Preemie Development: Understanding Actual vs Corrected Age

How old is your baby? Most new mothers hear that question a lot. For the mom of a premature infant, also known as a preemie, the answer can be complicated. So how exactly do you answer this person’s question? It’s really up to you, but it is important that you are aware of preemie development and understand actual versus corrected age.

Catching Up

A baby that is born two months premature is not expected to develop at the same pace as a baby who is born to term. While one meets milestones as expected, the other needs time to catch up.

Therefore, terms like actual age or chronological age are one way of looking at development. The other way is to focus on corrected age, also known as gestational age.

Actual age is the time since your baby was born, whereas corrected age is how old your baby would be if they had been born on their due date. Therefore, if your baby was born three months early and it is now seven months since birth, your baby’s corrected age is seven months minus three months premature. This equals a corrected age of four months.

Why Focus on the Corrected Age?

Having a corrected age allows our board-certified pediatricians in Marietta, GA, and your care team to follow your baby’s growth and development. A baby born several months premature is not expected to be at the same developmental stage as a baby born to term.

During the first two years, using your baby’s corrected age will give you a more realistic idea of when the baby should reach common developmental goals.

Common Developmental Problems

Health problems are common with premature infants. Some of these issues include the following:

• Feeding difficulties, including trouble sucking, swallowing, and breathing.
• Breathing difficulties that happen when the baby’s lungs do not have enough fluid to keep their small air sacs open. The result can include pauses in breathing, scarring of the lungs, or respiratory distress syndrome.
• Infections due to an immature immune system and exposure to infections in the hospital or before birth.
• Jaundice, which happens when the baby’s liver is not developed enough to clear waste.
• Neurological problems, including cerebral palsy, developmental delay, and autism spectrum disorder. Cognitive delay may be linked to the degree of prematurity.
• Other issues, including vision problems such as retinopathy of prematurity, bleeding in the brain, or bowel problems.

Most parents stop using corrected age after two or three years.

Contact Cobb Pediatrics at (770) 425-5331 if you have additional questions or concerns about the development of your premature baby and actual versus corrected age.

Sources

• Corrected gestational age for premature babies | Pregnancy Birth and Baby
• Corrected Age for Preemies – HealthyChildren.org
• Premature babies and corrected age | Raising Children Network
• What Does It Mean to “Adjust for Prematurity”? | Pathways