Expectations

[preemomof2]

Hello all,

Happy Holidays. My daughter is 6 months, was born at 27 weeks gest. because of PE. I was wondering at this age, what did y'all infants do that was new. For instance my daughter is just now starting to turn over a little by herself and she's also able to push up on her hands but not able to move without help yet.

[jenmatt1]

My daughter was born 5 1/2 weeks early and I found it more helpful to use what would have been her due date to calculate milestones. She was always on target or ahead verbally but always lagged a little behind on physical development. i.e. did not crawl until 9 months or walk until 13- she was always in the normal ranges but always the bottom ranges on the physcial development schedules. (If I used her due date to calculte- she was always right on time). The kids in preschool would run past her and she could only run a few steps. However, her verbal skills were ahead of schedule. Considering she is in 99% for height and was always the tallest in her class, iso she always looked older and it made me nervous that she could not do some of the things I thought she would. They also say that kids who develop verbally faster sometimes develop physcially later and vice versa. My pediatrician helped me realize that this was all normal for my daughter.

If you are worried, talk with your pediatrician. They can help you determine if there is no need to worry or if she needs help doing something.

By the way, my daughter is now 2 1/2 and no longer lags behind in anything. She seemed to catch up to everyone by about age 2.

[junco]

My son was a 32 weeker (now 3.5 years). He definitely developed according to his due date, not his delivery date. Now that he's 3 1/2, he is FINALLY in the 50th percentile on the growth charts. Up until now, he's always been in the 5th percentile or less. Overall, he's doing great. He has asthma and every stinking cold seems to go straight to his lungs, and his doctors and I suspect it has something to do with him being a preemie, on a vent, etc. He also had a bit of a problem with seizures as an infant, which is nw also resolved. He didn't walk until 14 mos and didn't crawl until after he walked.

Many doctors refer preemies to occupational therapists if there is a concern that the baby might need a bit of extra help. If you feel concerned, definitely check in with your doctor. One thing to keep in mind is to never compare your daughter to full-term milestones. Preemies develop in their own good time.

[danielsmom]

My son was also a 27 weeker, and was IUGR too. I found that he was at or a little behind development goals at that time according to his adjusted gestational age. Sometimes I thought that he did things according to his size... for example, when he became the size of a 3 month old, he would do those things. He had lots of catching up to do with size, but he did it, and is now in the 65th percentile for a 22 month old. We sought physical therapy when he was 6 months (3 months adjusted), and continued with it for 6 months. It helped...maybe... sometimes we thought he didn't need it. Our main obstacle was overextension issues, common with preemies. But Daniel was crawling and sitting at 7 months, and walking around 13 months. Now he's running and talking and doing just great!

[jamie w]

If you have concerns, I would recommend calling your local early intervention office. They will come out ot your home and do an evaluation. Best case scenario, they find she is right on target and provide you with the reassurance you need. If they find delays then they can provide the services you need to get her caught up. Either way it is a win win situation.