Special Care Baby Unit
University Maternity Hospital Limerick

About Neonatology/Paediatrics

Neonatology specialises in looking after newly born babies. It is usually based in an intensive care unit looking after premature babies or those with problems at birth. It also follows high-risk infants from the range of extreme prematurity to term babies with various risks of morbidites from cardiac, respiratory, metabolic issues and more.

About Special Care Baby Unit

A neonatal intensive care unit, also known as an intensive care nursery, is an intensive care unit specialising in the care of ill or premature newborn infants. Neonatal refers to the first 28 days of life. Neonatal care is also known as specialised nurseries or intensive care. The Neonatal unit not only caters for the needs of the first 28 days of life among term and preterm infants but also continues to look after them until they are discharged from the unit. It can range from 1 day admission to 100 days of stay. The Department run a dedicated neonatal developmental and high-risk patients clinic. It runs in UMHL twice a week. The Department also run a phlebotomy clinic five days a week with dedicated sessions on Monday and Thursday afternoon. The Developmental clinic is underway after the appointment of a new neonatologist who started in July 2021.

Referrals and Appointments

Available to: Mums and babies requiring admission to our Neonatal Unit

Who needs to refer you: Consultant NCHD

How to access this service: Referral Letter to include name, date of birth, address, any relevant medical information specific to the referral, list of current medications.

Special instructions for patients during COVID19

We may ask you to:

• attend a virtual clinic
• wear a face mask/other PPE
• complete a COVID-19 questionnaire by phone before coming to hospital and to repeat same on arrival
• to wait in their car until closer to your appointment time

Consultants

Find a consultant for this service