Theo - born at 30 weeks gestation, 1550 grams (3 pounds, 6 ounces).

The Program is based at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and enrolls infants who were cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit, and were born:

• More than 9 weeks early (<31 weeks gestation)
• Less than or equal to 1500 grams (3 lbs  5 oz)
• With known or suspected brain injury at birth

Members of the Perinatal Follow-Up team also travel to visit families who live outside of Halifax (see How We Help-Travel Clinics). 

Program participation is voluntary. Follow-Up is not designed to take the place of an infant's primary care provider (i.e. family doctor or pediatrician).

The Program has a multidisciplinary team that provides assessments to ensure early identification of problems and referrals to necessary services in a timely manner. With premature infants, assessments are done at the "corrected age" or the time since the baby was due to be born.

It is important for follow-up to continue for the first few years of life to assist families by providing them with information and support in order for their children to meet their potential. It is equally important to understand the consequences of the early birth experiences in order to help improve the care of pregnant mothers, and the nursery care of babies. 

In short, the program provides the following services for premature infants and their families:

• Provision of ongoing supportive care until age three
• Early identification of developmental delays and special care needs with timely referrals to necessary services
• Provision of education and resources to health care providers (in hospitals and the community)
• Collection and review of data on the high risk infants we care for with the goal of improving care
• Compilation of data to answer specific clinical questions about high risk infants