"Neonatology may be a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical aid of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn. It is a hospital-based specialty, and is typically practiced in neonatal medical care units (NICUs). The principal patients of neonatologists are newborn infants who are ill or require special medical aid thanks to prematurity, low birth weight, intrauterine growth restriction, congenital malformations (birth defects), sepsis, pulmonary hypoplasia or birth asphyxia.

Rather than that specialize in a specific organ system, neonatologists specialize in the care of newborns who require medical care Unit (ICU) hospitalization. They may also act as general pediatricians, providing well newborn evaluation and care within the hospital where they're based. Some neonatologists, particularly those in academic settings, may follow infants for months or maybe years after hospital discharge to raised assess the long-term effects of health problems early in life. Some neonatologists perform clinical and basic science research to further our understanding of this special population of patients."