Jojo
11-27-2009, 08:25 AM
Preemie Capabilities
Many parents worry about their preemie's development. It's important to remember, though, that a baby that was born two months early will not develop on the same schedule as a full-term baby.
A four month old preemie that was born two months early will actually be judged developmentally as a two month old. In other words, his age is counted by his due date instead of by when he was actually born.
By three years of age, most preemies will have caught up with other full-term babies, and there will often be no lasting affects of the premature birth. Until your preemie has caught up with her development, however, what can you expect?
Sight. Your preemie's eyesight will be somewhat immature depending upon her gestational age. A baby whose gestational age is around 30 weeks will still be sleeping a significant amount of time, but she will also begin trying to focus on objects eight to 10 inches from her face. Her nearsightedness will begin to disappear as she matures.
Hearing. Since hearing begins to develop inside the womb, you may not notice a significant difference in your preemie's hearing. She may show signs of voice recognition, particularly yours.
Sleeping. It's no big surprise that all newborns sleep a lot. Sometimes parents are still overcome with fatigue, however, simply because those sleep times are continuously interrupted by hunger, dirty diapers, and other causes. Preemies tend to spend quite a bit of their days and nights in a stage of light sleep. They become wakeful for a few seconds, and then they drift back off to sleep. Preemies spend more time in light sleep stages than deep sleep stages, but these patterns will change as they grow.
Communicating. As a parent, you will begin to recognize the sounds your preemie makes and learn what responses will satisfy her. Your doctor may instruct you to monitor her color, which is an indication of respiration and circulation, as well as her motor skills and cries.
Many parents worry about their preemie's development. It's important to remember, though, that a baby that was born two months early will not develop on the same schedule as a full-term baby.
A four month old preemie that was born two months early will actually be judged developmentally as a two month old. In other words, his age is counted by his due date instead of by when he was actually born.
By three years of age, most preemies will have caught up with other full-term babies, and there will often be no lasting affects of the premature birth. Until your preemie has caught up with her development, however, what can you expect?
Sight. Your preemie's eyesight will be somewhat immature depending upon her gestational age. A baby whose gestational age is around 30 weeks will still be sleeping a significant amount of time, but she will also begin trying to focus on objects eight to 10 inches from her face. Her nearsightedness will begin to disappear as she matures.
Hearing. Since hearing begins to develop inside the womb, you may not notice a significant difference in your preemie's hearing. She may show signs of voice recognition, particularly yours.
Sleeping. It's no big surprise that all newborns sleep a lot. Sometimes parents are still overcome with fatigue, however, simply because those sleep times are continuously interrupted by hunger, dirty diapers, and other causes. Preemies tend to spend quite a bit of their days and nights in a stage of light sleep. They become wakeful for a few seconds, and then they drift back off to sleep. Preemies spend more time in light sleep stages than deep sleep stages, but these patterns will change as they grow.
Communicating. As a parent, you will begin to recognize the sounds your preemie makes and learn what responses will satisfy her. Your doctor may instruct you to monitor her color, which is an indication of respiration and circulation, as well as her motor skills and cries.