If a baby is born premature,will he/she be premature forever?

Question

My cousin is in his 20's and weighs over 300 pounds.

But my grandmother says he will be premature forever.

Answer 1

NO

Answer 2

Of course they catch up (at least most do), but it will always be correct to say that your cousin was born prematurely.  Nothing changes the fact that his actual birth was before 37 weeks' gestation.  (That is the definition of a premature birth.)

Answer 3

I was 2 months premature and I am perfectly healthy. I'm 21and 6'0 tall.

I was ahead of all my classmates in school and reading at a college level in the 6th grade.

I'm not sure why your grandmother would say something like that.

I have heard some people say that preemie's tend to have learning disabilities but I find that to be less common then people say.

Answer 4

My stepson was born at a little over 2 lbs back in 1983 and it took a while for him to catch up with the others-physically, but in every other way he was pretty much normal. Only difference is that he had to start kindergarten when he was 6 instead of 5. He is 25 now and had grown up with the rest of his peers very normally.

Answer 5

He may be immature forever perhaps but not premature forever.  Premature is once.

Answer 6

No, they catch up within the first few years as a general rule, of course you have exceptions, sometimes they can be smaller in frame or such. I know of 2 28 week premmies, one is now 30 and the other is 13, they are both perfectly normal and within range, if not more intelligent, and both my sons are later premmies (34 weeks), one is now 6 (the other a newborn) and my 6 year old is in perfect line with others in his class.