What should my preemee daughter be doing?

[ansmomma]

Here I am again, worried about something else. Well, not worried as much as curious. A girlfriend of mine had a baby a week before me, her baby was full term, and my dd was one month premee. I thought my little girl was right on track, apperntly not, her daughter plays and laughs. My little girl is just begining to swat at toys. I was just wondering what to expect with my daughter. She was one month preemee, and now shes four months old.

Thanks mommies.

[Lousli]

Usually a baby that is just a little bit early, like a 36 weeker, will be hitting milestones at their adjusted age. So your 4 month old will probably act a little more like a 3 month old. There is a wide range of normal even for babies born full term, so I wouldn't worry too much unless you see some very clear, consistent signs that your baby is lagging behind developmentally. Four months is still a little early to know for certain.

Right now I'd just write down how old she is as she learns to roll over, push up on her arms, sit up, crawl, etc. If she is a month or two behind your friends' baby, I wouldn't worry about it too much. It is easy to get wrapped up in the worry, but you'll be surprised how fast she catches up!

[jennchsm]

I always went by DS's adjusted age. He was right on track developmentally that way, and I never had to worry about that sort of thing. I literally just pretended he'd come on his due date, and counted his age from that. Of course, he was born 10 weeks early, so it might be easier to adjust in my case than in yours, since the gap was just so big.

It's easier said than done, but it's best not to compare your child to other children. Every child has his own learning curve, and will do things in his own time. If you're ever really concerned your LO is falling behind, ask your ped about it.

[sbrinton]

Adjust for your little one'e age...and remember there's a huge range of normal. At 3 months, I think the main things a doctor would look for are smiling, cooing, able to lift her head up in tummy time and good head control when being held.

[justmama]

The closer a baby is to term, the faster they "catch up" with their peers. A 36week baby, for example, will be right on track for development sooner than a 28weeker or a 25weeker. Supposedly though, all preemies catch up by 2. Not sure if I really believe that. My 34 weeker and my 33 weeker both were delayed in their milestones until about a year old. They followed their adjusted ages for development. And still, my 33 weeker who is 15months now, is still delayed in her speech though her large motor skills are off the charts. So could she be caught up to her peers and just not much of a talker? Absolutely. All kids develop differently and there's a HUGE range of normal even in term babies, so it stands to reason that preemies lag behind.