Preterm or premature nascence occurs when a woman delivers her babe before the 37th calendar week of pregnancy. Various factors can cause preterm birth, but one of the near serious concerns is the babies' low birth weight (LBW).

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), "development is not a race, and babies develop at their own pace" (i). Therefore, even premature babies will gradually reach developmental milestones, including weight gain, if proper weather condition are offered.

This post discusses premature babies' weight gain and growth and provides a premature baby growth chart.

Understanding The Weight Of Premature Babies

The average weight of a newborn is seven pounds (iii.17 kilograms). But the average weight of a preterm infant is about five pounds (2.26 kilograms) or less. The exact weight depends on how early on the babe is delivered, with infants born after 28 weeks of pregnancy weighing 2.iii pounds (i kilogram) (2).

There is a divergence in premature babies with depression birth weight, compared to babies who suffered intra uterine growth retardation, then called "Small for gestational age" babies.

Weight, Height, And Head Circumference Growth In Premature Babies

The weight, height, and caput circumference of a premature infant volition vary depending on the gestational week of their birth and their overall health at birth. The following are some key points nearly the weight, meridian, and head circumference of premature babies:

Note that these are the average figures while the actual figures may differ from one infant to another.

  • Premature infants are put in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and ideally start gaining weight within a few days after nascency.
  • The weight gained tin significantly differ among babies. A baby with a gestational historic period of 24 weeks (built-in after the 24th week of pregnancy) may attain five grams per day while those born at 33 weeks or after can put on equally much equally thirty grams per day (three).
  • The desirable weight gain in babies who are born with a nascence weight of more than ii kilograms is twenty-30 grams per day (iv).
  • The pinnacle of preterm babies increases by about i.1 centimeters every week until the completion of the ideal gestational historic period, which is near xl weeks.
  • The chronological age of the infant is the accented age, which is the time from the birth of a premature infant to the present. This age is also chosen postnatal historic period.
  • A healthy premature babe is likely to bear witness improvement outset in the head circumference, followed by weight and peak.

In the next section, we give you a detailed growth chart for premature infants.

[ Read: Guide To Track Your Premature Baby's Development ]

Premature Baby Growth Chart

The Fenton growth chart for preterm infants is most commonly used for assessing the growth milestones of a premature baby. The Fenton chart was created in 2003 by Dr. Tannis Fenton, who revised it in 2013 to accommodate the new standards suggested by the Globe Health Arrangement (5).

In the next section, we listing the approximate values for meridian, weight, and caput circumferences for both preterm infant girls and boys. The value given is the 50th percentile, which is a median number (6).

Growth charts for premature infants

Weight, height, and head circumference of premature infant girls

Gestational Age In Weeks Weight In Kilograms Height In Centimeters Caput Circumference In Centimeters
24 0.6kg 30cm 21.1cm
26 0.8kg 33cm 23cm
28 1kg 35.6cm 25cm
30 1.3kg 38.5cm 27cm
32 i.7kg 41.1cm 29cm
34 ii.1kg 44cm 30.5cm
36 2.6kg 46.5cm 32.1cm
38 3.1kg 48.5cm 33.5cm
40 3.4kg 50.5cm 34.9cm

Weight, height, and caput circumference of premature infant boys

Gestational Age In Weeks Weight In Kilograms Height In Centimeters Head Circumference In Centimeters
24 0.65kg 31cm 22cm
26 0.83kg 34cm 23.5cm
28 ane.1kg 36.5cm 25.8cm
30 one.4kg 39cm 27.5cm
32 1.8kg 42cm 29.5cm
34 2.25kg 44.9cm 31cm
36 two.7kg 47cm 32.8cm
38 iii.2kg 49.5cm 34cm
xl three.6kg 51cm 35cm

Source: Fenton Preterm Growth Chart Site, University of Calgary (vii)

Not all babies develop the same way or at the same stride, as the growth at this phase depends on multiple factors. Doctors periodically assess a preterm baby in the NICU.

Note that the growth figures indicated by the doctor could be less or more than those mentioned in the nautical chart. Merely as long as your doctor states that your baby is doing well, you tin can relax and look frontward to taking your baby home from the NICU.

Nonetheless, one thing y'all may still worry about is the baby's nutrition every bit it tin touch on their weight significantly.

Nutrition For A Premature Baby

The doctors in the NICU will determine a premature babe's feed subsequently considering the gestational age and their overall wellness condition. Below are the sources of nourishment for a preterm baby:

  1. Intravenous fluids: Early preterm babies volition not be able to breastfeed and will require an intravenous commitment of nutrients and other fluids. The IV solution volition exist a mix of all the compounds that the baby will need to thrive and grow stronger.
  1. Formula or breast milk through tube feeding: Once your babe's digestive organization is a chip strong, they can receive breast milk or formula directly into their stomach through a sterile tube that goes through their olfactory organ or oral fissure. This grade of feeding is called nasogastric or orogastric tube feeding.

The doctor volition make up one's mind the nature of the feed. If the female parent is lactating sufficiently, then she can express breast milk, which would be then given to the babe through tube feeding. The quantity of breast milk or formula increases gradually in this method.

  1. Breastfeeding: If your baby is a late preterm infant (born between 34-37 weeks), so they may exist able to breastfeed. Both the mother and baby will require some initial practise. But one time the baby understands to latch to the nipple, yous can breastfeed the premature baby just like you would a full-term babe.

If the baby has trouble latching, then you lot tin can provide expressed breast milk through a feeding bottle. In the case of preterm commitment, breastmilk has more protein, minerals, and fat that the baby tin can hands digest (viii). Breastmilk volition also reduce the risk of abdominal infection.

  1. Fortified formula: Breastmilk alone may not provide the diet that premature babies need to abound. They have a college caloric requirement, unremarkably effectually 120-kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per solar day (9). Fortified formula milk can provide the extra nutrition that preemies need, along with the correct mix of vitamins and minerals for good for you growth. If required, the doctor may recommend this.

[ Read: Baby Growth Spurts ]

Information technology could be painful to run across your footling one in an incubator. Only know that this is a passing phase, and with the right kind of care and nutrition, the baby volition gain weight and abound, to eventually take hold of up with the babies of their age. In one case your babe is eating well, has normal trunk functions, and growing at the correct pace, you can safely take the little one home.

References:

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Dr. Elna Gibson is a general pediatrician. She did her MBChB and specialization as a pediatrician in Due south Africa at the University of Pretoria. She obtained MMed Pediatrics (masters) with stardom in 1993. Equally a young specialist, Dr. Gibson spent some fourth dimension in the Netherlands, and so settled in the Vaal Triangle where she has skillful for 25 years. She... more

Rohit Garoo is a zoologist-botanist turned writer with over 8 years of experience in content writing, content marketing, and copywriting. He has too washed an MBA in marketing and human resource and worked in the domains of marketplace research and e-commerce. Rohit writes topics related to health, wellness and development of babies. His manufactures featured on several notable websites, including... more