A newborn baby who is small or has a potentially life-threatening problem is in an emergency situation requiring immediate diagnosis and management. Delay in identification of the problem or in providing the correct management may be fatal. This guide provides clinical guidelines for use by the doctors, nurses, midwives, and other health care workers who are responsible for the care of newborn babies with problems during the first 4 weeks of life. The guide can also be used to identify less common conditions that require referral to a higher level. Approximately 10% of newborns require some assistance to begin breathing at birth; very few, only about 1% need more than basic resuscitation to survive. There is no need to slap the newborn; rubbing the back two or three times in addition to thorough drying is enough for stimulation.