15 week prem baby & what to expect At 1 yr.

Victoria - posted on 07/27/2010

my daughter wasent premature but she can still fit in 3-6 months she is just petite if the doctors are not worrying neither should you

Jennifer - posted on 07/27/2010

I had a premature baby. My 15 month old was 6 weeks early, I was very lucky because he caught up pretty quickly. Although I get told all the time how tiny he is. He weighs 20 pounds and has weighed that for the last month in a half. He stops gaining weight every once in awhile.
While I was in the NICU with my son I met a few of the mothers. There was one mother who's baby was the earliest baby in the NICU. Her baby was 1 lb. when she was born at 23 weeks and 6 days gestation. Her baby girl is now 17 months old, a little over 17 lbs, she is crawling, kind of showing signs for wanting to walk(although she has weak ankles so she will have to have ankle braces) but she's catching up.
There was another mother up there who had her baby at 27 weeks gestation and her baby is perfectly healthy. Her baby girl was a little over 2 lbs. She caught up real quick, started walking around a year old and she is doing everything that an 18 month old is expected to do and then some.
Your baby will catch up. Just forget those people who like to pass judgement.

Julie - posted on 06/28/2010

My twins were 10wks prem. My eldest is below 1 percentile for weight & height, while my youngest is between 15-25 percentile.

My eldest can clap, wave goodbye, stand & has just started to walk at 1yr corrected. My youngest can stand, but only for a few seconds. He doesn't clap or say goodbye, but our paed isn't concerned just yet. He said that by 18mths he should have caught up.

I wouldn't worry about what others says. You are lucky to have your little one here & as all babies develop at different stages, I'm sure she will catch up.

Take care.

Maggie - posted on 06/28/2010

My son was six weeks early and he is still petite as well. He is almost 15mos and is wearing 6-9mos pants. His speech is still behind as well, by about two mos. I take it in stride, as are you, I am so thankful that he is here. If you feel like there is something to be seriously concerned about call your peds office and ask to speak to a nurse. But remember this too, she may have been slow to develop some of those things had she been full term, but you'll never know that. Best of luck to you and your little Angel! :O)

Bernadette - posted on 06/27/2010

some kids are just little. My little girl was full-term, has never had any health problems, is a great eater and at 14 months still fits into 6 month pants. She wasn't an overly small newborn (7lb3oz, which is pretty average) but we couldn't even find any pants small enough for her as the newborn category ones would just fall straight off. But in other areas she is ahead of a lot of kids her age so there is nothing wrong - she's just small. Maybe your little one was always going to be small and would have been even if born at full-term. Have your doctors shown any concern? If not, it's probably nothing to worry about other than having a small build.

Flora - posted on 06/26/2010

I can't believe people would react in such a rude way! I'd be so happy to see how beautiful such a sweet and special girl she mist be! She's one of a kind- as all babies are but she's super special! I'd just roll my eyes at them and say I love her for the beautiful darling she is and I'm blessed she's here. Let it all go and ignore them! Let her grow on her own terms and help her feel she's perfect just the way she is. I wasn't preterm and was a healthy baby but around 3 yrs I was tiny compared to everyone else. By the time I was in second grade I had developed an eating disorder and went the other way and was big the remaining of my teen years and was miserable. By the time I was 23, I finally let it go and got my eating under control and now let nature be who iam. I'm a small 37 year old now and still get mistaken for a preteen but I don't care. I'm finally happy who Iam and it wouldve been nice to never had to deal with such issues. Just let it all go and let her be the gorgeous darling she is!

KRYSTL - posted on 06/25/2010

sweetie, please just give her love and the best you can, she is perfect in her own sweet little way, and nobody with judgements matter! They are not the ones who have learned to love her, and I am proud to see your doing a good job raising her and being concerned of her, but you and her is all that matters. Nomatter how her size is, as long as she is loved is all it comes down to. Take care.

