Bliss (charity) weeks gestational age. This study is helping to inform healthcare and education services to ensure the right support is provided at all times for premature and sick babies as they grow towards adulthood. The heads of babies that are born extremely premature (less than 29 weeks) do not grow very well, which affects how their brains develop later. Many of these babies are fed intravenously, directly into a vein, in the first month of life as their gut is too immature to digest milk in high enough quantities for their nutritional needs. The SCAMP study, which was funded by Bliss,
Bliss (charity) wanted to investigate whether improving the nutritional content of the babies’ intravenous feeds improves early head growth, which could affect brain development and ultimately the future quality of life for very premature babies. Results: The study showed head growth in the first 28 days of life can be improved by increasing the protein and energy content of the intravenous feed in babies less than 29 weeks, which continues up to 36 weeks. Other studies have found that there is a link between head circumference and IQ, and it is also believed that this increased brain growth could prevent learning difficulties