Hi,
My second child was born 7 weeks early last December and he is not hitting his milestones. He will be 9 months old (7 1/2 mos. gestationally) next week and he is still not rolling over or sitting up. He seems disinterested in toys and doesn't try to grab or hold anything. He is not babbling. He seems very happy and is a smiling laughing baby. He interacts socially with me, my husband and the rest of the family as well as others. I know he is not autistic as he does not display the repetetive motions, doesn't have problems with sensory integration and like I said he enjoys being with others. at his 6 mos. well-baby check up the pediatrician was not concerned when I mentioned that he is not reaching his milestones. I'd like to know if other moms (especially moms of preemies) have experienced this and if you have taken your baby for early interevention. Thanks, K..
I self-referred to Regional Center and they did an evaluation. They determined that he was only at the level of a 3-5 month old on everything. They also told us that he was dispalying some hypertonicity and suggested we take him to a neurologist. In the meantime, Regional Center started Early Intervention on him with occupational and physical therpay twice a week. He also recieves infant stimualtion twice a week. The neurologist ordered an MRI and it turns out he suffered anoxia at birth due to his premature lungs. He has something called periventricular leukomalacia in which the tissue around the ventricles of the brain have been destroyed due to the lack of oxygen at birth. It is a form of cerebral palsey. He is doing better now with the Early Intervention. He started crawling at 19 months but is still not yet walking. He also requires leg braces to help with the tightness in his legs. We are still unsure as to whether or not he will be mentally retarded. They say any intellectual or cognitive delays will become more evident over the next year or so. I have learned to always judege my mother's intuition despite what professionals are telling you. Had I waited until our pediatrician (former by the way) acknowledged that there was a probelm, we could have missed our opportunity to get him the help and services he needs. You as a mother will always know what is best for your children.
I would get him in some infant stimulation classes as soon as possible.
www.otbee.com These are the BEST.
My daughter has Down syndrome and has really been thriving since I started taking her there! BIG TIME!!!
I have a special place in my heart for preemies! My son was born 8 weeks early. He will be 11 months old on the 1st. He was very late in reaching milestones as well. He was not rolling over, sitting up, grasping objects until almost 9 months. Then one day he rolled over, the next started crawling, the next started cruising (okay, not really in 3 days, but you get what I mean!) :) Since he started "moving" he has not stopped. He was not "pushing-up" until almost 7 months!! He was the same socially as well, interacted really well with myself and my husband but around anyone else, he looked like a lump of a baby, just sitting there. Just now he is starting to interact really well with others. Be patient, he will get there. I would not worry. Don't try to compare him with others. Everyone is different and preemies really do not fit any mold. If you have one of "the" books, put it away, it will only make you worry. If his doctor is comfortable with his development, and you are comfortable with his doctor....just sit back and enjoy the ride!! Good luck. Feel free to email me if you have any questions, or concerns!! ____@____.com
K.,
If you have any concerns whatsoever, contact The Regional Center (google for your local). They will assess your child, free of charge. If he does need any therapies, they will provide them locally to you, again, free of charge.
If you have any baby bouncers or other "strap down" equipment, I strongly suggest you get rid of them. Including the ones they sit in and spin or wheel around. Buy that octagonal gate configuration and make a play space he can explore in ON THE GROUND. Put age appropriate toys inside at all corners and allow him to get himself moving. Current studies are proving that babies MUST use their bodies naturally and feel the weight of their bodies, etc. for brain development. Just put him down on his tummy and let him do the work.
my little girl was only 5 weeks early but she didn't move either. I did as others said and although my ped didn't think it was a big deal i called regional center. WOW!! what a difference. she started rolling over she stopped throwing herself down because she didn't know how to use her arms. at 9 months she couldn't lift her head when she was on her tummy.
now she is 1year and actually puling herself up to standing like she should. she will probably walk before my older boys did. i cant tell you how much this helped. i am not a hurry up and wait kind of person so the regional center was great. the service she receives is -a physical therapist comes to our home once a week for an hour. this is free from the state so i pay nothing and they do the assessment to see how delayed your child is to qualify.
the assessment seemed like a pain but it was well worth it she is so much happier and more confident now that she can move and play. in my experience she was getting frustrated because she was so non mobile. it was only a physical delay sounds like your son is the same, i do have an older son with autism and he was a lot different at this age, lots of screaming. Regional center also has speech resources so if that is delayed as well they can help when he is a bit older. funny thing my daughter started to babble, point, and clap her hands after working with the PT. the movement just clicked something on in her brain and i am so glad i didn't wait any longer to get help.
good luck and good mama skills paying attention.
