Babies who are born prematurely often have two ages:
· Chronological age is the age of the baby from the day of birth—the number of days, weeks or years old the baby is.
· Adjusted age is the age of the baby based on his due date. Health care providers may use this age when they evaluate the baby's growth and development. So, if a baby is 6 months old, but was born two months early, his adjusted age is 4 months.
A premature baby who is 3-months-old is not developmentally the same as a full-term baby who is 3-months-old. Since Justin was born 16 weeks early his developmental expectations should be adjusted by 4 months.
Most premature babies “catch up” to their peers, developmentally, in two to three years. After that, any differences in size or development are most likely due to individual differences, rather than to premature birth. Some very small babies take longer to catch up.
man, I've always wondered about that. You are FAB at explaining this stuff.
ReplyDeleteI actually knew this one. That's why I was slightly surprised they let Justin go home before his original due date.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean that Justin will be celebrating 2 birthddays a year?! LOL!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteJustin is so cute in all those pictures! They are so good, I can't believe you think you're not going a good job with the pictures.
ReplyDelete