Symptoms:

A premature infant has organs that are not fully developed. The infant needs special care in a nursery until the organ systems have developed enough to sustain life without medical support. This may take weeks to months.

A premature infant will have a low birth weight. Common symptoms in a premature infant include:

• Body hair
• Episodes of absent breathing
• Enlarged clitoris (female infant)
• Lung problems such as neonatal respiratory distress syndrome
• Poor feeding
• Small scrotum, smooth without ridges (male infant)
• Soft, flexible ear cartilage
• Thin, smooth, shiny skin
• Transparent skin (can see veins under skin)
• Usually inactive -- however, may be unusually active immediately after birth
• Weak cry
• Wrinkled features

This list may not be all inclusive.

Signs and tests:

The infant may have a low body temperature and show signs of breathing problems.

Common tests performed on a premature infant include:

• Blood gas analysis
• Blood tests to check glucose, calcium, and bilirubin levels
• Chest x-ray