This authoritative guide offers a vital overview including the recent fundamental changes in the care of newborn babies. As well as medical staff key roles are now played by senior nurses clinical nurse specialists pharmacists advanced neonatal nurse practitioners nurse consultants midwives dieticians physiotherapists and speech therapists. The involvement of such a diverse range of professional cultures in such a rapidly developing area often leads to competing priorities complicated by a lack of established guidelines. There is also the added challenge of fetal medicine - an important emerging allied specialty new to many healthcare professionals. This book assists all professionals involved in the provision of neonatal care in understanding the genetic physiological and biochemical mechanisms which have either led to or are associated with the clinical conditions affecting their patients. With comprehensive chapters on fetal medicine genetics inherited biochemical disorders fundamental physiological concepts the cardiovascular renal and respiratory systems bacterial and transplacental infections pharmacokinetics nutrition and an overview of haemostasis A Foundation For Neonatal Care aids understanding of the continuum of developmental physiology and pathology which is now required of neonatal care providers.