Neonatology

A dedicated team of doctors and nurses at the department ensures continuous monitoring, investigations and specialised care for newborns. Additionally, the team provides pre- and post-operative care for  newborns requiring surgery, including complex congenital heart surgeries and neurosurgeries.

Inpatient Services

Well-newborn Care (Level I)

• Management of Level I neonatal care in two nurseries within the postnatal wards.
• Routine vaccinations as per the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule .
• Screening for various conditions, including hearing impairment, congenital hypothyroidism, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, inborn errors of metabolism, cystic fibrosis, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, severe combined immune deficiency, galactosemia and biotinidase deficiency.
• Phototherapy for newborns with jaundice.
• Breastfeeding support through the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding program, with guidance from Certified Lactation Specialists and Lactation Counsellors.

Intensive Care and High Dependency (Levels II, III)

• Management of Level II and III care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU) for ill or premature newborns.
• Support from a multi-disciplinary team including Neonatologists, Specialty Nurses, Allied Health Professionals including Dietitians, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists and where required, Paediatric Cardiologists, Paediatric Surgeons, Paediatric Ophthalmologists, Paediatric Neurologists, Paediatric Nephrologists and Paediatric Neurosurgeons, among others.
• Management of high-risk pregnancies by provision of pre-delivery parent counselling and obstetric collaboration in the antenatal period, delivery and post-birth.
• Comprehensive care for conditions such as prematurity, congenital anomalies and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (injury to the brain during birth).
• Post-operative care, palliative care and bereavement support.
• For babies born premature or with illnesses that require prolonged stay in the hospital, we provide home equipment loan for ventilation or feeding, training for parents and support for home transition after discharge from the NICU and HDU.

Family-Centred Care

• Emphasis on family involvement in the care of their newborn.
• Encouragement for parents to room-in with their well babies post-birth and visit their ill or premature babies in the NICU or HDU.
• Support from the Ronald McDonald House Charities Singapore® for families.

Outpatient Services

• Follow-up consultations for newborns requiring specialist care, as well as healthy infants, toddlers and children up to 18 years. This includes monitoring jaundice, nutrition, growth and development, administering vaccinations and providing parents with anticipatory advice.
• Care for high-risk babies discharged from the NICU and HDU.
• Primary care for various complex neonatal and paediatrics conditions, such as congenital heart diseases, respiratory disorders, neurodevelopmental abnormalities, gastro-intestinal malformations and genitourinary defects, often in collaboration with paediatricians from different specialties.
• Services for premature and developmentally at-risk newborns include long-term growth and developmental follow-up, multi-disciplinary interventional programmes and referrals to early developmental interventional programmes.

Our clinics are located at the Khoo Teck Puat – National University Children’s Medical Institute.

Sone services provided by the Group include:

• Complimentary footprint service

• Follow-up with telephone calls after hospital discharge

• Connecting parents with others who have had similar experiences

• Organising gatherings for families of discharged babies

For more information about this support group, inquiries can be directed to Nurse Manager Aliza Bte Kamsan at [email protected].

The first appointment for newborns typically occurs within one to three days post-discharge. This visit focuses on the transition from hospital to home for both mother and baby. The healthcare team will engage in discussions about the baby's well-being, with particular attention to feeding, urination, stooling, and general behaviour.

During the visit, the baby will be weighed, ideally without clothes and diaper, undergo a physical examination and have their nutritional status assessed. A non-invasive test may be performed to measure the jaundice levels (transcutaneous bilirubin) and additional blood tests may be conducted for selected babies.

The visit also includes providing parents with guidance on baby care and scheduling follow-up visits as necessary.

• Hello Baby: A Guide for New Parents
• Safe Handling of Breast Milk
• Ward 24 and 29 (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)
• Infant CPR
• Infant Choking

Neonatal Jaundice

Injections for Newborns

Newborn Metabolic Screening

World's Tiniest Baby Goes Home 

Local Media Coverage 

Foreign Media Coverage 

Click  here to read more stories in the media on the Department of Neonatology.