The aim of this study was to determine the indications for hospitalization, clinical features, and risk factors in neonates treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) for respiratory distress. Patients who were treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for respiratory distress between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2008 were included in the study. The indications for hospitalization, duration of hospitalization, clinical features, risk factors, maternal age, number of pregnancies, duration of antibiotic treatment, and mortality rate were retrospectively obtained from hospital records and evaluated. The medical records of 240 neonates treated in the ICU during a one-year period were evaluated. Of the neonates, 64.6% were boys, 20.4% were premature, and 71.7% were born by cesarean section. The most frequent indication for hospitalization was tachypnea of the newborn (76.7%). Meconium aspiration syndrome and respiratory distress syndrome were also among the frequent indications for admission to the NICU. Recognition of risk factors for respiratory distress in neonates is crucial for development of prevention and early treatment strategies, and correct timing of elective cesarean sections is important for reduction in morbidity and mortality.