When do prem babies lose their prem facial features??

[trixieunderthexmastree]

It's something I've been wondering as outside the NICU ds was in there were photos of the prem babies then and now. I could still see that they were prem babies, even the older children, mainly because of the forehead iykwim. Recently we were in a supermarket and a woman asked me straight away if ds had been prem (she was a nurse and usually people just think he's dinky for his age) even though he's 14 months now.
It's doesn't bother me but I'm just curious about when you think your lo's stopped looking like prem babies.

DD1 (33 weeks) certainly had the classic prem head-shape (narrower at the forehead than lower down the skull) for at least 6 months. Not sure you could tell by a year though - although I always used to think that she was very small because she was prem, but now DD2 who was born at 38 weeks and is now 20 months is smaller if anything!

my cm's son is 14 and obviously a ex-prem. i think some things are permanent, they don't have as many fat cells and those are only given to us by our mother in the womb, depending when they're born will depend on the size of the eyes - more how big they look because they develope outside the eyesockets and retract in the last few weeks of pregnancy.

My DD (born at 30+6) turned one yesterday and the only way you would know she was prem is cos she is still so tiny (13lb 12oz!)I thought that she never really looked prem as she has always had a lovely shaped head. However looking back at pics I realise that she looked prem - her eyes were 'heavy' looking - until she was about 6 months old.

People don't realise that she was prem anymore but I do think it varies from baby to baby, depending on how prem they were etc.

Wow - happy birthday to your DD Rascal!

Thanks Bramshott - been a tad surreal TBH but lovely all the same x

Many children take a good while to lose their prem features, I'm sure a paed told me sometime between 2 and 5 they'll stop being able to tell a child was premature, but those born extremely early or having spent a very long time in hospital may always look prem to those that know what to look for (IYSWIM).

My DS is an ex-30 weeker and by the age of 2 no one could guess he was prem (even the medics)- head looks normal etc. and he really started to grow very fast from 18 months onwards (and is one of the tallest at preschool now!). Hope your little man is doing well xx

I can't remember but kangaboy is 13½ now and he is 5'8 size 8 shoes

he is a surviving identical twin born @ 27 weeks

And so from little acorns big oaks grow

I think his flat sided head went deffo by 2 years

sorry meant 5 years the features were gone

If you look on my profile, you will see Callum as a tiny premmie (33 weeks) and now. I don't think he looks like he was prem now. DD1 however is 8 and still has the larger forehead.

DD (was 33 weeker, now 2.6) still has "prem eyes" but nowhere near as noticeable as when she was younger.

She is now almost average size as well (well still short legs but think that is my genes rather then anything else).

my DS was 35 weeks, and didnt have any prem features at all.

This is really interesting -- a former colleague of mine used to talk about her ds's prem features, mainly in terms of 'baggy eyes', and I could see what she meant. He was 3 at the time.

More recently we met a child at dd2's music class, and I found myself thinking 'I bet she was prem'. Obviously I wouldn't ask, but I nearly posted on MN asking whether there was a distinctive 'look' that prem babies have, but wasn't sure if people might be offended by the question. The other child who has that look very strikingly is the blonde child on that Robert Winston Child of Our Time program -- was she called Helena? I only watch it v. intermittently, but I remember seeing shots of her at school, and I thought you could see she'd been prem.

I think the thing that makes the difference is when other children start to lose the baby fat/ features from their face. I think prem babies always look grown up so the other kids kind of join them IYSWIM.

People always think Tink looks normal, until I show them the label in her clothes! She has a big personality and I think it overshadows her size. I've been told she will always be small, she has been on line for 5' 2" which isn't too bad from her dad's side but they think my genes will give her some growth spurts over and above that so she will end up more like 5'6" which is tall for her dad's family and short for mine!

The further I go with this pregnancy, the more I worry her little sister is going to tower over her

i can usually spot an ex-prem (as mum to a 30-weeker myself) until they're two or three but IMO it's harder after that, apart from those whose distinctive head shape persists beyond that. my DD was very obviously prem from her appearance (forehead, 'baggy eyes' as others have said) for about a year but you couldn't really tell beyond that. no trace now at 7!

I don't think ds3 ever looked prem. The paed at his 9 month check up remarked to 2 junior doctors that "You'd never think he was premature. would you?"

i didn't realise prems were that noticable - if you look at my profile can see my 28 week DT's and them now at 4 - the one on the left (blonder) had plagiocephaly and his head is still wonky, can tell his glasses don't sit straight as one ear is further forward than the other, but I didn't think their features ever gave them away as prem - just their size.

I dont think dd ever looked prem, she ust looked small but then she was born at 32 weeks. That child Helena from The Child Of Our Time program is a prime example but she was very very prem wasn't she so maybe it has something to do with gestation ?

we were told that the flat headed prem baby look was deffo from being 27 weeker

as they tried to put his head in a ring to help prevent it

but if you think about it a baby born more than 3 months early is going to look different because instead of swimming around inside it is outside with pressure put on their body/head

Neerly, they have got some prem features, under the eyes and quite structured faces. I think often we see our children all the time and see them as them so don't notice things like that. BTW they're gorgeous! I think prems often do look stunning.

is it just us mums or are prem babies particulary gorgeous?
when i see "normal babies" with their round faces they just look sorta fat!
my 27 weeker has a long face and bags under his eyes - but is soooo so cute
everyone comments when we're out and about
i just thought it was me being biased

ds2 had bigg puffy eyes, but also very chubby cheeks, so not such a prem look. I think the chubbyness was due to a mixture of nutriprem & drugs.
He also has lots of thick dark hair to disguise his funny shaped head.

But he is sooo beautiful

ds is 9 he still has prem head.

The first time my Mum met dh she said 'oh you were premature then?' It's the head shape. He's nearly 28 and it's still there!