Premature birth
Symptoms
Your baby may have very mild symptoms of premature birth, or may have more-obvious complications.
Some signs of prematurity include the following:
- Small size, with a disproportionately large head
- Sharper looking, less rounded features than a full-term baby's features, due to a lack of fat stores
- Fine hair (lanugo) covering much of the body
- Low body temperature, especially immediately after birth in the delivery room, due to a lack of stored body fat
- Labored breathing or respiratory distress
- Lack of reflexes for sucking and swallowing, leading to feeding difficulties
The following tables show the median birth weight, length and head circumference of premature babies at different gestational ages for each sex.
| Weight, length and head circumference by gestational age for boys | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gestational age | Weight | Length | Head circumference |
| 40 weeks | 7 lbs., 15 oz. (3.6 kg) |
20 in. (51 cm) | 13.8 in. (35 cm) |
| 35 weeks | 5 lbs., 8 oz. (2.5 kg) |
18.1 in. (46 cm) | 12.6 in. (32 cm) |
| 32 weeks | 3 lbs., 15.5 oz. (1.8 kg) |
16.5 in. (42 cm) | 11.6 in. (29.5 cm) |
| 28 weeks | 2 lbs., 6.8 oz. (1.1 kg) |
14.4 in. (36.5 cm) | 10.2 in. (26 cm) |
| 24 weeks | 1 lb., 6.9 oz. (0.65 kg) |
12.2 in. (31 cm) | 8.7 in. (22 cm) |
| Weight, length and head circumference by gestational age for girls | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gestational age | Weight | Length | Head circumference |
| 40 weeks | 7 lbs., 7.9 oz. (3.4 kg) |
20 in. (51 cm) | 13.8 in. (35 cm) |
| 35 weeks | 5 lbs., 4.7 oz. (2.4 kg) |
17.7 in. (45 cm) | 12.4 in. (31.5 cm) |
| 32 weeks | 3 lbs., 12 oz. (1.7 kg) |
16.5 in. (42 cm) | 11.4 in. (29 cm) |
| 28 weeks | 2 lbs., 3.3 oz. (1.0 kg) |
14.1 in. (36 cm) | 9.8 in. (25 cm) |
| 24 weeks | 1 lb., 5.2 oz. (0.60 kg) |
12.6 in. (32 cm) | 8.3 in. (21 cm) |
Special care
If you deliver a preterm baby, your baby will likely need a longer hospital stay in a special nursery unit at the hospital. Depending on how much care your baby requires, he or she may be admitted to an intermediate care nursery or the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Doctors and a specialized team with training in taking care of preterm babies will be available to help care for your baby. Don't hesitate to ask questions.
Your baby may need extra help feeding, and adapting immediately after delivery. Your health care team can help you understand what is needed and what your baby's care plan will be.
