Feeding, Swallowing, and Breathing in Infants and Children with BPD

Neonates who are born premature have an immature swallow reflex that poses significant difficulty with consuming adequate nutrition by mouth and can increase the risk of dysphagia and aspiration. While appropriate nutrition is crucial for optimizing outcomes, particularly respiratory outcomes, it is necessary to ensure the safety of swallowing and ability to consume adequate oral nutrition to maintain growth. With time and support, nearly all infants born premature will be able to safely consume all nutrition by mouth, typically by 2–4 months corrected gestational age.