[Mummy_Big_Bird]

I was just wondering if anyone out there had any words of wisdom about preemies and/or drug exposure.

I got called yesterday for Y. She is 3 weeks old, but is a preemie. Test came in positive for meth, and bMom has admitted to also using heroine during the pregnancy.

Y is still in the hospital, but is due to be released in a few days. I got special permission to visit her . The hospital was the one who told DSS that they really wanted the chosen foster family to be able to 'bond' and 'get to know her'.

She is so tiny!!! She is currently 4 pounds, 2 ounces. I can't wait for her to come home.

[jen1mac]

Both preemies and drug affected babies can be over stimulated so you want to have as quiet a house as you can. They also like to sleep more and tight swaddling seems to be best. Some preemies also come home with special formula and special ways to feed them. I also know that both preemies and drug affected babies can have reflux and need medicine for it. I had both a preemie that wasn't drug affected and a drug affected baby that wasn't a preemie. Both loved to be swaddled and held close and both had reflux and were on medicine and special formula.

[Hadley2]

I really don't know about dealing with the drug exposure aspect, but I do know preemies. Our DD was two months early and many more in our neighborhood were that or even earlier. It was one of those weird clusters you read about, but the town health dept. found nothing in the water, etc.

Anyway, what preemies need most is closeness and attachment parenting (not quite the same thing as parenting techniques for older AD kids, but similar ideas. Lots of chest-to-chest contact, skin-to-skin if possible (think kangaroo baby), close-in feeding (approximating nursing closeness and position as much as possible), and sling/swaddle to belly or chest through as much of the day as possible.

Long-term nursing/bottle feeding helps a lot, think. As much physical contact as possible is wonderful for preemies who do like to be swaddled or held close much longer than other babies.

The sling is really the key. It is much, much better than the baby packs, IMO. I always think babies look so uncomfortable in those things with their little legs sticking out. I preferred the OTSBH, but some like the Maya. They are available all over the net. It can be nice to have a lighter cotton for warmer weather and a heavier (I think someone makes flannel) for colder, but I had a mid-weight for all year and it was fine.

I liked it because I could put DD in the car seat with it and get her reslung without waking--no carrying a heavy carseat with baby around a store.

Our DD loved her sling and rode in it until she was almost four! We finally stopped at a little over 40 pounds.

Especially if your baby has apnea, you will probably want to do a bassinet by your bed. It's a nice thing to do anyway as many preemies feed through the clock and have movements at night that need to be changed. Music in the room (soft classical, New Age stuff) when she goes to sleep.

Depending on how early baby is, she will take time to "catch up." Our DD was 4 lbs/12 oz. at birth. At 5 months, she looked and acted like a 3-month old. She was a cranky, stubborn little baby that avoided eye contact and actually growled at people. At one year, she looked like a smallish one-year old, but a little "jangly" in her movements. She would not look at or talk to many people outside the family until age 2 1/2 or 3. We worried about autism. When upset, she would howl like a coyote pup. Over time, what I call her natural temperament took over, she grew and developed and now, at 7, she is tall, muscular, well coordinated, very smart and really the nicest, gentlest, most nurturing and sociable child I've ever met (and I've known a lot, as her sister is in her teens).

Another of the preemies in our neighborhood was much earlier. At six, she is well within average range developmentally but is still very jangly in her movements and still on the demanding and emotional side. Hard to say if that is a preemie effect, temperament or environment.

So--closeness (think of the baby as still a part of you), quietness and calm (think Japanese style parenting), super nurturing techniques (infant massage, eye tracking with toys, mirroring responses, etc., etc.) and of course love.

Well, I've gone on too much but your question brought back many sweet memories. Good luck with your little one.