How Do Premature Babies Fare in the Long Term?
It’s not uncommon for premature babies to experience health problems, due to being born too soon. But their early arrival doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll have long-term health or developmental problems. We take a look at how premature babies typically fare in the long term and what the research into premature births tells us.
When a baby is born prematurely, it doesn’t automatically mean that they’ll experience problems in the long-term, such as being slower to develop or grow. All premature babies are different, but those that are born extremely early may be more likely to face challenges in the future.
Are Premature Babies Slower to Develop?
If your baby is born at 26 weeks or before, then they are likely to be shorter in height and lighter in weight than their peers when they reach the age of two and half years old. But even though babies who are born prematurely may be smaller than their contemporaries at first, they’ve got a good chance of catching up as they all grow up.You may find that your premature baby doesn’t reach developmental milestones at the same time as you’d normally expect, but then you do have to remember that they were born earlier. Rather than using their actual birth date as a guideline, when you’re thinking in terms of developmental stages, like learning to crawl, walk or talk, it’s better to view it in terms of when your baby was actually due.
During the first two years, you may well be more aware of how your baby differs from others of a same age, but after this, they’ve got a very good chance of catching up with their peers and not experiencing any major long-term disadvantages.
If you’re concerned about any potential health or developmental problems, then the best bet is to speak to a medical practitioner, or a teacher. Both groups should be happy to help monitor your child and identify any potential problems.
Studies into the Long-term Effects for Premature Babies
The charity Bliss has studied the impact that premature birth has on very premature babies – those who are born at 26 weeks or less – as part of a study called EPICure. They followed up the development of the babies and the results should provide valuable information into the lives of premature children.The EPICure results have shown that at 30 months old, 49 per cent of the babies had no disability, 24 per cent had a disability which wasn’t severe and 24 per cent had a severe disability. Sadly two per cent of the group didn’t survive.
Some of the common disabilities were lung conditions, issues related to the nervous system or slow development. By the age of six years old, 32 per cent had mild disabilities, 24 per cent had moderate disabilities and 22 per cent had severe disabilities.
IQ tests were carried out and found that being born very early can affect a child’s ability to process information. It can also affect attention and hand-eye coordination.
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