Underweight Preemies

K.,

Although I do not have a preemie, my 27 month old daughter that was born after full term of 40 weeks has always been on the (very) light side, she has even gone as low as 5% on the "weight scale". She has only recently hit 24 lbs and is still wearing 12-18 month clothes. With that said, it worries me every time she goes through her "non eating" spouts but the doctor has told me over & over again that there is no need to worry, she is healthy.
Good luck w/ everything and enjoy!
M.

Hi K.,

I also have a 26 weeker! She was born June 9, 2005, so she's just hit the 16 month mark. She's 17lbs. 6 oz. She's a petite thing but fiesty as heck... burns off all the calories she eats runnin' around!!! : ) She is also doing just fine - a little verbally behind, but I'm not too worried. She talks all the time, I just can't understand her quite yet!

Audrianna eats table food and has since she was 1. She absolutely hated baby food. She can't have dairy, so she drinks goat's milk, which is working great. We started on Nutramigen and switched to goat's milk in July. She drinks a 6-8oz. bottle at night (we took her off day bottles at her 1 year adjusted age) because I can't get her to drink enough milk during the day to keep up with the 16-24oz quota that she's supposed to be meeting right now. She's never been a great eater, just picks, kinda like a little bird.
I've asked the doctors and other mothers of preemies about her being so tiny, and they've all pretty much said that it's relatively normal. As long as she's healthy there's nothing to worry about. So - very long story short - don't worry! : )

Take Care,
Chris from Kennesaw, GA

hi my name is L. and i have twin boys that will be three in january. they were born at 27 weeks, its been a hard road but its getting easier now that they are bigger, but as far as the weight goes one weighs 24 pounds and the other one 22 pounds and almost 3, they said it just takes awhile for preemies to catch up but dont worry hang in there it will be ok. i still have people that come up and ask how old they are and dont believe it when i tell them b/c they are not the "average" size of a 2 1/2 year olds. but keep your head up and dont worry they will catch up in time. anything else just feel free to ask at anytime

K.,
in advice to your question. I had a son who was born prematurely 24 weeks gestation and he didnt gain alot af weight until he 6 months old. My doctor had me to add pedia sure to his bottles and his cereal this helped him gain weight pretty fast, i'm not sure if it willd do you anygood or not and you should ask your doctor as well before giving it to them. Just wanted to give you some advice on my part.god bless

Mrs.T.

I had a son who was born at 29 weeks and weighed 2lbs 4oz when he was born. He is now 10 and weighs 70 lbs, my other son is nine and weighs 98lbs. Preemies born at a very small weight will always be smaller, but they will catch up to the "curve" that the doctors use on hieght and weight once they get a little older. My son is the slimmest but he is tall and at the correct weight for his height and he eats the most out of everyone in the family. Since he is so active he burns off the food he eats. I tell you this because your twins will be small for a while, the important thing is that they eat and get the nutrients they need. My son finally reached his "suggested weight when he was 9, but he eats a lot and is in good health no other health problems except eczema. Their development will be slow at first, but when they hit that spurt, they will flourish. Just take lots of pictures and when they get older let them see how small they were and how far they have come. So they can undertsand that they are little miracles and truly blessings, My son loves looking at his preemie picture and says "mom I still can't believe thats me." I know its hard not to worry but if you just love them, give them their formula until their ready for more, and keep up with their vitamins, you'll see your babies grow faster than you know. and then they'll be big like mine and you'll contantly wonder where did all the food go.
Best of luck to you and your babies,
C.

Obviously, you've received enough responses to know that your girls are doing just fine. I have a 26 weeker, he is now 15 months old and a little over 21 lbs. Preemies are just like any other kid, they all grow at different rates. He is getting 24 oz of whole milk a day, which is what I atribute his higher weight to. Based on your daughter's ages, I would say that we may have been in the NICU at the same time. We were at Children's and my son was born July 10th.

Take care!

My little girl has had trouble gaining weight, she's three now. Recently I have started giving her pediasure (or the generic brand is just as good) and that seems to have helped a little. Any way you can add some extra calories to their daily meals will eventually add up. A nutritionist at The Medical Center gave me some recipes for some weight gain milk shakes, if you want I can send them to you.

Hi, i know what your going through my daughter was born at 29 weeks and she is 22 pounds and 15 months old, but only weighs that much because we had her on the neosure for a few weeks after she can home from the nicu...she is still a very picky eater and what ever she eats she eats......for some reason they know what there body needs and what it doesnt....that is what our pediatrician told us....we just try to give her everything imaginable and she takes what she wants....it could also be that there metabolisms work really well and there just burning off the calories by there everyday play......ask your dr....he/she should have more ideas on what to give them

I do not have twins or a preemie but I have a friend who had her second son at 24 weeks. He will now be 14 months old Oct. 17th. He weighs around the same as your little one's. He is only 13 pounds though. It's sounds like they are very healthy and doing great. I'm sure you are doing an excellent job at giving them the best opportunities they can receive. I'm not sure on the age range where they will catch up. Sarah's doctor, (the friend I was talking about), said that Grey, (her son), should be caught up weight and height wise by the time he is two. Good luck and I hope everything works out for you.

Weight is not the important issue in little ones. If your doctor is not concerned you shouldn't be either. My sister had a premature boy just over 2 years ago, weighed 2 lbs, 13 oz. He grew wonderfully and at just over 2 weighs around 25 pounds. My daughter on the other hand will be 2 in December, was born at almost 8 pounds, but gained weight very slowly and just finally hit the 20 lb mark at 18 months. Her doctor did all kinds of tests to make sure there wasn't a problem but said she is just a small girl. So, a baby's health is not the same as their weight...good luck with your little ones!!!

