Neonatology is a specialization that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in newborns. A neonatologist examines he althy children, and also takes care of young patients with suspected abnormal development. A neonatal clinic is also a place where the youngest, diagnosed with diseases still in the prenatal period or immediately after birth, and premature babies go.
Neonatologist(a doctor who specializes inneonatology ) examines each newborn after delivery - checks its reflexes and assesses the overall he alth of the child on on the basis of the fontanel size, muscle tone, abdomen and spine.The neonatologistalso checks the limb movements, e.g. if the legs bend correctly in the knees and the feet are not bent, auscultate the heart, check the blood flow in the groin, check the palate and tongue mobility, check the eyesight and genitals. If, in the first few days after birth, the doctor has doubts about the he alth of the baby, he or she will order additional tests in the hospital.
Neonatologist - what tests does a neonatologist perform?
Neonatology clinicis a place where parents come to visit newborns who were born he althy, but their caregivers have any doubts about their proper development. What most often causes anxiety:
- lack of appetite and gaining weight too slowly, especially if the baby was born low at birth
- frequent diarrhea or exhausting constipation
- pouring food
- vomiting
- all kinds of skin changes
- prolonged jaundice
- excessive sleepiness in a newborn with very short or no periods of activity
The parents of the newborn should also come to consultof the neonatologist , who will notice:
- breathing problems
- pale skin that may indicate anemia
- convulsions or anxiety-provoking reactions that may be signs of a nervous system disorder
There are also children under the care of a neonatologist who:
- scored low on the Apgar scale
- resuscitated right after delivery
- with suspected defectscongenital or with diagnosed diseases still in the prenatal period or immediately after birth, e.g. as a result of congenital or acquired infections, perinatal injuries, perinatal hypoxia
- with neurological syndromes (convulsions, intracranial bleeding, problems with muscle tone)
The neonatologist also deals with premature babies in order to prevent possible he alth complications, and at the same time they can catch up on their development as soon as possible.
Neonatologist - how to prepare for a visit to the Neonatologist?
For the visit to the neonatologist, parents should bring the results of the tests performed so far as well as the pregnancy record, the child's he alth booklet and the discharge from the hospital, where they will find basic information about the course of delivery, the condition of the newborn immediately after birth and birth parameters - weight, length, head and chest circumference, activities and tests performed while still in the neonatal unit at the hospital. The neonatologist will examine the child physically, assess his psychophysical development and, if necessary, order appropriate tests. The basic ones include:
- blood test
- abdominal ultrasound
- trans-epithelial ultrasound, which enables the assessment of the central nervous system and detection of malformations, hypoxia, tumors, bleeding
Neonatologist - what diseases are diagnosed by a neonatologist?
The task of a neonatologist is to detect all pathologies in the development of a newborn and to diagnose and treat diseases of the respiratory, nervous, urinary, digestive, circulatory systems and infections that may occur in the neonatal period, including:
- asphyxia
- bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- necrotizing enterocolitis of the fetus and newborn
- perinatal intestinal perforation
- intracranial non-traumatic hemorrhage
- newborn brain disorders
- intrauterine growth restriction
- birth defects (including hip dysplasia, rickets, clubfoot, syndactyly, polydactyly)
- genetic diseases
- prematurity and its complications
Neonatology - treatment methods
The range of diseases that a neonatologist deals with is very wide, therefore the methods of treating specific diseases depend on the diagnosis. At the same time, it should be emphasized that in the case of treating diseases of the neonatal period, it is important to cooperate with specialists from various fields of medicine, e.g. in the field of pediatric neurology, surgery, urology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, endocrinology and rehabilitation. Inin case of observing any abnormalities in the development of a newborn child, it is important to discover the cause of such a state of affairs as soon as possible, because the earlier the diagnosis is made, the better the chances for a cure.