What does a Neonatologist do?

Neonatologists are medical doctors who treat newborn infants experiencing breathing disorders, congenital disabilities, or infection. Neonatologists manage the medical care for at-risk newborns. Often they work in a hospital’s NICU and help with specialized care for infants if they are born premature, have a complication, a congenital disability, or an illness.

Neonatologists care for newborn infants until they are ready to go home and provide prenatal care for high-risk events. They assist with premature or problematic deliveries and help should complications arise or medical attention and assistance is needed immediately following an infant's birth. They care for the infant's nutrition to ensure they are growing and developing at an optimal rate and find alternative ways to feed infants who struggle to eat. They assist with medication and treatment of infants born with infections or with those who contract infections after they are born. They conduct research and clinical trials and ensure parents have sufficient opportunities to bond with their infant. Neonatologists need a medical degree in neonatology and the successful completion of a residency and fellowship, a license and certification to practice neonatology.