The Growth and Development of Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Intensive Neonatal Care

Abstract

This study reports the growth and development of 28 survivors who had a birth weight of less than or equal to 1,000 g and were cared for at a Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Only eight (30%) had neurologic abnormalities including spastic hemiparesis, retrolental fibroplasia, hydrocephalus, motor retardation, and some delay in language skills. The other survivors had normal physical examinations and developmental progress judged by a variety of screening examinations up to age four years, three months. The average caloric intake during the first week was 61 kg/da, although over half never reached that level until day 4. Nearly all the infants have had standard growth patterns thus far.

Human Growth

“…The postnatal weight development of 19 preterm infants with a birth weight of:::; 1500 g in the study by Cashore et al, (1975) andUsher (1976) was similar to that of the intrauterine growth curves of . The 28 preterm infants with a birth weight of 1000 g and below in the study by Grassy et al (1976) remained below the 50th percentile of the Harvard growth standards until the age of 4 years. ~ Table IV.…”

“…Follow-up results of 28 preterm infants (Grassy et al, 1976) with a birth weight of 1000 g and below showed regular head circumference growth in the girls, whereas most of the boys remained below the mean of the Nellhaus (1968) curve. Chance et al (1977) reported that the extrauterine growth of AGA preterm infants, corrected age, with birth weights below 1300 g is similar to that of term infants.…”

Review article

“…scores of 70-89. GRASSY and colleagues [36] 80% were above the lOth percentile for height. reported that 70% of 28 AGA children under 1000 FITZHARDINGE and RAMSAY [33] found adequate grams birth weight and born during 1968-1972 growth in weight, length, and head circumference had no neurologic or developmental abnormalities when corrected for gestational age in 32 children detectedon follow-up for up to4 3 / 12 years.…”

“…The mean developmental al. [2] observed RLF among four of 20 surviving quotients corrected for postconceptual age did not infants (20%) and GRASSY, et al [36] found RLF differ significantly between males and females nor j n two of 27 neonates (7.4%) who weighed under between the entire LBW study group and either 1000 grams at birth. FITZHARDINGE and RAMSAY of the two comparison groups of fullterm, AGA [33] [2] observed that 10 of 20 survivors 67 > 74 l· (50%) born from 1965 to 1970 and followed for Regarding growth, 75 %of survivors weighing under 15 months to six years of age were neurologically 1501 grams at birth and evaluated at two to six and developmentally normal with 12 (60%)having years of age by STEWART and REYNOLDS [74] I.Q.…”

“…Four of 20 survivors weighing under 1000 grams at birth examined by ALDEN, et al [2] were growing parallel to but below the third percentile in weight and height. GRASSY and colleagues [36] have reported that 25 of 27 infants with birth weights under 1000 grams have followed Standard growth patterns. DWECK, et al [29] found that the linear growth for 14 LBW infants weighing under 1100 grams at birth was similar to 14 full-term control infants.…”