Aug 7 2008
We're six and mama's still worried
Nathan, always the impatient one, was born seven weeks early. Looking at my 44-pound, just turned six-year-old, I can hardly believe that once he was so small that he fit into his father's hand and weighed under four pounds.
Having a preemie infant and toddler was a challenge. Nathan had severe reflux and would puke up 30 to 40 times a day. It finally cleared up at 13 months when he developed enough muscle strength to keep the food down. Afterwards, we dealt with gagging and food aversions. He crawled at 13 months and didn't walk until 19 months. He also had speech delays. Through Colorado's early intervention services, Nathan received occupational, physical, and speech therapy and was caught up by age three.
Still there's the worry. When Nathan doesn't act like a typical six-year-old (whatever that means) I wonder if it's his prematurity. Or is it just the way he is?
It's impossible to know for sure since there is so little research on how prematurity affects school-aged children. Most studies look at the micro preemies, those babies who weighed less than two pounds and were born at 22 to 32 weeks. Bigger and older preemies like Nathan are rarely studied, though there is some evidence that they have more learning disabilities, developmental delays, and emotional issues than full-term children.
I'm not surprised. Even though Nathan's an avid athlete, he has a slow, uncoordinated run because he's weaker in trunk strength than most kids. He's also clumsier, doesn't have the greatest sense of balance, and toes in on his left side. In addition, a failed vision test at school alerted us to his need for glasses. Nathan's stuttering again, and is being evaluated to see if he needs speech therapy.
So again, we're circling the wagons around Nathan. With the help of the school's special ed program, we're getting him the help he needs. I know that the stuttering is a very minor issue, and academically Nathan's excelling. Still it doesn't keep me from worrying. As a mama, it's my job.