Good Morning K.,
I am the CEO/Clinical Director of an Early Intervention company that is vendored with Westside /Regional Center. I strongly suggest that you contact them and ask for an assessment and let them make the decision as to whether or not your son might need a little help to obtain his milestones. Sometimes preemies do need a little help for a while and it can and does make a huge difference. It is always better to error on the side of caution. In my many years of expreience with this type of situation, pediatricians do not always understand and usually have a "let's wait and see" attitude which is not always in the best interest of the child. We are here to help your child and it could be a very positive experience for your family and for your child. If you have further questions please feel free to either email me back or you may call if you like. Good luck and please don't wait.
Penny
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K. G
Congratulation on your son, since he was 7 weeks premature, maybe he will begin to develop approximately 7 months from the standard scale. Work with him on the use of his arms and legs and how to grasp things, this might encourage him to try for himself. If you pediatrician is not concerned, then relax. He will pick up the pace when his body is ready. Relax and enjoy his company. Soon enough he will be into everything and you won't have a minute to enjoy the time of day.
When my youngest was born (he was large at birth) there was a little girl born that day, she was as big as a baby doll. She was about the same as your son, and my son was 15#, she had just cleared 8#. She was doing fine last I heard. There is always the risk of yellow jaundice, but she was just great. Her parents said she was doing great. Your son sounds like he too is doing great. Continued good luck with your son's progress, he is after all unique and will probably be very smart too.
I agree with some of the others with regards to finding a physical therapist to work with you and your son to encourage movement on his own.
My son was alomst 9 weeks early and at his release from the NICU he was refered to an Early Intervention program at a local Hospital in Glendale. So from 6 months old I took him every 3 months until he was given a cert of completion at around age 2.
It was the best thing I did. I found out he needed PT/OT on a regular basis for his milestones and also that he had issues from his breech birth position that were impacting his walking. All things I would have never known if they had monitored his progress and given me guidance on exercises and activities to help him.
Today my son is 'caught up' and has no signs of any issues. I would definitly recommend at least getting the evaluation done. In my opinion, it was the best thing I ever did for my son and it helped me understnad how to help him in the future.
Good Luck!
Hey K.,
Sounds as if a little Occupational/Physical Therapy would make you and your baby feel better. My son was full term but low tone. Very social but not a mover! Walked at 16.5 months! He's now 10 but the PT/OT helped him loads. Early Intervention is there to help him from the get-go. Use it as it really can't hurt to try and besides he'll love the extra 'play.'
I'm from NYC and lots of my friends used it for various things that popped up-speech, low tone, whatever. It's a perfect way to take extra worry off your plate-let the experts determine if his early arrival needs some work.
Follow your "mommy" instinct. Your ped doesn't see your baby every day. Get your baby evaluated with Early Intervention and then have a little peace of mind as they'll help whatever bumps appear along the way...if any!
Cheers,
P.
Your pediatrician may be right BUT get a second opinion. Doctors do make mistakes. A mother's instinct is a strong and accurate source, and should be considered seriously. I think you are smart to be asking questions.
Hi
Most research indicates that premies don't "catch-up" on all the milestones until they ar 2 years old. Until that age your doctor might not be concerned.
That being said, every baby will develop at their own rate. Although you'll hear talk about "adjusted age" remember how early your baby was and give him plenty of time to catch up. Enjoy being with him, playing with him and just loving him.
If you doctor feels as though there is really a problem they would tell you. Also, get the number for EIC from your local WIC office. They will assess if any early intervention is necessary.
Good luck
My son was born at 31 1/2 weeks and was delayed on everything. He crawled at 12 mo, said his first word (other than mamma and dadda) and walked at 18 mo, and he is just now is having his verbal explosion at 28 mo. I know it can be very hard having to be extra patient with your preemie's development. When we finally left the hospital with him after 5 long weeks, they suggested that we should call the regional center to have him evaluated at a year. They come to your house for free to see if your child has any significant delays. At 12 mo, my son tested at about a 10 mo range which is where he should have been if he was born on his due date. Now my son is a completely normal little boy and no one would ever know that he had these delays. I would highly suggest having them come out, even if it is just for your piece of mind. The fact that your son is a preemie is more than enough of a reason for them to come.
Just because his birth date is a certain day doesn't mean you should start counting his milestones according to that day. I had my son a month early so I always added a month to my expectations. Babies are built to need that 40 weeks in the womb, they are not automatically developed to 40 weeks on the day they are born unless they got all 40 in the womb, you gotta cut them some slack for having to come early in other words. You should be adding two months to your expectations for milestones, your baby is fine, he's going to do things on time and you shouldn't worry. If your ped isn't worried, then take his lead - if you project worry about him then he'll pick up on that and it could affect him negatively. Just praise everything he does and have fun with him!
Hi K.
My son was a preemie, born 9 weeks early. I would look at the milestones for when he was supposed to be born instead of when he was born. 2 months is a big difference in the early months so I wouldn't worry too much. My son did not walk until he was almost 15 months old and it seemed so late but I was told not to worry. He is almost 3 now and is perfectly great. Kids develop at different rates regardless of being premature or full term. I've seen kids that were full term that didn't start talking until they were almost 2. But once they started they never stopped.
