Two Years Old and NOT Caught Up
Monday, December 10, 2007 11:35How many times have preemie parents been sold on the fallacy that their baby will be caught up to their peers by age two? When Camden was born, we got the typical line that she would be all caught up on growth and development by 2, she’d grow out of her chronic lung disease around two, we’d stop adjusting her age for prematurity at two . . . These days, I sometimes see the magic age quoted as two to three. Is this because doctors know they are wrong, and are starting to nudge the age a little older without causing alarm? I don’t know.
What I do know, is that Camden will be two in just a couple of weeks, and she is not all caught up. While her growth hit the charts early considering her NICU complications, the rest of her has been lagging behind to varying degrees. She can’t walk up or down the stairs, she only has about 25 words and she has sensory “issues.” We are still waiting to see what the winter cold and flu season brings in regards to her chronic lung disease. To quote her pediatrician “She’s such a NICU baby.” I also know that increasing numbers of studies show learning problems at school age, even in preemies that seemed normal under every day observation.
Camden was born at 31 weeks. Weighing in at 1780g or 3lb 15ozs, she was in no way extremely premature, or a micro preemie. Yet, these lasting effects still plague her. From reading the posts and comments at The Preemie Experiment, I know that although our stories are all different, we’re definitely not alone. Parents need realistic expectations. The question is, what do we do about it?
Similar Posts:
- Gene Protects Preemies from Respiratory Distress Syndrome
- Lasting Effects of Prematurity
- Why Do I Keep Doing This?
- Longterm Lung Problems in Healthy Preemies
