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Low-birthweight infants require extensive care. They are at risk for poor developmental outcomes and even death.

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About 8% of infants born in the United States each year are low birthweight (J. A. Martin et al., 2018). Low-birthweight infants may be preterm, or premature (born before their due date), or small for date, who are full term but have experienced slow growth and are smaller than expected for their gestational age. Infants are classified as low birthweight when they weigh less than 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds) at birth; very low birthweight refers to a weight less than 1,500 grams (3.5 pounds), and extremely low birthweight refers to a weight less than 750 grams (1 pound, 10 ounces). Infants who are born with low birthweight are at risk for a variety of developmental difficulties. Indeed, their very survival is far from certain; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists prematurity and low birthweight among the leading causes of infant mortality, accounting for 35% of mortality cases in infancy (Mathews & MacDorman, 2013). Infants most at risk for developmental challenges, disabilities, and difficulty surviving are those with extremely low birthweight