Concerns about my 8 Month old Preemie

[MeliiBelii]

Hi everyone!

I haven't been on this site for awhile now, so I hope it's ok if I share some of my concerns here.

My DS is a preemie, he was born at 34.1 weeks gestation. He's now going to be 8 months old, actual, on Saturday. I've just been feeling worried and concerned about somethings and I wanted to see of any other preemie moms had experience or hopeful stories.

I find myself obsessed with all these milestones and I wonder if there are signs of a problem or if I'm just crazy. So please bare with me!

He doesn't babble by saying mama/dada/baba. He does say agoo, Agee, aaaaah and oooohs. He shrieks and squeals happily, laughs and smiles, a lot.

He just recently started sitting, though he still needs his hands for support at times. He can roll from back to belly, but can't roll the other way.

He doesn't like any solid baby food I have given him. It's been 2 months since I've starter him on solids and it's truly a struggle to feed it to him.

He doesn't reach out for me to pick him up, he doesn't reach for anyone.

He loves to play with his toys, mouths them etc. When he drops a toy he doesn't cry or look for it.

I just feel like there's so much more than that, but I can't think right now. I am a ftm, so I hope my worries are silly. I hope he just needs a little more time because he's a preemie. Did anyone else deal with these things? When did your preemies start babbling/reaching for you/responding to their names?

I know I'm rambling, I just had to get this out somehow!

 

[AP]

First of all-throw the guidebooks out the window. Preemies are so different it's unreal!

From what you are saying, I think your LO is doing just fine! Even with our termie, she isn't a fan of puréed food and it's a fight to give it to her. She prefers finger foods and you might want to start looking at baby led weaning and letting your baby explore. Also sweet foods are prob best to start with, fruity things.

As for everything else it does sound completely normal!

 

[kelly6407]

My lil girl is 8.5 months and does all the same and can't do any of wot u said ur Lil one can't do so basically the same, although she can roll the other way and not the way urs can.

But I don't think she's due to do any of it yet, I'm going by her adjusted age which is almost 6 months and all the other babies I know that age are at about the same stage. Some doing more some doing less.

 

[kelly6407]

Oh except feeding, she eats ok but she's blw so feeds herself, but milk is her main source of food with just some finger foods thrown in. Bowls of rice/cereal and yogurts.

 

[JadeyB]

Hey honey,

I agree throw out all of those books. Even milestones for a full term baby are way off.

My DS Was born at full term and apart from the eating as he is a real foodie, everything else sounds similar. Sitting may have been a little earlier, but I know he didn't sit unaided until 7/8 months.

Ethan babbled but didn't say anything that sounded like words until gosh 1 year and even then it was very sporadic. I would only way that he really started saying mama and dada not long before he said it properly. He is 19 months now and he seems to say as much or more than the babies his age but no where near as much as baby centre says he should be saying!! He is supposed to be stringing words together now. Xx

 

[ermm23a]

My DS was a 33 week preemie but had stopped growing at 30 weeks. He's now 10.5 months old. I agree about throwing out the books. Preemies are so different, you really can't use the normal milestones to measure them.

It took forever before mine could even sit up on his own. And he just now started crawling this week. An army crawl really, bc he doesn't lift his stomach off the ground. He has yet to say mama or dada. He babbles a lot, but nothing that we can understand. I don't stress myself out about it. My pediatrician doesn't seem concerned, so neither am I.

The food thing is a struggle for us too. I haven't been pushing solids like I should though, so some of that is my fault. He will get there when he's ready though. He will let you know when he wants food food. Don't stress yourself out about that.

 

[MeliiBelii]

Thanks, ladies!! Your responses have really eased my worried mind!! This parenting thing is tough!!

 

[AP]

oh hun! Stick around, we have a nice lil group here!!! X x

 

[stepmum]

My little boy is a few days shy of 7 months old actual (I realise it's a little bit younger than your lo) and I've kinda accepted that he's not gonna roll..at all! He can do it and has done it, just only a handful of times and only once back to front.

He's also a really quiet baby and only has shreiking outbursts every now and then, he's yet to do a proper "baby belly laugh" and I'm not sure we are gonna hear any actual words anytime soon.

He also is not bothered about dropping his toys and his grip on some things is still not fantastic and sometimes it's really hard to get his attention.

However he has amazing strength whilst standing and I think he's going to be an early walker Our docs also don't seem concerned at all over his development.

As others have said the milestones are not 100% accurate when it comes to full terms babies let alone premmies. Please don't worry yourself, in some case some babies (prem and full term) skip physical milestones altogether, such as rolling or crawling.

I would go loosely by your LO's corrected age and even then try and not be too concerned unless you see a drastic difference, and even then it may not be a problem. x

 

[lozzy21]

Sounds like LO is doing fine Hun. My LO was born at 35 weeks and dident roll untill she was 8 months old but went from rolling to pulling herself up on the furniture in 6 weeks.

 

[PleaseBaby]

APart from the feeding, Amelia is a gannet. she's doing everything my little one does and shes just passed her 9 month check with flying colours. Dont worry they all get there in their own time x

 

[MeliiBelii]

^^ thank you!!

It's great to get this reassurance. I don't know anyone IRL who has a baby or has even had one recently, so you ladies are a great source of help and info!