Preemie Miracle Over Stimulation

When preemies are born their neurological system has yet to be developed and they have to endure a lot of handling and stimulus. You should look for signs of neurological delays with preemie births. As parents of a preemie miracle what you can do is watch for signs that your child is over stimulated. Baby's may close or avert their eyes when if they have had to much. When agitated they may arch their back, start to squirm or cry, etc.

When you see this type of behavior try to reduce the amount of stimulus around them. Noisy dryers, tv's, radios, bright lights, the movement of ceiling fans, all could become overwhelming to them. Start by reducing the brightness of the lights or noise. You will have to experiment with different things to find the right combination to soothe your baby.
Until the preemie has a mature neural system they will feel disorganized. They cant process all the stimulus and sensations they are receiving to help them to get organized. Full term babies will place their hands in front of them at the mid-line to get their bearings. (Samaiyah wouldn't do this right away so it was suggested by her therapist to to help her by holding her hands together. This organization is important to brain development to be able to do more complex actions later in life.

While in the NICU the nurses would place her on her belly and tuck her arms and legs underneath her to simulate being in the womb. Swaddling is placing the baby in a blanket and wrapping them tightly simulating their time in the womb. Leave her arms out so she can suck on them if that is a comfort to her.

One thing that I have noticed to be calming to Samaiyah is a slow moving ceiling fan. Also fish swimming in a fish bowl or a feather or cloth slowly spinning could have a calming affect.
Mostly you will have to observe your child and find what is right for him. I hope this information has helped you. For more information about preemie development check out my squidoo page. Samaiyah is the prettiest baby in the world and I don't know what I would do without her.

Preemie Miracle Milestones

Before my daughter was born I had no idea what a preemie milestone was. Being born two months early and weighing only 2lbs. 12oz. I knew we would have a lot of learning to do about her care. She was in the hospital's NICU unit for about a month and that had challenges on us as well.
Happily after about a month she was ready to come home and after buying a special car seat, because she was still so tiny, we were on our way. She is our little preemie miracle. We still had to travel back every couple of weeks for an eye exam because preemies are more susceptible to eye problems. Finally after she graduated from the Children's Hospital and her eye tests we settled into normal doctor visits and immunizations.
After meeting with a therapist who determined she was a little behind on her development a plan was made to help her reach her preemie milestones. The therapist would meet with Samaiyah and do some exercises designed to help a preemie catch up with a full term infant.
We have seen improvement and we get a sheet each session showing where she is at and which milestones she has reached. She is a lot more vocal now and will respond to our voice and follow us around the room with her eyes.
She is still tiny at 5 months old and still in 0 to 3 month old clothes but she is a beauty and already has her own personality and a beautiful smile. Samaiyah is the prettiest baby in the world.
We are lucky because my wife works in the daycare that Samaiyah attends and has a Child Development Associates degree. She is always close by to check on our daughter and keep me informed on preemie milestones and such.
Through reading I learned that the first three years are a peak period of development during which the child's brain has twice as many synapse as an adults. If they are used repeatedly in the early years they become permanent if not the synapse will likely not survive. These reasons are are why a baby needs consistent emotional, physical, cognitive, and language stimulation starting from birth. So let's all meet those preemie milestones and if your baby isn't a preemie it is still important to know where your baby is at with his milestones as well.