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Expert Q&A

	By John Dorsey, M.D. Pediatrician

I am the mother of 6-month-old twin girls. They were born at 35 1/2 weeks. My oldest is right where she should be as far as age developmental tasks, like rolling over, trying to crawl, etc. My youngest is babbling and things, but she can't roll over, and when I put her on her stomach, she will hold herself up for a few seconds and then put her face in the carpet and cry until I roll her back over on her back. Is this normal for preemies or should I be concerned?

There are a lot of variables in child development number one. It's really too early to tell.

Another unique aspect to twin pregnancies is that many times one will be born stronger or seemingly healthier (better muscle tone, etc.) than the other. This survival of the fittest goes back to the womb. There was intense competition for Mother's nutrition, and it often takes a while for the weaker twin to catch up. She will be playing catch up in early life, and there is nothing alarming about it.

We use the rule of comparing their development at age 2. By that point, they should be close in development. However, that doesn't mean they will develop the same. I have seen some babies that skip certain steps of the development. For example one child may spend time rolling over and learning to crawl and walk, while the other may seem to be behind and then one day be up and crawling or even trying to walk.

Development is not a preemie question so much these days, because the care has come a long way over the years. Babies born early seem to do just fine in most cases.

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