Pediatrics | Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

As a Level III Perinatal Center, HSHS St. John’s Hospital provides the highest level of care for mothers and their babies in central Illinois. The antepartum unit, located within the labor and delivery unit, is staffed 24/7 by maternal-fetal medicine specialists for expectant mothers who may require extra care during pregnancy, including management of preterm labor or hypertension.

HSHS St. John’s Hospital features a newly renovated 56-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with single-family rooms. The NICU is staffed around the clock by neonatologists specially trained to care for premature and critically ill infants. Advanced practice providers with SIU neonatology, nurses, respiratory therapists, rehabilitation specialists, pharmacists and dietitians use evidence-based approaches to ensure comprehensive care.

Dr. Beau Batton serves as chief of the Pediatric Division of Neonatology at SIU School of Medicine and director of newborn services at HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital. The Division of Neonatology cares for nearly 50 premature or critically ill infants daily – more than 800 annually. Dr. Batton’s research focuses on blood pressure management and neurodevelopment in extremely preterm infants, as well as the effects of in-utero antidepressant exposure. Additional research within the division includes preterm infant lung disease, neonatal nutrition, antibiotic stewardship, and the use of probiotics in preterm infants.

The Division of Neonatology is also devoted to teaching excellence. Medical students and residents in pediatrics, obstetrics and family medicine gain knowledge and procedural expertise in neonatal-perinatal medicine through structured, progressive experiences. Higher-acuity infants are managed by residents as their training advances, ensuring a sequential development of patient management skills.