Anastasia Elise
Miracle Baby,
25 week preemie
Tips for Buying & Making Preemie Clothes
Tips on Preemie Development (including links to great toys)
How to Help Parents of Preemies
Recommended Books About Preemies
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Tips on Preemie Development
Many parents of preemies worry their child may have serious developmental delays. It is true that preemies tend to lag behind...at least at first. But there are several important things to remember when we're talking about delays.
First, unless a medical expert says otherwise, they are just delays. Your child will catch up eventually.
Second, don't expect a baby born three months early to keep up with other babies her age. Instead, take into consideration how old your baby would be if she'd been born full-term. Your preemie was born not as fully developed as a full-term baby; therefore, it's unfair to judge her according to full-termer timetables. Always use your baby's corrected age when looking at her development.
Even when using corrected age, it isn't uncommon for extreme preemies (in particular) to be behind. Parents, therefore, need to be watchful of their preemie's development, encouraging it wherever possible.
One important step is to see if your child qualifies for Early Intervention. If she does, an expert will visit your home periodically, checking your baby for delays. She'll offer tips on what you can do to help your child catch up, and will recommend therapy, if needed.
Another important step is simply to do all those things baby magazines suggest: read to your baby, play music for her, and play with her. These things are important for full-term babies, of course, but are especially important when your child is a preemie and has some catching up to do.
With that in mind, here are some tips and recommendations (along with links to articles by experts). Please click on a category for full information.
"Miracles are a retelling in small letters
of the very same story
which is written across the whole world in letters
too large for some of us to see."
C. S. Lewis
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