What does corrected age mean when you have premature babies?

When you’re a parent of a premature baby, you’ll often hear the term ‘corrected age’. For many new parents, this can be confusing, especially when you’re already faced with a world of new concepts and concerns. What is corrected age and why is it important when you have a premature baby? In this blog post, we’ll explain the concept and how it’s used to assess the development of premature babies.

What is corrected age?
Corrected age is a way of adjusting a child’s age to account for the fact that the child was born prematurely. Instead of only measuring from the actual date of birth (the “chronological age”), the age is adjusted based on when the baby would have actually been born if it had followed a full 40-week gestation period.

For example, if a child was born 8 weeks early, the child’s corrected age will be 8 weeks younger than their chronological age. This means that if the child is 4 months old in chronological age, the corrected age will be 2 months (4 months minus the 8 weeks the child was born early).

Why is corrected age important?
Corrected age is used to give a more accurate picture of where the child should be developmentally. Babies born prematurely can often lag behind their peers in the first few years of life when it comes to milestones like sitting, crawling and talking. But instead of worrying that they won’t reach the same milestones as full-term babies of the same chronological age, the corrected age provides a more realistic basis for comparison.

Parents and healthcare professionals use corrected age to assess:

• Physical growth: Premature babies may weigh less and be smaller than full-term babies at first, but using corrected age allows you to assess their growth from their actual start.
• Developmental milestones: Skills such as holding their head up, rolling over, crawling and walking can be assessed from the corrected age, as premature babies often take slightly longer to reach these milestones.
• Health follow-up: Nurses and doctors also use corrected age when assessing a child’s health and giving vaccinations or performing routine check-ups.

How do you calculate corrected age?
Calculating corrected age is quite simple once you understand the principle. Here is a simple step-by-step guide:

• Find the child’s chronological age: This is the child’s age calculated from the date of birth.
• Calculate how many weeks premature the baby was born: Subtract the baby’s gestational age (age at birth, e.g. 32 weeks) from the 40 weeks that a full pregnancy normally lasts.
• Subtract the “missing” weeks from the chronological age: The result is the child’s corrected age.

Example: If your baby was born at 32 weeks of pregnancy, it was born 8 weeks early. When the child is 6 months (24 weeks) in chronological age, the corrected age is 16 weeks (24 weeks minus 8 weeks).

How long do you use corrected age?
As parents of premature babies, you may be wondering how long you should think in terms of corrected age. Generally, corrected age is used for the first few years of a child’s life. For many children, they start to “catch up” with their full-term peers between the ages of 2 and 3, after which the difference between chronological and corrected age becomes less relevant.

Of course, it depends on the child’s individual development and how premature the child was born. Very premature babies (born before 28 weeks) may take slightly longer to reach the same milestones as their full-term peers, and in some cases, corrected age can be taken into account for a little longer.

What if my child doesn’t follow the corrected age?
It’s important to remember that all children, premature or not, develop at their own pace. If your baby doesn’t reach certain milestones at exactly the time prescribed by the corrected age, it’s not necessarily a cause for concern. However, it’s always a good idea to talk to your health visitor or doctor if you have any concerns about your child’s development.

Healthcare professionals are used to working with premature babies and their specific needs and can help you assess whether your baby is developing normally in relation to their corrected age.

Corrected age provides peace of mind
Corrected age is an invaluable tool for parents of premature babies as it provides a more accurate picture of a child’s development and growth. By adjusting for the time your baby was born premature, you can more easily assess whether your baby is on track without directly comparing them to full-term babies.

Remember, adjusted age is there to give you peace of mind and a more realistic expectation of your child’s development. It’s a way to ensure that premature babies get the time and attention they need in their early years without undue worry.