Here’s a photo of Eli at 2 weeks. He went from 4 pounds 15 ounces (weight leaving the hospital)...
to now exactly 17 pounds today, six and a half months later!
And here’s Will at 2 weeks. He went from 4 pounds 11 ounces (weight leaving the hospital)...
to now 17 pounds 3 ounces, six and a half months later.
It’s amazing that any baby can grow so fast in such a short amount of time! I am in awe of God's amazing handiwork. I read that babies double their birth weight by four months and triple it by one year. They also double their length at one year. Well, our little preemie dudes have tripled their birth weight already. Will had tripled his birth weight right at 5 months and Eli did right at 6 months! They sure caught up fast! Now, let's just hope they slow down a little.
Premature birth (meaning babies born prior to 37 weeks gestation) occurs in about 13 percent of pregnancies and approximately 60 percent of twins. Eli and Will were born at 35 weeks 6 days gestation.
We were told that preemie’s milestones should be based on their due date, not on their actual birth date. This means that even though today Eli and Will are 6 months old, developmentally they may just be doing what a 5 month old should do, because they were born 4 weeks early. So, when it comes to these milestones (first smile, cooing, etc.), we shouldn’t compare the twins to full-term babies. Most premature babies catch up to their peers by the time they are two years old.
But, I do compare. :) It seems that overall, Eli and Will are right on track with what milestones they should be achieving at the correct age. What a blessing! And I do compare them with each other. How can you not? They both learn different things at different paces. And that is just fine with me. They are such unique little boys, so different from each other. Definitely brothers, so similar and so different. I love it!
