, and breastfeeding can be difficult for them when they are sick. Neonatologists use breast milk, formula milk, and medical supplements to help babies develop properly.

Coordination of the neonatal care team

Neonatologists supervise teams of specialists in caring for many newborns at the same time. These teams may include neonatal nurses, registered nurses, respiratory therapists, lactation consultants, and more.

Education of family members

Caring for a premature or otherwise sick newborn baby can be quite different from caring for a healthy full-term baby. Neonatologists educate family members about the differences and teach parents how to specifically care for their baby when they return home.

Consultation with other doctors

The neonatologist can consult obstetricians, paediatricians, and family doctors about treating your fragile newborn and work with these specialists to ensure your baby is cared for appropriately.

Neonatology – indications for neonatological consultation

Neonatologists will work with us at every stage of labor, both before and after the baby is born. Parents with newborns born healthy come to the neonatologist, but their condition raises some doubts as to their proper development. The most worrying symptoms are:

1. lack of appetite and gaining weight too slowly (especially if the baby was born with low birth weight);
2. frequent diarrhea or exhausting constipation;
3. pouring food;
4. vomiting;
5. all kinds of skin changes;
6. prolonged jaundice;
7. excessive sleepiness in a newborn with very short or no periods of activity.

Neonatology and high-risk pregnancy

In the case of high-risk pregnancy, a woman may be admitted to hospital under the care of a neonatologist. Professionals will carefully monitor the woman’s vital signs in order to take all necessary measures as soon as possible.

Neonatology and birth complications

Not all births go smoothly. Neonatologists are often present in difficult births, such as when the umbilical cord presses or wraps around the baby. In some cases, the position of the baby during birth puts the baby or mother at risk. If this is the case, the neonatologist can coordinate and advise the delivery team on the best course of action.

Neonatology and birth defects

Babies are sometimes born with underdeveloped organs, a weakened immune system, or other symptoms that would make it difficult for them to survive without proper medical attention. Neonatologists work with other specialists to properly care for babies born with these problems.

Neonatology and a low Apgar score

The Apgar Scale is a quick way for doctors to assess the health of all newborns at the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 10th minute after birth and in response to CPR. Scoring is determined by evaluating the newborn according to five criteria: skin color, pulse per minute, response to stimuli, muscle tone and breathing.

Other diseases, conditions and disorders that neonatology deals with include:

1. birth asphyxia;
2. bronchopulmonary dysplasia;
3. necrotizing enterocolitis of the fetus and newborn;
4. perinatal intestinal perforation;
5. intracranial non-traumatic hemorrhage;
6. newborn brain disorders;
7. intrauterine growth restriction of the fetus;
8. genetic diseases;
9. prematurity and its complications.

See also: The most common diseases of premature babies – respiratory distress syndrome, delayed development, enteritis

Neonatology – what can you expect from a neonatologist?

Neonatologists do most of their work in neonatal intensive care units. The goal of the ICU is to support underdeveloped or otherwise weak children in the first weeks of life.

Some of the most common reasons for admission to the ICU include:

1. premature birth;
2. sepsis – a life-threatening complication of infection;
3. inflammation of the membranes – a bacterial infection that affects the membranes around the baby;
4. hypoglycemia – low blood sugar;
5. respiratory distress syndrome – breathing problems that may affect newborns;

Infants in the NICU receive round-the-clock care of a team of experts. The children will be in an incubator, a crib where they will be warm. They may need equipment such as a respirator, tubes to help them breathe, or an intravenous line (IV; needle in a vein) to give them fluids and medications. If they can’t eat on their own, they may also have a feeding tube that goes up their mouth or nose and down their throat and into their stomach. The amount and type of equipment will depend on what support your child needs.

How long your child stays in the ICU depends on their condition and how well they respond to treatment. The neonatologist will keep an eye on this and help decide when your baby is ready to leave the ICU.

See also: Childbirth is beautiful, but not necessarily easy

Neonatology – how to prepare for a visit?

When visiting a neonatologist, it is recommended to take the tests performed so far, as well as a pregnancy record, a child’s health booklet and a discharge from the hospital (which will contain basic information about the course of childbirth, the condition of the newborn immediately after birth and birth parameters – weight, length, head circumference and chest, activities and tests performed in the neonatal unit at the hospital). The neonatologist will examine the child physically, assess his psychophysical development and, if necessary, order the necessary tests, for example:

1. blood test;
2. ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity;
3. transthroat ultrasound examination (enables the assessment of the central nervous system and the detection of malformations, hypoxia, tumors, bleeding).

neonatology to pediatrics

The difference between a pediatrician and a neonatologist comes down to the degree of their specialization. A general pediatrician provides children with regular care and treatment for various ailments. Neonatologists only focus on the health of newborns and the factors that can influence their survival and development.

Neonatologists are trained to deal with complex and risky health situations in fragile newborns and infants, including infants with uterine health problems or those born prematurely, or with a birth defect. Other pediatric specialists include pediatric cardiologists, neurologists, oncologists, and emergency medicine physicians.

See also: How to prepare for an e-visit to the pediatrician?

neonatology to perinatology

If a woman has been diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy, for example a pregnancy with twins (twin pregnancy), she will likely see a perinatology specialist (increasingly referred to as maternal-fetal medicine, which emphasizes that care is provided to both the pregnant woman and the fetus) before delivery. and also with a neonatologist. Just as neonatologists are specially trained pediatricians, perinatologists are obstetricians who have undergone additional years of training in high-risk pregnancies.

Perinatology specialists provide prenatal care for women with risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and other existing health problems. They work with neonatologists to educate parents about any potential complications they may experience and about problems their child or children face.

See also: Where do twins and triplets come from?