Preemie babies are born weeks and sometimes months ahead of their actual due dates, often before their nervous systems and little bodies have fully developed. As a result, they can fall behind full-term babies for a while after they arrive. That doesn’t mean that premature babies won’t develop into perfectly normal and healthy kids, but it does mean that their timelines can be a little different.| What to Expect
No one plans on having their newborn spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), but roughly 78 out of every 1,000 babies born in the U.S. each year stay in these specialized nurseries. Most of them are premature babies, as 1 in 10 newborns are born before 37 weeks in the U.S. So it’s worth learning about the place all preemies visit upon arrival. Here’s a quick guide to what you can expect while your baby is there. | What to Expect
Tired of explaining your preemie daughter’s size and age to passersby? Indeed, premature infants are smaller in terms of length and weight, but they do put on the ounces and pounds, just like their full-term peers. And keep in mind that the differences between on-time and premature babies are most pronounced in the first year, with the gaps generally closing by age 2 or 2 1/2.| What to Expect
Being a new parent is already a lot to handle, but when a baby is born early, the job comes with its own set of special issues. But thankfully, due to a myriad of medical advances, even some of the tiniest premature babies born after 28 weeks have a good chance of surviving— and thriving. | What to Expect
When it’s time to go to sleep at night, you probably don’t just hop into bed in the clothes you wore all day and turn out the light. Whether you realize it or not, you follow a routine — brush your teeth, wash your face, change into pajamas, and maybe read for a little while before lights out. Like you, your baby can benefit from a consistent and predictable bedtime routine.| What to Expect
