a look at the long term care prospects of poor muscle tone in premature babies

The differences in premature babies born very early compared to a full term infant is high significant when it comes to muscle tone.In the very premature baby the baby was not in the womb long enough to have a cramped conditions were feet and arms are tucked up close to the body as baby gains weight and the space in the womb becomes more compact.  A full term baby’s body stays like that most  of the time for several weeks after delivery.

premature infants tend to have lower muscle tone with arms and legs taking on extended positions while they are in the NICU. However, when a premature baby has been born early, they miss this experience and the brain has not yet matured to the point that it can signal the infant’s muscles to become flexed.  Premature babies extended positioning in the NICU can interfere with the babies’ ability to calm themselves and to coordinate movements smoothly.

Low muscle tone in the premature baby can be challenging to overcome in order to achieve normal developmental motor skills such as  rolling over, sitting up and crawling during the first year after birth.

Babies learn through play so along with any physiotherapist advice ,you as a parent can promote certain activities to help your premature baby develop good muscle tone and strength.here are some examples of play time for Gross motor skills development