K.,

I am not a mom of twins, but rather a twin myself. As is normal, my sister and I were born premature by about 4 weeks. Definatley not as small as your babies, but we did have some challenges growing up.

The thing I could contribute as far as "catching" up is this: I am 33 years old, 5 feet tall and 105 pounds! Do you think that is caught up? Truthfully, it isn't something that bothers me, it is all my sister and I have ever known. And I know God made me just the way He needed me.....and I am healthy. The problem with this seems to be with other people. I can not tell you how many times perfect strangers have commented on how tiny I am or how little I weigh. I have learned to say things like, well I am one of two so if I were full size I would be 5 feet tall and 210 pounds! It kinda throws people but I guess that is my intention. I think their comments on my weight and height are as rude as if I were to say to someone who is extremly tall and heavy, wow you are a giant and overweight!

I guess what I am saying is, your babies may never catch up with other children from a growth presepective, but as a Christian you'll have the ability to teach them that it really isnt important. The thing I know that God has taught me through this is that every single one of us is uniquily different and designed to fit the plan He had for us, part of that is the way we look and our size. Do your babies a favor and grab a hold of that now, so that when they are exposed to others, they will not be thrown by their comments. And dont be afraid to stand up for them in front of them, not in a rude way, but surely people know it is rude to comment on someone's weight or height.

May God Bless You and your family and keep them whole!

I still have the same problem with my 2 years old daughter. She never really ate as a baby, she would never drink more than 2 ounces of formula at a time when she was little.As she starting eating older food she would be real picky with food. I worried myself to death and went to specialist and everything. She remained at 20 pounds for a long time, but finally at her 2 year checkup she finally gained 1.5 pounds. So I do not have any real tricks of the trade or anything except for as long as they are healthy everywhere else they will catch up on their own time. I stopped all the specialist doctors and special diets and just let her eat at her own speed and she is gaining weight on her own.

K., my middle daughter was born at 31w6d at 3lbs12oz. She turned 2 in July and still hardley weighs 20lbs. In all other respects she is caught up to other 2 year olds. She's just small and I have a feeling she will be small the rest of her life. In my opinion, 17-18lbs for 14mo old 26-weekers is AWESOME!

My daughter doesn't eat well either. She refused baby food altogether but loved table food. Now that she is in the toddler stage she is even more picky and won't eat any dinner I cook. I feel like she lives off breakfast foods, which is most of what she will eat. She's 100% healthy though and a very active, very stubborn 2 year old!!

I have two girls age 8 and 5 both premature. The oldest is about 80 pounds and the 5 year old is tiny. She only wears like a 4t and a size 8 in toddler shoes. She still has to have a regular car seat and only weighs about 34 pounds at last Dr visit. She will be six in December and I am anxious to see how much she weighs. The Dr told me that because she is so active, she burns off a lot. I don't worry about size as long as she is eating and growing (even if it is slow).

M.

Hi K.,

My daughter was also premature. She is now almost 18 months old and is about 21 lbs. Her pediatritian suggested pediasure in her milk to give her some extra calaries and that really seems to be helping. She is perfectly healthy and is doing great on her mental development, but I was also worried about her weight. They say it takes babies who were born premature until they are 2 yrs old to really "catch up" to babies who were born at full term. Don't worry about other Moms comparing their baby to yours or people saying they are small. Only you know what your babies need.

Hi I am a 32 yr old mom of twin 3yr olds. My boys were born full term so I 'm sorry I don't have much advise. I am a member of the Chattanooga area mothers of multiples club. I I know there will be moms there that might help you. We meet the last Monday night of each month at a church off 58. There is free babysitting at the meetings. It's very casual and always we have food. come if your intrestsed it might help. Here is the web site for more info.http://www.chattanoogamothersofmultiples.com /

J.

I have just signed on to this sight and i saw you question. I may be able to help some, I have a five year old who was born at twenty-seven weeks he weighed 2 lbs 8 oz at birth, the drs told us it would take until he was three, and right about then he did finally get on the chart with the kids his age but honestly he is just now getting to were u can tell he is five. Another thing ive always heard is preemies make big people so do worry they will catch up even though it seems like its taking forever.

K.:
My son (who just turned 10 last week), was also born at 26 weeks. He weighed 2 lbs. 5 oz. at birth, but lost to 1 lb. 10 oz. while in the NICU. When he finally came home (at just 4lbs!) we had him on the formula made especially for preemies. I can't remember what it is called, but Similac makes it. It only comes in powder form. Anyway, by the time Jake was 6 months old, he no longer had that "preemie" look to him - he looked like a very chubby 3 month old. We started to have trouble with colic at about 4 months because his pediatrician wanted me to start him on vegetables instead of friuts (and yeah, we started him that early on solids... I dont' recommend it). He's always been a picky eater, and ate so little that I would really worry about him. Even now, I still give him high protien in his diet (he eats lots of peanut butter!). Jake is still fairly small for his age (50 lbs, only about 4' tall), but on the average, a lot of the boys in his class are the same size.

All in all, I wouldn't worry so much about their weight right now. It might be a good idea to try the preemie formula, though, since it has a higher calorie count than the regular formulas. As long as they are gaining weight at each of their check-ups, they are doing fine. They might always be smaller than their counterparts, but they can be healthy and happy anyway.