All babies hit developmental milestones at different times, but your premature baby may reach these milestones a little later, and he might be smaller than babies of the same age who were not premature.  When it comes to weight, or developmental stages, your premature baby will be calculated from his estimated due date rather than the date he was actually born. In terms of behaviour and learning, there should be no difference in a premature baby to a full-term baby. By the time your child is two years old, he will have caught up both in his mental and physical development with other children who were born full-term.

Bear in mind that most parents compare their children as they grow up, probably from a fear that they are not bringing their babies up properly (admit it, we all have that fear). Also remember that what age your child first giggled, cut his first tooth, sat, crawled or walked will have no bearing on his intelligence and once he starts school, it will make absolutely no difference that he was a late walker or he didn't cut hs first tooth until after his first birthday. In Short: Don't panic, your baby probably had a tougher start than most so expect important milestones to be acheived a little slower than normal.

If you have a premature baby, you may well have a range of feeding and food related queries. You may therefore find the following information on breastfeeding your premature baby helpful:

If your baby has been born very early they may not be ready to feed directly from your breast straight away. They might have to be fed through a drip to start with, particularly if they have breathing complications. From there they can progress to breast milk, which most likely will be fed to them through a tiny tube that will go through their nose and into their stomach. With supervision from the nurses it may be possible for you to help with tube feeding your baby. This can help you bond and see how much your baby is benefiting from your milk.

To enable your baby to be tube fed you will need to collect your milk through a process called ‘expressing.’ When a baby suckles at your breast it triggers the milk ducts in your breast into action and expressing replicates that suckling motion. It’s a skill that takes time to learn and there are a number of different methods that can be used, from electrical pumps to expressing by hand. The staff that are looking after your baby will give you all the advice, support and help you need if you decide you want to start expressing for your baby.

Having to express milk can sometimes feel like a big pressure at an already emotional time. However, it is important to remember that no matter how much or little you are able to express, your baby will benefit.

As soon as your baby’s condition becomes stable you may be encouraged to practice ‘kangaroo care’, which means holding and cuddling your baby. Being placed skin to skin will build your maternal bond, make your baby feel warm and secure and gradually prepare your baby for breastfeeding. Close contact like this also helps stimulate your body to produce milk, and encourages your immune system to make more antibodies, which will transfer through your breastmilk to your baby and protect them against infection.

Eventually, when your baby is well enough, you will be able to feed them directly from your breast. When you do put them on your breast don’t worry if they do not suckle, they will still enjoy and benefit from being close to you and the taste and smell of the milk expressed onto your nipple. At the first feed, do not expect too much, since premature babies get tired easily and must gradually learn to suck.

To avoid tiring your baby, massage your breasts first (your healthcare team will advise you on how to do this) and then express a little milk on to the nipple before putting your baby to the breast. Remember to move your baby towards the breast rather than your breast towards the baby and it may be helpful to use pillows to support you and to raise your baby so that they are level to the breast to encourage feeding.
  

If you have any additional queries related to your premature baby, you can talk to other mums in the Guide to Baby area of the chat forum.

Last Modified: 26/03/2010