How far behind is "normal"

[ariel]

Through personall experiance i know all too well that not all children develop at the same rate, So im not sure if im worrying about nothing, but here goes, Ds is a year old in a few weeks time , he was born at 29 wks gestation therfore really he should only be just past 9 months old, he has had no real problems because of his prematurity, but i do feel his development is quite delayed, he is unable to sit unaided , he cannot take a great deal of weight on his legs, he has just mastered rolling over and back, he does babble "baba" and "mum".He just looks so much younger than he actually is, i know he wont be as developed as a 12 month old baby, and we need to class him as a 9 month old baby, but surely he should be doing more.

I wouldn't be inclined to worry at the moment. If he is a few weeks away from his first birthday then he is only 11 months old, and taken from hisEDD therefore only developmentally 8 months. Lots of babies can't sit up at eight months - I think the guidelines say this happens between 6 and 9 months. Some will be quicker however and some slower. A premature baby is much likely to be slower even taking into accounthis prematurity - but by the time they're 2 or 3 they have totally caught up in most cases.

I would just give him every opportunity to sit up (I take it his head control is OK?) - surround him by cushions, sit him in a bouncy chair and maybe hold a toy just out of reach so he has to excercise those back muscles.

My HV (one of the nice ones!) also suggested I keep my ds on his front so he had to push himslef up on his arms to strengthen his back and neck (he had poor head control at 6 months, was referred to consultant who said he was fine! - which he is).

HTH

Meant to add, back control starts from the neck and works downwards IYSWIM, so maybe try supporting his waist - you may find he already has some strength in his upper back.

He does have quite a strong back and neck control, he sits very well with only a small amount of support, he does also push himself up whilst lieing on his belly, .Sometimes my logic side says theres nothing wrong and i am over reacting, but having another child who has alot of special needs, sometimes my imagiation can run away, but thanks for the reply, he has to see his doctor on thursday , and im sure he will say the same.

I know what it is like to have a second child born early. Ds has CP and unforturely our doubts were proved right when DD1 was also dignosed with CP at 13 mths. Hopefully your son will be fine, DD2 wasn't sitting up at 9 months (7 months adj) but she sat up about 10 months and is now walking. She was delayed too but is fine.

Ariel,

I can only sympathise as I had a prem baby and it was hard to correct her age all the time. By 11 months she was sitting, but friends who had prem babies weren't, she wasn't talking at all. When she was 19 months she was crawling everywhere, and saying 2 words (that we could undersand) By 2 she was saying 50+ words and running around like a looney. She was only 14lbs at a year, so looked the size of a 3 month old sometimes, but becasue she was my first I didn't notice how slow she was. Now I have a 2nd baby who (being biased) is brilliant, at 22 months she is potty trained and speaks in sentances!! I realise even more how delayed Poppy was. Poppy is now nearly 4 and the only thing holding her back is her size - she is about the size of a 2 - 3 yr old. I don't feel she really started to hit those 'milestones' until she was about 2 1/2, and she still has things that I could put down to her prematurity or to sheer bl**y mindness (like a year to pottytrain!)

Good luck the Dr should reassure you, write down all your concerns however, becasue you'll forget otherwise

Thanks everyone,i know i put alot of my concerns over ds3 down to all the problems dd2 had, not just being prem but over coming gbs meningitis coping with haveing hydrocephalus and surgery at 4 months old, diagnosed with cp at 7 months, and just discovering that she could well be blind in one eye, i suppose im looking for possible problems that probably arn,t there, i also know his doctors are brilliant and there aware of dds medical history.

After having a "delayed development" third baby and after being referred to Great Ormond Street, it now comes back that my baby has not got synostosis - wrong diagnosis on the part of my local hospital.

I wrote under "baby with very funny shaped head" and said that the doctor I saw at GOSH asked who told me my DD3 had "delayed development" and when I told him it was my local hospital he said they were wrong - she is actually at the right stage for "her".

She is now 15 months, doesn't crawl, does bum shuffle, does walk around furniture, only just (1 week ago) started turning over and getting herself to a sitting position. Saying that, she is very big - just under 8lbs born, now weighs 27 lbs and is about 87 cm long!

She is just exactly right for "her".

How did the Dr's appointment go on Thursday ariel?

Titchy, thanks for asking , the doctor said he is slighty behind in his social development, but nothing she didnt expect due to his prematureity(sp?) she did say his physicall development is quite delayed and is now refering him for a physiotherapy assesment, she did say the upper part of his body is quite rounded, but i really have no idea what that meant, ds was getting really hungry so didnt have time to ask, i dont suppose any one knows what it could mean??

Glad your son is being referred to physio - they can do a great deal andI'm sure he will come on leaps and bounds! Not sure what a round back is either - does it mean he tends to lean forwards so his back is rounded rather than straight? If so all babies are like this until they have total strength in their backs.

Can anyone give me some advice please? My daughter was born at 25 wks weighing 1lb 7oz due to my ill health {kindney & womb infections}. She is now nearly 3 yrs and a joy to be with. We are thinking of having a second baby but petrified of the same thing happening again. Has anyone been through something similar? Any feedback would be grately appreciated.

oscar ... you're getting hidden here suggest you start a new thread with your problem in the title

I didn't think prematurity was something that continues to happen though but others willl know better