Preemie...?

Question

I have a 5 month old who was born 10 weeks early, and she is not reaching for things. I can tell she wants to but for her it's just not working. Is there someone with a preemie that can tell me when I should expect for her to start reaching for things?

Answer 1

I have a 27-weeker (she was born 12 1/2 weeks early) who is 13 months old now.

Let me just remind you that ALL babies, full term OR preemie, develop at different paces. Preemies are usually a bit behind with certain milestones but generally catch up to their peers by 2 years old. Your daughter may be 5 months old, but by preemie standards, her adjusted age is actually more like 2-3 months old. For the time being, think of her more as that age than her actual age.

I can't really tell you what to expect with YOUR daughter, since every preemie has a different story and will do things at their own pace. It seems that my daughter was reaching for things by the time she was 5 months old, but then again she's now 13 months old and JUST started crawling about a month and a half ago.

If you're at all concerned with anything, or wondering about anything, ask your daughter's pediatrician! And also, depending on what state your in and what the services are, most states have free services for preemies, such as physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc...just to help them reach their milestones. Here in California, I have recieved SO much (free) help from the state and county and even hospital/NICU services. My daughter sees an occupational therpapist and physical therapist once a week, and we have people who specialize in preemies coming from the Regional Center to check up on her progress and helping us set goals and understand what she's capable of, etc. It's been a huge help and I suggest you look into some of those services! You could ask your pediatrican to point you in the right direction, or even call and ask the NICU staff where your daughter was.

And congrats on your thriving miracle baby! I wish her all the best.

Answer 2

with preemies they have what is called an adjusted age so they only expect preemies to do things they would be doing had they been born on time my daughter was almost 6 weeks early and is now 8 months so to be on track developmentally she only has to do things a six and a half month old does. but you will notice that your baby isnt going to follow a set guidline very closely

Answer 3

I also have a preemie - born 12 weeks early. She is now 3 years old, and developing normally.

I recommend joining the yahoo group "preemieorg". This is a great place to ask questions and get support from other parents of preemies.
They also have a website preemie.org

Answer 4

Babies start batting at things around two and three months. They don't actually reach out and grab for anything until 4-5 months. Your baby's real age is 5 months minus 10 weeks and this really does matter. She will be slower developmentally, but not technically! Always go by her corrected age not how long she has been out of the womb.

Answer 5

My baby was born 3 weeks early - I don't remember when she started reaching for things, but the dr always reminds me that she may have a developmental delay for the first year or two as she is making up for the lost time in the womb. If you are worried, ask your doctor - but just remember that your baby will develop at her own pace, and by the time she is 3, everything will have evened out. As far as her getting frustrated... that is what will prompt her to try harder, and develop new skills.