Preemies 101

I am by no means an expert, but I will share what I have learned this week.

Preemie does not mean sick or handicapped. yes, there is a greater risk for those things, but after 28 weeks gestation those risks drop dramatically. My baby was born at 30 weeks gestation.
Preemies are treated similarly to if they were still in the womb. They recieve breast milk through a feeding tube and added supplements thru their IVs. The added supplements are what they would have received in the womb at their gestational age.
This leads into the term "corrected age" which is their true age minus their gestational age. So right now the nurses and charts refer to Little Bug as 31 weeks. The corrected age is used to gauge milestones. Instead of smiling and giggling around one mOnth, he will likely start when his true age is 3 months. Preemies usually catch up to their true age by about preschool. Sorry if this makes no sense.
Newborns (babies born full term) have weak immune systems, preeemies have even weaker. This is why the NICU is very sterile, and limited number of people are allowed in to visit.
Fetuses before 34 weeks have yet to pack on the extra fat that makes them cute and stay warm. Babies born before 34 weeks are skinny, which looks odd on a baby but it doesn't mean they are sick or unhealthy. This is also why they are in a covered incubator for awhile because they can't quite maintain their temperature as well as newborns.
Newborns sleep most of the day, preemies are asleep for all of the day except about an hour or two. This is how much they would have slept in the womb as well, because they are growing at a bit of a quicker rate than newborns.
Babies born before 36 weeks usually struggle with the same two challenges (amount other things) one is the lungs are the last organ to develop so we are watching their breathing very carefully and its not uncommon to have preemies on canulas or intubators to help them breathe. Another big thing is their swallowing reflex is usually not fully developed so therefore we have Little Bug on a feeding tube. By 34 weeks they should be ready to at least try to suck and swallow.

Again, these things are expected, and we look forward to the coming weeks when he can function better on his own. He is already meeting his milestones quicker than the doctors and nurses estimated (we are so proud).
I guess my point of all this is when Michael and I get excited over these small things and we say he is healthy and doing fantastic, we aren't sugar coating it. He really is doing marvelous. His monitors (for heart rate, respiratory rate, ect.) rarely sound alarm. He is so strong, and doesn't cry for heel pricks and blood tests, although he hates having his diaper changed and hates bathseven more. I'm guessing he is just taking after his mom (and his mom's family) and just really hates being woken up!