Neonatal and Special Care Nursery

Neonatal care is the type of care a baby born premature or sick receives in a neonatal unit. Units are a part of hospitals which provide care for babies who are born prematurely (before 37 weeks’ gestation), with a medical condition which needs treatment, or at a low birthweight. The word ‘neonatal’ means newborn, or the first 28 days of life.

Why is my baby in neonatal care?

Babies are admitted into neonatal care for many different reasons. The main reasons for a baby to be admitted are:

• they are born prematurely
• they have a low birth weight
• they have a specific medical condition which needs treatment in hospital

Sometimes, the cause of premature birth or a medical condition will not be known, and you will not know exactly why this has happened to you. You can always talk about why this might have happened at postnatal check-ups, with your midwife, or with a member of the neonatal staff on the unit.

What is a premature birth?

A baby who is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy will be called a premature baby. The neonatal team have different words for different levels of premature birth. They may also use the word ‘preterm’ to talk about your baby being born early. There are different ways of describing a premature birth.

• Term = A baby that has spent at least 37 weeks inside the womb (gestation)
• Preterm = A baby born before 37 weeks’ gestation
• Moderate to late preterm = A baby born between 32 and 37 weeks’ gestation
• Very preterm = A baby born between 28 and 32 weeks’ gestation
• Extremely preterm = A baby born at or before 28 weeks’ gestation

What does low birthweight mean?

Babies who are born small may need to spend time in the neonatal unit. You might hear the staff use these words if your baby has a low birthweight. There are different ways of describing a low birthweight.

• Low birth weight = Born weighing less than 2500g (5lbs)
• Very low birth weight = Born weighing less than 1500g (3lbs)
• Extremely low birth weight = Born weighing less than 1000g (2lbs)