Louise - posted on 06/24/2010

I didn't have a preterm baby but I had a baby that was very I'll when really young. He had brain surgery at 7 weeks. He didn't sit up till he was 11 months and he took his first steps at 15 months and now he's a happy lively nearly 5 year old.
Don't let it worry you too much. People an be so judgmental. My baby is bow 14 months. And has just started standing but hasn't taken any steps yet. He's able to say a good number of words and can feed himself all his meals.

He's also wearing age 3 clothes as he has grown out of everything smaller and if he keeps growing at this rate he'll be into 4 by the end of the summer.
Twice in the last week on 2 separate occasions I was approached by strangers. The first time I was carrying him and had shopping in the other hand and instead of helping me try told me that I should make my son walk as he was too old for me to carry. Second occasion I had him in his stroller and I was told I'm a disgraceful mother who's too lazy to take the time to walk with her son.

So what I'm trying to say is people will always have their opinions and some will even voice them but you know the truth. Sounds like you have a very special girl there!

Briar - posted on 06/24/2010

My 2yo was born at 28wks and still wears 12mo sz clothing. People always think he's my 1yo's twin brother (1 yo born at 31 weeks and wears 9mo sz). When people make comments about his size, I always tell them he was a premie then ppl think he's big!!! LOL

Beth - posted on 06/24/2010

My daughter was born at 25 wks and is growing below the charts she is 7 1/2 yrs old now and is only 42" and 38 pounds she is very tiny and a little behind in some areas but very advanced in others every child is different I also have a son that was born at 29 wks and he turned 14months yesterday and he is 29" and 20 pounds catching up to his sister quickly. My daughter was very small until she hit about 6 and still is very small last summer she finally grew out of an 18month bathing suit. She wears her 14 month old brothers shorts because they don't fit him but they fit her and they range from 12 to 24 months in size. But she is very happy healthy and active!! And that is all that matters in the end. So they are a little small so what. Whenever anyone asks I saw ya shes 7 1/2 but she was a preemie and so was her brother so they are very small for their age and most people are like oh ok they don't care. I've become accustomed to adding their prematurity to their age so people don't look and think oh wow she must not feed them. My son is now trying to walk and crawl everywhere where as my daughter did not take her first steps till she was 2 1/2 yrs old never crawled only rolled everywhere. Every child reaches their milestones at different times especially a preemie so I wouldn't be too concerned at all just keep working with her and get her into any birth to three or early intervention programs that you can they are great at helping you learn what you need to do and help you and your family reach these goals. Good Luck and I hope I was helpful.

Destini - posted on 06/24/2010

I would say not to worry about how small she is compared to other children. I found that to be the most frustrating thing I went through with the growth of my daughter, who by the way was 6 weeks early. I used to get down on myself because I absolutely hated hearing people tell me how small she was. I mean I just wanted to be like "hello people what do you expect?" But eventually I just quit letting it get to me because I knew she was eating and growing at a faster rate than most premature babies! As long as your baby is healthy and prospering I would suggest that you continue to go with the flow! The percentile charts are just crap if you ask me, I dont see how they can use those to compare premies to others that were born full-term? Enough venting from me! I hope I was of some help to you!!!

Cheshmak - posted on 06/23/2010

After years of dealing with infertility (and getting the why aren't you pregnant yet question from well meaning people) to then being blessed with a beautiful baby boy through adoption (who looks nothing like me so all kinds of questions about where he gets his gorgeous blonde hair when I have dark brown hair) one thing I've learned is that people are well meaning but don't always know what to say and end up saying and doing insensitive things. This hurts so I've decided to be a 'teacher' and use the opportunities to share a bit so that perhaps they will not make judgements the next time they want to make a comment and act compassionately.

Don't worry about what people say ... your daughter is a gift, a little miracle and you're doing great!! She will grow and catch up and be just fine :) but the fact that she was born premature means she is doing it at her own pace (well actually all babies do it at their own pace). Don't let people's comments make you feel bad or doubt anything. They don't know the context.

