Premature babies are babies born before pregnancy week 37. These babies usually have two ages.

• chronological age which is the age of the baby from the time of birth
• corrected age  is the age based on his original due date. This age is very important. It is used by health care officials  when evaluating the baby’s growth and development.

 

 
When people ask you about your child’s  age, what you say is totally up to you. For example you can just say your baby is 6 months old. You may also say he is 6 months old but was born 2 months early that’s why he look like a 4 months old.

How to calculate your child’s corrected age ?

 
Calculating your child’s corrected age is not difficult. To calculate your baby’s corrected age, you begin with the  child’s actual age in weeks ( this is the number of weeks from birth) and then  subtract the number of weeks your baby was preterm. This is your child’s corrected ages.

How to determine the number of weeks your baby was premature

 
A term pregnancy is 40 weeks. To determine the number of weeks your  baby was premature, subtract baby’s gestation age at birth from 40. For example if your baby was born at 28 weeks gestation,he was 12 weeks ( 3 months) premature. If he is now 6 month ( 24 weeks), his corrected age is  24 weeks – 12 weeks = 12 weeks (3 months).

You should therefore expect your child to be at or near the developmental  level of a 3 month old. Parents are often frustrated  and family and friends may express concerns about the child’s development. If you have any concerns about your child’s development , talk to your doctor. Most premature babies catch up developmentally by age 3.
 
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