THE MILESTONES approach

The most important thing to remember is that your little one was born before he was entirely ready for it. That is why he in fact has two birth dates: his chronological birth date, which is the day on which he was born, and his biological birth date, the date on which he was actually due. This also called his corrected age. If your baby was born three months early, his biological or corrected age when you go home three months later is actually newborn, although his chronological age is already three months.

This means your baby won’t necessarily meet his milestones at the same age as his friends. In the first two years give him time to develop at his own pace and catch up to friends who spent longer in the womb.

Some babies catch up so fast that they develop at the same pace or even faster than their peers.

Premature babies’ development often depends on the cause of the prematurity, for example babies who were born early due to preeclampsia are often stronger than babies who were born early due to illness or infection.

Each child really is unique and therefore it is very difficult to establish exact milestones. Observe your baby closely without being too anxious, but also don’t wait until it is too late to consult an expert. The earlier any problems are identified, the better. Take your baby for check-ups at four, eight and 12 months to your paediatrician or a specialist in premature babies.