In the NICU - Neonatal Care
Words used in the Neonatal Unit
There will be a lot of new words and terms used in the neonatal unit. A lot of these words and terms might be completely new to you. There will be a lot of new terms that you may not be familiar with.
An explanation of some of the terms used when describing newborn babies are provided here.
A glossary of commonly used terms and abbreviations is available here.
Remember; always feel free to ask the team looking after your baby to explain anything you do not understand.
Terms used when describing newborn babies
Preterm/premature
Born before 37 full weeks of pregnancy.
Extreme preterm
Born before 28 full weeks of pregnancy.
Very preterm
Born between 28 - 31 full weeks of pregnancy.
Moderate preterm
Born between 32 - 36 full weeks of pregnancy.
Low birth weight (LBW)
Birth weight less than 2500 g (5 lb 8 ozs).
Very low birth weight (VLBW)
Birth weight less than 1500 g (3 lb 5 ozs).
Extremely low birth weight (ELBW)
Birth weight less than 1000 g (2 lb 3 ozs).
Gestational age (GA)
Age estimated from start of pregnancy (the number of weeks from conception to birth).
Chronological age/Actual age
Age from the time your baby was born. Chronological age does not consider when your baby was supposed to be born like Corrected Age does.
Corrected age (CA)/Corrected gestational age (CGA)
‘Corrected age’ counts a baby’s age from the time they should have been born (their due date), rather than the time they were actually born.
Large for gestational age (LGA)
Describes a baby who is bigger than expected for their age. This may also be referred to as ‘Large for dates’.
Small for gestational age (SGA)
Describes a baby who is smaller than expected for their age. This may also be referred to as ‘Small for dates’.
The preterm baby and ‘corrected age’
Preterm babies are born before their due date. They need time to grow and develop before they can be compared with a full term baby. For example, a preterm baby who is 8 months old cannot be compared with a full-term baby who is 8 months old. For this reason, the term ‘corrected age’ is used.
‘Corrected age’ counts a baby’s age from the time they should have been born (their due date), rather than the time they were actually born.
Corrected age = Actual age in weeks or months minus the number of weeks or months the baby was preterm.
LINK TO EXAMPLE
For example, if your baby was born at 28 weeks gestation (12 weeks early) and is now 6 months old (26 weeks old) from their date of birth
- ‘chronological (actual) age’ = 6 months.
- ‘corrected age’ is 26 weeks minus 12 weeks preterm = 14 weeks.
‘Corrected age’ is used when assessing a baby’s development and size. Doctors are satisfied as long as a baby’s developmental milestones are appropriate for their corrected age.
Corrected age is generally no longer applied after baby is two years old.
‘Actual/chronological age’ is used when allowance for prematurity is not necessary, for example when giving immunisations or using certain medications.
