Q. My baby was born at 32 weeks. Now that he is almost five months old, is she still considered to be a preemie?
Pediatricians often use a corrected or adjusted age, in which you subtract the number of weeks a baby was born premature from their chronological or real age, when describing a preemies growth and development. For example, while your baby is chronologically five months old now, her adjusted age is still just three months, since she was born about two months premature.
How long do you use the adjusted age?
You usually use the adjusted age for your premature baby until your baby has caught up in her growth and development or until she turns two years old. So if your five month old is sitting up with support, rolling over, and is growing well on the growth charts, then she may have already have caught up to the development of term babies and you may not need to use an adjusted age anymore. On the other hand, if she is just starting to hold her head up, doesn't yet pick up her chest when she is on her tummy, and isn't smiling spontaneously yet, then she is still at a two- or three-month developmental level and you would still use an adjusted age.
Things that you would use the adjusted age for include when to:
- start solid foods
- expect your child to meet developmental milestones, such as rolling over, standing, and walking
- expect her to sleep through the night
For example, a baby with a real age of four months who was born at twenty-age weeks now has an adjusted age of just one month. Therefore, you wouldn't expect him to sleep through the night or be ready for cereal anytime soon. Instead, he may be doing things a newborn baby would do, including his sleeping and feeding schedule.
In general, visits to your pediatrician and immunizations follow your baby's real or chronological age -- not her adjusted age.
