u/CreepyCollar5681

Hi everyone,
I’m a parent of a preemie baby (born at 27 weeks), and I’ve been trying to understand something that’s been on my mind.
Our baby was on CPAP by day 1. From what I understand, he was not given surfactant at birth. Now, months later, he has BPD with CO₂ issues and is currently on CPAP again after a setback (possibly related to feeding/aspiration).
I’ve been reading that in some countries surfactant is given more routinely to premature babies, and I’m wondering:
For babies around 26–28 weeks, how common is it to not give surfactant if they improve quickly on CPAP?
Have any of you had similar experiences where surfactant wasn’t given early on?
Do neonatologists here think this could have made any meaningful difference in long-term outcomes like BPD or CO₂ retention?
Or is this more about the overall prematurity course rather than that one decision?
I’m not trying to blame anyone — just trying to understand and learn from others’ experiences and medical insight.
Would really appreciate hearing from parents or NICU professionals who’ve been through something similar.
Thank you 🙏