If you're comfortable, tell them something like "She's 14 months old and doing great for a premie. We're so blessed to have her"

My favourite line when people would ask about when am I going to have a child ... after a couple of years of putting up with this comment, my response was: My husband and I are unable to conceive a child and doing what we can to make it happen. Your prayers would be so appreciated" ...

And about my blonde cutie? I say he gets his blonde hair from his father's side of the family (which is true. His birthfather is blonde and my husband's father and brother are both blonde too :)

Enjoy your little one. I'm so happy for you that she is a fighter and thriving.

Lynda - posted on 06/22/2010

Hi Lisa! The other moms are right about this one. As long as your little girl is happy and eating, there's really no need to worry. Babies do grow and develop at their own pace. It truly is a miracle that she is still alive. I have a 14 month old now who is above the charts on percentile and wearing 2t-3t clothing, and I have a 3 month old daughter who is still wearing preemie and off the charts at the low range. Both are happy and healthy. I would say your daughter is in the 6-9 month development stages. Which is right where she should be. If your munchkin is still small, I would enjoy it. They're not babies forever, you were just blessed to be able to enjoy your tiny tot a little bit longer. Stay strong, and if anyone else has a problem or looks at your wrong, ignore it. They don't know what the situation is, or what's 'normal' for your daughter. They just follow the 'average' scale. I wish you the best!

Michelle - posted on 06/17/2010

Hi Lisa!

My son is almost 14 months old and was 11 weeks early. My son wears all different sizes of baby clothes, it just depends on name brand and such.

I've been told that all babies are different in meeting their milestones. Some babies do things earlier than others. My son just now started pulling up and standing alone for about a minute recently, while other babies I've heard of started doing all of this around 8 months.

You just have to look at her adjusted age, which I would guess is about 9 months. She is on track for that age. She'll catch up by the time she's 18-24 months old. If her doctors aren't overly worried about her, then you shouldn't be either.

I get the same kind of looks from people when they ask me how old my son is. They always say "Why, he's so little for that age!!" And I tell them the truth "He was 11 weeks premature."

Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions or concerns and I'll be happy to answer them for you! :-)

Trish - posted on 06/17/2010

Lisa, you do have an extra special little girl who's life didn't start out the same as most. It is hard not to compare your child against others the same age. My bub was as small as yours, but she was very petite & it did bother me how people commented on how small she was. I was sooo happy when she got her first sort of roll of fat/skin & her tummy started to bulge a little, she looked more healthier for me. I realise now I was being anxious for no reason, she eventually put on weight & will never be the average weight for her age, but I accept that now. It did help to put farex/rice cereal in her bottles of milk with formula. I did this not just to help bulk up her body, but because she had acid reflux & it helped keep the milk down. I know you realised you are blessed with this beautiful little girl, so just keep reminding yourself of that & look at how resiliant she is & doesn't let it bother her how small she is, that she gets on with living & keeps smiling. Have you noticed that often no matter how unwell they are, they can still manage a smile & a cuddle. Our little girls pick up on our mood, face expression & when we are worrying about them, it is hard to hide our worries, but smiling can disguise it from them. She will grow, she will walk, she will one day complain about the size of her arse & wish she could fit into the jeans she wore when she was 18yo. Just think about the future & know life will only get better for her even though she's had a tough beginning, but she's lucky to have a mum like you (super woman/mum) to get her through it. Take care

Tara - posted on 06/12/2010

My hubby's cousin had a baby girl at 24wks. She was barely a pound at birth. She is petite but growing. She looks small in comparison to her younger sister bone structure wise but is only a few inches shorter than others her age, she is now 5. She weighs about the same amount as her 3yr old sister though.
I wouldn't worry too much so long as she is eating and meeting her milestones for her related age. They usually catch up by kindergarten but there are a few that will stay petite, plus she is a girl. Other factors to take into account are family height and when milestones were met.