Development of 36 week twins?

[paigekins]

My twin boys were born at 36 weeks 2 days, so they weren't terribly premature, but they were kept in the NICU for 12 days before coming home. They both weighed under 5 pounds and couldn't eat on their own or maintain their body temps. They both had a run with billirubin and Weston had some breathing problems.

They are home now and have been born for about 5.5 weeks. They're doing great as far as eating and pooping and temp and such, but my question IS... how should they be developing? I feel like they're too far behind for only being a week away from full term. Granted they were small and twins.

They make eye contact with me when they're eating. They're holding their heads up pretty well. But they don't follow objects with their eyes or look for me when they cry and they haven't given anywhere near a "real" smile yet.

Anyone here have a child born around that time? When did they hit their milestones? Should I be worried?? Is 36 weeks earlier than I think it is?

Thanks, ladies... Sorry for the long post. I'm just so worried that there's something wrong with them.

 

[Sam182]

Please bear in mind they shouldn't be here yet so they shouldn't be ready to make eye contact yet. My little man is much earlier so I can't advise when it will happen but you have to give them time and don't expect anything major until after their due date x

 

[RainbowGift]

Even the shortest stint in the NICU creates a worry in a parent that they bring home... it takes a while for that to go away. BUT it is time for you to relax and rejoice.

It's impossible not to obsess over milestones, but make sure you look for them to occur based on corrected age. Based on corrected age, your babies have just been born! So don't expect anything but a sucking reflex. They are not expected to follow you around the room with their eyes for two or three more months!

Also, some milestones will be achieved BEFORE the expected age and some AFTER, all babies are different. My son laughed MONTHS before my daughter did, but she started practicing a range of vocal sounds and coos way before he did. He crawls now and she usually doesn't even want to roll over. They have different personalities, so they are driven to try certain things sooner than others. I remember thinking my girl may be autistic because she liked to look at objects more than into my eyes and she wouldn't laugh. She is now a child who is always looking to meet the eyes of any person around and has the cutest giggle.

DONT WORRY!!!!!!!! xoxoxo Enjoy your babies.

 

[paigekins]

Thanks to both of you. New mom syndrome, I guess.

 

[momof2babies]

with my son who was full term he had his first real smile at around 5 weeks with my daughter she was 12 or 13 weeks but she was a 26 week premie

 

[Foogirl]

Throw those charts away. Don't look at them, they are useless except as an occasional dip in, to see roughly what's happening. We did it about every three months to see if there was anything we should be seeking additional help with. I still have no idea what the milestones are, or when Abby hit any of them. We became aware at a year old her gross motor skills were lacking by about 3-6 months and started seeking help. It was about 3 months beyond that her consultant started to be concerned. I haven't had twins but I would have thought because of their size, they are probably different even to singles born at that gestation.

The best advice I was given, when we had a chat with the consultant about known future concerns was, for the first year, take her home and enjoy her. What will be, will be.

And he was so right, because once we had her home, for that year, we got to experience normality. Abby has now been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and for the past 18 months we have slowly had to accept her life, and ours is a world away from what we expected. Having that 12 months to get over her shaky start and just be a family with a "normal" baby (as far as that is possible with a preemie) gave us the strength to deal with our life now. There is every reason to hope your LOs will be just fine, so for now, just enjoy them.

 

[vermeil]

Very well said foogirl!! I agree a thousand percent.

Just enjoy your wonderful, beautiful babies. Take time to get to know each other, etc. These precious few months go by sooooo fast, just toss the book out the window and enjoy them. It`s cliche but so true, all babies are unique and do things in their own time.

My best friend had twins at 37 weeks and though they spent a few days in the hospital too they`re both just fine.

My son was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy last december as he was showing early signs of paralysis on his right side. I became obsessed with milestones, thinking every tiny detail was a sign of yet another problem. I was always stressed, always doing research, worrying like crazy. Well fast forward 8 months on a waiting list for a specialized center. When I finally met them, a full team of specialists examined him for an hour, only to conclude he was fully normal, all signs of paralysis had disapeared. he`s 15 months corrected and I feel like I can finally relax and enjoy the wonderful little person that he is. Of course I had no crystal ball at the time to tell me everything would be ok. But still I wish I hadn`t gotten so obsessed over milestones and just focused on the joy he brings to my life.