What can I expect if my child has bronchopulmonary dysplasia?

What can I expect if my child has bronchopulmonary dysplasia?

Your baby’s lungs continue to develop even after they leave the hospital. Their lungs are still vulnerable and it’s important to keep them as healthy as possible. You can do this by:

• Keeping your child away from smoke and fumes (especially from cigarettes).
• Avoiding people who have respiratory tract infections and people who could give your child a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.
• Getting your baby a palivizumab injection to prevent RSV (if they are younger than 24 months).
• Getting all family members vaccinated against the flu and your baby vaccinated once they are 6 months old.

Your child might experience feeding difficulties, which could lead to poor growth. Taking your baby to all scheduled appointments is very important to address these issues sooner.

Because babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia are born early, they can experience a delay in their developmental milestones. Most babies will catch up with outpatient therapies such as physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. Severe cases of bronchopulmonary dysplasia can be life-threatening, but most babies survive, with their health gradually improving as they get older and gain weight.