- Growth of premature babies up to 2 years
- Premature growth after 2 years
- How long the baby is hospitalized
- Possible health complications
The premature baby is one that is born before 37 weeks of gestation, since the ideal is that the birth occurs between 38 and 41 weeks. Premature children at greatest risk are those who are born before 28 weeks or who have a birth weight of less than 1000g.
Premature infants are small, have low weight, breathe and eat with difficulty and are more likely to have health complications, needing to stay in the hospital until their organs function well, avoiding complications at home and favoring their growth.
Growth of premature babies up to 2 years
After being discharged and with adequate food and health care at home, the baby should grow normally following its own pattern. It is common that he is a little smaller and thinner than other children of the same age, as he follows a growth curve suitable for premature babies.
Up to 2 years of age, it is necessary to use the baby's adjusted age to assess his development, making the difference between 40 weeks (normal age to be born) and the number of weeks at the time of delivery.
For example, if a premature baby was born at 30 weeks of gestation, you need to make a difference of 40 - 30 = 10 weeks, which means that the baby is actually 10 weeks younger than other babies your age. Knowing this difference, it is possible to understand why preterm infants seem smaller than other children.
Premature growth after 2 years
After 2 years of age, the premature baby starts to be evaluated in the same way as children who were born at the right time, no longer having to calculate the adjusted age.
However, it is common for preterm infants to remain a little smaller than other children of the same age, as the important thing is that they continue to grow in height and gain weight, which represents an adequate growth.
How long the baby is hospitalized
The baby will have to be hospitalized until he learns to breathe and breastfeed alone, gain weight until he reaches at least 2 kg and until his organs function normally.
The more premature, the greater the difficulties and the longer the baby's hospital stay, being normal for him to stay a few months in the hospital. During this period, it is important that the mother expresses milk to feed the child and that the family is informed of the baby's health condition. Find out more about what to do while the baby is in the hospital.
Possible health complications
The possible health complications of premature infants are breathing difficulties, heart problems, cerebral palsy, vision problems, deafness, anemia, reflux and infections in the intestine.
Premature babies are more likely to have health complications and difficulties in feeding because their organs did not have enough time to develop properly. See how the premature baby should be fed.
