I had a premautre baby.....Did you?

One of my best friends had a situation similar to yours. Her son was only 21bs when born and I think just as early as your daughter. They had many struggles and a very long time in the NICU. She almost lost him to menningitus. He also would stop breathing in his sleep which led to many sleepless nights for mom after he came home. As for his development, he wore a special "helmet" for a while to correct his skull(which was warped due to his early birth) He still could not jump with both feet at four. But he was all caught up by the time he headed off to kindergarten. Now, he is 8 and no one would ever be able to tell. He is just as active and coordinated as my son(also 8) and he is doing very well academically. So, don't worry so much, she will be fine. Just thank God that she has made it through the difficult stage and cherish every precious moment...They grow so fast.

My first daughter was born a month early but she didn't have to go to NICU at all. My second daughter was born a month early and she was born with low blood sugar, so she spent a week in the NICU. My babies weren't very premature thankfully. My sister had a 2 lb 9 oz baby girl (my niece Lily) She is 4 years old now. She also had brain bleeds as a newborn. She is still tiny, but she is on target for everything now. It took a few good years to catch up to other kids her age but now she is just fine. Her son, my nephew Lucas was born at 3 lbs 7 oz. He didn't spend as much time in NICU as Lily thankfully. He is right on target now at 2 years old. You'd never guess he was a preemie. My sister sits in a hospital bed right now with her 4th and final child. Her water broke 2 months early and the doctors are doing everything they can to keep the baby in as long as possible. We are figuring she will probably be born some time this week, if she follows her sister and brother's pattern.

My sister had my nephew six weeks early. He is now 13 and doing rather well. He is a healthy kid who plays sports and does what every other kids does. He was only held behind one year in school which was a decision my sister made. I figure she used her best judgment and was doing the the right thing for him.

My daughter is premature by 2 weeks..And she stayed in the NICU as well. WHen I was on the wheel chair coz I said I want to see the baby..it was a heart breaking moment to see your child there with their skin and see hoe tiny they are. I cried when I first saw her but now things turned out to be well she is so adorable more than i ever thought.

I had my son 8 weeks early. He was 3 pounds 9 ounces. At the time of his birth I was so afraid just because he was early and there were likley to be problems. At the time of his birth when I heard him cry I was flooded with relief because I knew my little guy was gonna be alright. We spent 24 days NICU, and in that time he was never on oxygen, so we were lucky that way. The only problem was that his little tummy was not mature enough to handle food, so he had to be fed through IV for close to a week. His suck reflex kicked in about 2 weeks after his birth and he learned how to bottle feed. He was 4 pounds 11 ounces when we brought him home. I like you have always worried about his development.Everything has gone pretty smooth for us but there have been a couple of things that took him forever.He was rolling to his tummy at 6 months, scooting around on his belly at 9 months, crawling at 11 months and he is now starting to walk at 14 months. He is trying so hard to talk and is doing very well. Little things like holding his own bottle took forever but I tend to think that it was out of laziness...LOL why hold it when mommy will do it for me!! We have been very lucky with him. To see him now you would never know that he was a preemie except that he has big eyes which is normal for preemies. He is now almost 40 pounds!! I can't give you alot of advice as your daughter was born 12 weeks early compared to 8 weeks which is a HUGE difference. I would think that it would have a big impact on development. You say that she has had no problems since coming home so you are doing something right. Just remember that the first 12 weeks was just catch up time so if she if 3 months behind on sitting up then for her she is right on track. My oldest son was walking at 12 months and my youngest is doing it at 14 months..so he is right on track.Don't worry she will do it when she is good and ready and every child is different so whats normal for her may not be normal for someone else. Dont worry that you are not doing enough. I am sure that you do more then is neccesary. Congrats on your little bundle and good luck.

Your daughter is 12weeks or ages. My son is 2years old now. In the 2years, I have no shopping, no sports, no other my own things. All day around him. Fortunately my mother can help me.

My daughter was also premature, but only by 7 weeks. We only spent 12 days in the hospital, and she was off of oxygen since she was 3 hours old. But, then she got yellow jaundice the day we were supposed to come home, (day 5) and so we had to stay. She weighed 4 lbs already. I can't imagine how big she would have been 7 weeks later...lol. She was slow to do all the normal things like sitting, crawling, walking. But now, she's 2 1/2 and you would never know she was a preemie. Except for that she has TONS of respiratory problems, such as Asthma, and gets pneumonia pretty often. She also has some life threatening allergies. Good luck with yours! I wish you well! P.S. Keep your head up! Mine didnt even roll over until age 7 months, sat up alone at 10 months, didn't walk until almost 1 1/2. So, don't worry, you are not alone!!!

I had two babies that were both exactly 6 weeks early and both weighed exactly 5 pounds and their lungs and hearts etc were perfect. I was so lucky. I have seen others...my grandson was born premature by nearly 2 months and was in the hospital for 3 weeks. He was extremly slow in talking, walking, and almost everything. He is now 8 and a perfectly normal and intelligent kid and very active in sports. Maturity level is above normal. I would not worry just yet on your little one. sometimes they just need some time to catch up.