How well do preemie children born weighing less than 1 pound do developmentally?

Question

My daughter was born at 25 weeks. She weighed 15 ounces 420 grams to be exact. She was 28 centimeters long which is about 11 inches. I developed toxemia and my daughter was delivered via emergency c-section. She remained in the NICU for 4 months and came home on Easter Sunday 2007. She is now 20 months old and weighs a little more than 15 pounds. She is cruising now and I believe she will walk on her own by the end of the summer. She says mama, dada, ba-ul, and baby, and a-s**+?

Answer 1

My son was born at 24 weeks but he was 1pound 9 ounces and was in the NICU for 3 months, he is 3 now and doing great. He has some speech issues but he goes to therapy and is on his way to being right where he should be.

Just keep all the appointments they give you so you will always know where she is at per other children her age and work with her on any issues you see or things the Dr's bring to you attention. You will do fine with your wonderful little miracle.

Answer 2

Well, my sister had her baby at 34 weeks because she had placenta previa.  My sister was in the hospital for 8 weeks from it.  They finally delivered the baby eight weeks early, weighing almost 4 lbs..   The baby was in the hospital for 2 months and she has been home for almost 2 months now, and she is now almost weighing 8lbs..  She is on a heart monitor, b/c she has heart murmurs and sleep apneia.  She forgets to breathe.  The doctors tell us she will probably be on the heart monitor at least till she is 1 year old!  I just cannot see a baby crawling around with wires and getting tangled up in them and are we going to have to carry the huge heart monitor machine every where she crawls?!  

Your baby seems to be doing great considering how early she was delivered.  The doctors told us however early they are delivered, the longer it takes them to crawl, sit-up, etc.  A normal baby may crawl at 6 or 7 months, while a premature baby may crawl at 9 months or so.  She was eight weeks early, so 34 weeks pregnant, and that is what the doctors go by.  After the baby was born she was a week old, but 35 weeks gestation.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but that is what her doctors go by.  She still cannot control her eyes that well and she was born 2 months ago.  Normally, newborns have better usage of their eyes at about 2 or 4 weeks old.  But, this is as much as I know, b/c she is only a few months old.  

Answer 3

for the first yr or two they're behind the average children their age, by the months of their birth (so your daughter would be developmentally at the milestones for 16 months old, which she seems to be, according to your description. also weight wise, they have more leeway with being "off the charts". But by the time they're teens, you can't really tell which one of them were preemies or full term.

Don't fret too much.