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.