Recognized as a Top 50 Neonatology Program by U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025

Babies who are born prematurely or who are critically ill need specialized care from an expert, compassionate team. The team at Johns Hopkins All Children’s includes more than 25 board-certified neonatologists who specialize in treating newborns who need advanced care. We also provide seamless access to specialty services and convenient follow-up care.

Our Approach to Neonatology and Caring For Your Baby 

A neonatologist is a doctor who specializes in caring for newborns, especially babies born prematurely or with other medical conditions. Our neonatologists care for infants with a wide range of birth defects in our Level IV NICU – the highest level available. This 97-bed unit offers the most advanced life-support and monitoring technology for premature and critically ill infants. 

Conditions We Treat

Our team cares for more than 900 babies each year in the NICU and has expertise in treating babies with very low and extremely low birth weight.

Conditions we treat include:

• Common and rare heart defects
• Congenital anomalies
• Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
• Congenital pulmonary airway malformation
• Esophageal atresia
• Extreme prematurity
• Gastroschisis
• Hirschsprung disease
• Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and other neurologic conditions
• Low birth weight and extremely low birth weight
• Neonatal abstinence syndrome
• Neonatal infections
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Respiratory failure
• Severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia
• Short bowel syndrome
• Tracheoesophageal fistula

Our programs and services support the health of mom and baby from in-utero to birth and beyond. When a family is expecting a newborn with a critical illness, our team counsels them on what to expect. For mothers with complex and high-risk pregnancies, our Fetal Care Program ensures the highest quality of seamless care for mom and baby, pre, during and post birth.

We provide several other specialized programs and services, including:

Neonatal Follow-up Program

Our dedicated follow-up clinics monitor and assist with your child’s physical and cognitive development up to age 5. The program includes specialized services for patients with specific health issues, including neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), intestinal disorders, congenital heart defects, oxygen deprivation to the brain, extremely low birth weight, and mothers affected by prenatal stress.

Neonatal Feeding Enhancement and Development Program

We provide care to neonates while they are acquiring independent oral feeding skills, working with families to help facilitate advancement of oral feeding skills to reduce reliance on the nasogastric tube (NG tube) that helps to feed babies while they have been receiving care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Early Steps Program

Following discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), qualifying infants may be enrolled in Children’s Medical Services’ Early Steps Program, an early intervention program for infants at risk for developmental needs.

Breast Milk Depot and Donor Milk Bank

Our NICU maintains a breast milk depot for the storage, processing and distribution of mother's own breast milk for each infant. In addition, donor breast milk is available for our most premature infants. We also provide lactation education and support for mothers and families.

Critical Care Transport

The LifeLine critical care transport team provides round-the-clock specialized transport care to critically ill newborns, infants, children and teens from throughout the state of Florida. Our team includes nurses and respiratory specialists who provide stabilization and specialized support until a child arrives at our hospital to receive advanced care.