November is Prematurity Awareness Month®.
Bringing a baby into the world can be both exciting and stressful. For parents and caregivers of premature infants, the concerns are heightened.
Families may spend weeks or months in the hospital under the care of a highly-specialized medical team before a preemie is ready to go home. Going home is a milestone mixed with excitement and anxiety.
At Partners in Child Development, our Early Intervention Services offer support to infants and children up to age three, including premature infants. Often the hospital NICU staff or pediatrician will refer families to us regarding a premature infant, but parents and caregivers can also reach out to us directly. We initially complete a developmental evaluation meeting with the family and the infant.
We serve the Greater Lowell communities including Billerica, Dracut, Dunstable, Chelmsford, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, and Westford.
Early Intervention Services for Premature Infants
Early Intervention Services are provided at the infant’s home with the parents and/or caregivers of the baby, making it easier for the family. We embrace a family-focused coaching model to provide ideas and suggestions to the family to help support the infant’s development. Typically, our services are provided once a week, but the frequency is determined by the family.
Support for the family is especially important as often, and understandably so, the family may be concerned and sometimes overwhelmed. Risks of postpartum depression tend to be significantly higher for a mother having a premature infant and the emotional toll on the family can be significant. Our support services may include connecting mothers to available resources in the community.
Common Focus Areas of Early Intervention Services for a Premature Infant
Our experience has shown that premature infants commonly have risks of developmental delays for feeding and motor skills. Our Early Intervention Services team includes highly-skilled physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and a registered nurse who can assess and assist with any developmental delays or risks.
Feeding
The growth of any baby is dependent on feeding. Early Intervention Services assists parents and caregivers with feeding once they are home. During home visits, we are observing, offering support and advice, and following through on pediatrician recommendations. It is common for premature infants to have more challenges coordinating their sucking-swallowing-breathing.
As the baby grows and transitions to solid foods, Early Intervention Services can offer support and guidance to help the family and the baby with that transition.
Motor Skills
Premature infants are at a higher risk of delays with respect to motor skill development. Early Intervention Services provides support and therapies to assist families with premature infants to develop motor skills.
Our skilled and highly-trained specialists work with families and their preemie to assess, monitor, and support a baby’s motor skill development. Important target areas that will be assessed and monitored with a premature infant include:
- Symmetry of movement (comparing the right and left sides of the body)
- Muscle tone
- Newborn Reflexes
- Head control
Nicole, a mother of twins born at 28 weeks, describes the benefits to her premature twins and her family from the services provided by Early Intervention Services: “The therapists were warm, knowledgeable, and amazing. We trusted they had our daughters’ best interests in mind as they continued to listen, adjust, and address all our concerns through almost three years working together…we strongly believe that the care the girls received through EI has played an essential part in their overall growth and development.”
Conclusion
The opportunity for a premature infant to grow and thrive has improved dramatically with medical and technological advances over the years. Initially, our Early Intervention Services specialists monitor developmental progress comparing the premature infant’s adjusted age to their chronological age. With early intervention therapies and support, the gap typically closes, and they meet age-appropriate developmental milestones!
Getting Started is as easy as 1,2,3.
Learn more about Common Concerns.