One other thing I have noticed with babies that have older siblings is that they tent to do things later because the older one does it for them. I've seen it a lot.
K. - I know how frustrated you are and the first thing I think you need to do is get another pediatrician. Look for an infant stimulation class for your son as it could be of great importance to "catch him up". He's too young for LAUSD (3 years) but look into MOVE_International.org and if you contact them you may be able to find a MOVE site for the under 3 crowd that WOULD be a hugh benefit. I'm on the board and it is a wonderful, free, public school program. Best of luck!
Kim (Nick's mom)
First I want to say that you are not being negative by being concerned - you're being concerned. Developmental milestones are adjusted for age for preemies, but that said, you want to make sure they're hitting their mark for adjusted age. You just miss the cut off for automatic assessment by Regional Center (that would be 32 weeks gestation) but they will still do an assessment at your request, based on the information you give them. My daughter was almost 11 weeks premature, and I can tell you the waiting it took for her to do EVERYTHING was excruciating. It took her forever to sit up, to stand up, to crawl - she didn't walk until she was 18 months old! At which point I was tearing out my hair. You do need a lot of patience, even with therapy. It sounds like they might offer you something called "infant stimulation," maybe OT and/or PT. Whatever they offer is free, and a fantastic service.
Just for some perspective, my preemie daughter is now, at 7 1/2, a ballerina and figure skater! Which just goes to show...Hang in there
Hi K.,
Just wanted to respond on your preemie. I had a set of twins that were 9 weeks preemie babies. A lot of their development just needed a lot of time and patience. A lot of patience is the key for parents because we tend to want our children to progress as much as other children or better. With my children, they had several surgeries because they were susseptible to a lot of infection, my first twin (Christopher) was born with bleeding of the brain. My second twin (Conrad), was born with left lung collapsed and the right lung in the merge of collapsing. I was in Germany stationed in Stuttgart, the children needed a specialized facility and had to be taken to the Childrens Hospital in Downtown Stuttgart, while I was in the Military hospital for over a month. Their development took a lot more time than other children. I took my children home to Guam and had to leave them with my parents because I became a single parent in Active duty in the Army. The best thing that I had ever done for my children because they had very patient Grandparents, and a wad of cousins that taught them and watched their developement. My youngest had problems with speech until he was about 5 years, but after he learned to speak, we couldn't keep him quiet. I would always encourage him to sing when he wanted to, even if it meant to irritate the other children. To this day, the twins are now 24 years old, Christopher was a B+ student and Conrad was not soo much a B+ but he was trying so hard. Conrad is now in the Merchant Seaman's Sealift Command and doing great for himself. Christopher is doing great and had his own family. So, my friend, just a lot of patience and enjoy your child's progress.
M.
I've been a pediatric nurse for 20 years, and it's been my experience that many (there are exceptions) pediatricians have a "wait and see" attitude when it comes to early intervention and some only take cursory looks at development. I would recommend as the others did to get an assessment done through Early Start (the Regional Center). It's free, and if your child is on track that's peace of mind for you, and if your child qualifies for EI services, the earlier the better and that in turn gives some peace of mind.
K.,
You are a worried mom who really loves her child very much... and worrying IS one of our jobs as a parent!! Don't use a milestone marker to judge your child... your child will be doing some things after the milestone line, and some things before that line. If you trust your pediatrician, and s/he has no concerns, then let it go and enjoy who your baby is! S/he has special gifts and talents that are emerging every day. Soak them up and enjoy!
I want to share this quote from Jiddu Krishnamurti (below). If we could all just do this, the world would be such a better place!
=== JKrishnamurti.org - Daily Quote ===
To bring up children without comparison is true education
One is everlastingly comparing oneself with another, with what one is, with what one should be, with someone who is more fortunate. This comparison really kills. Comparison is degrading, it perverts one's outlook. And on comparison one is brought up. All our education is based on it and so is our culture. So there is everlasting struggle to be something other than what one is. The understanding of what one is uncovers creativeness, but comparison breeds competitiveness, ruthlessness, ambition, which we think brings about progress. Progress has only led so far to more ruthless wars and misery than the world has ever known. To bring up children without comparison is true education."
Lots of Love,
Linda
Hello K.,
My son was born at 33 weeks and as you describe your son it seems like your talking about mine......Hes doing the exact same thing, he didnt have any problems in the nicu or birth just the delays.....I decided to take him to early intervention program. He was evaluated by different therapist's and did have delays in some areas and some hes on target. He gets an occupational theripst once a week now to help him turn, sit up and balance hime self he hates tummy time......sometimes he does good and than I feel like he falls back and becomes lazy...Hes been doing ot therapy for 3 weeks now......so good luck to you and plz let me know how your son is doing and if u did any different techniques that would help
Nanci
