Because The Newborn Associates bills separately from your hospital, we encourage pre-registration with our office in order to reduce the amount of paperwork you must deal with in the hospital. Pre-registration allows us to verify your insurance coverage and provide you with an estimate of your neonatal bill prior to delivery. Click here to pre-register. Our doctors would be happy to meet with you prior to your delivery to answer any questions you may have. The best way to arrange an appointment is to contact the neonatology office at the hospital where you are planning to deliver. Below are the numbers for the hospitals we serve.

A specially trained hospital nursery nurse will attend all hospital deliveries. In certain situations your obstetrician will ask one of our team members, either a nurse practitioner or neonatologist, to be present at your delivery. This usually happens in situations such as Cesarean birth, premature birth, or any birth with the possibility of complications, so that we may immediately offer care to the child upon delivery.  If you have any concerns about your pregnancy and would like to have a neonatologist present at your delivery, please discuss the matter with your obstetrician.

If your baby is premature or sick, he or she will be admitted to the NICU. This special unit is staffed by highly-trained nurses and respiratory therapists who are skilled in caring for sick newborns. Special visiting hours and regulations apply in the NICU. Be assured that the neonatologists and the hospital staff stand ready to provide care should any problems arise for your newborn baby.

Upon discharge, babies are scheduled for a follow up visit at the hospital where they were delivered. This evaluation is usually 2 to 3 days after discharge and addresses needs such as feeding support and assessment of jaundice and hydration. The evaluation will be performed by a physician or a neonatal nurse practitioner. This appointment is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Your baby will receive several tests while in the hospital after delivery. Each of these procedures is designed to provide your child with the very best care and allow you to know the precise nature of your baby’s overall health. Following are some of the usual procedures we perform on infants:

• Lab Work – All infants are tested to ascertain their blood type on the day of delivery. In addition, some infants have their blood sugar and blood counts checked in the first few hours of life. Another common blood test is a bilirubin when your baby shows signs of jaundice.
• On the second or third day, your baby will have a Genetic Screening Test done as part of a statewide screening program for all newborns. This test screens for rare congenital problems that can be treated when diagnosed early in life. The results of this testing are usually known in two or four weeks. You will be notified if this test is abnormal or needs to be repeated. Repeat testing may be done at the hospital or your local health department.
• Hearing Screen – A hearing screen is performed on all infants before discharge from the hospital. Screening results are communicated directly to the attending neonatologist, who will give you the results personally.
• Hepatitis B Immunization – All infants will be offered the first of a three-shot series of this immunization. This is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• Circumcision –  Please note that since newborn circumcision is an elective procedure not covered by Medicaid and not always covered by insurance. Our policy is to require payment prior to performing the procedure.Our physician will circumcise upon request any boy infant up to 2 weeks of age. If performed after discharge from the hospital, you will need to contact the newborn outpatient service at your delivery hospital to schedule an appointment for the procedure.