Research
We invest in ground-breaking research
We invest time and resources into helping with research projects.
We are always happy to share appropriate research projects on our social media platforms.
February 2024, Professor Hartley's "My Baby's Brain".
What is this project?
The project aims to develop a series of animations and leaflets for parents of premature infants to give them more information about how their baby’s brain is developing and how this relates to breathing changes during development. We would like to produce these resources in collaboration with parents who have had babies in neonatal care.
Who is funding the project?
My Baby’s Brain is funded by the Wellcome Trust through an ‘Enriching Engagement’ Award.
Who are 'My Baby’s Brain' Project Team?
Associate Professor Caroline Hartley, Dr Marianne van der Vaart and Christine Headford, SSNAP
When does the research project conclude?
The project has now completed. View the animations below.
November 2023, Have you had a baby before 27 weeks gestation? Did you have antenatal counselling?
Please do get in touch if you can help.
Thank you
October 2023, INPRES, Most Premature Babies PSP - Pick Your Priorities
Were you or your baby born before 25 weeks gestation? If so, please do take a look at this research project:
"The International Perinatal Research Partnership (INPRES) are working with the James Lind Alliance (JLA) on this exciting new project to identify the priorities for research into premature babies born before 25 weeks’ gestation. We want to make sure that future research addresses the questions that are most important to parents/carers, adults themselves born extremely premature and the healthcare professionals who work with them".
September 2023, Nell and the Neonatal Unit, an App in Development
Nell and the Neonatal unit are seeking parents with experience of having a baby on a neonatal unit, whilst also having an older sibling at home to trial their new app and give brief feedback via an online survey.
Nell and the Neonatal unit is an app aimed at primary school aged children. It is being developed as a tool to help older siblings of babies requiring a neonatal unit admission to understand the environment and to have strategies for coping with the resulting emotional challenges such an admission can bring to a family.
Please do help us if you fit this criteria, the link can be found below:
August 2023, The EXPAND Study
(Exploring Parental emotional support needs After Nicu Discharge)
The EXPAND study is exploring the post-discharge experiences of parents who have had a baby treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Our aim is to understand the psychological needs of mums and dads in the year after discharge from neonatal care, and to improve our knowledge of what support families need once they are home with their baby. By exploring potential risk factors, this research may help us to identify those families who need more support in the early stages of an admission and will help with
service planning and provision for neonatal families in the future.
All parents whose baby has received neonatal intensive care and is due to be discharged to home soon or has been discharged to home in the past 6-months are invited to take part. We will be collecting data using online questionnaires, including demographic and infant data as well as several measures relating to parental experience, for example, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and trauma. We will also be asking about experiences of neonatal care and perceived social support. At 10-12 months after discharge, we will be inviting parents to an interview where will discuss how they experienced the first year at home after their baby was discharged from neonatal care, what they found challenging, what they found helpful and whether there were any barriers or facilitators to them accessing support.
The study was approved by the NHS Research Ethics Committee on 15/05/2023 and we
are now recruiting a voluntary sample of parents via the recruitment poster
attached.
SSNAP are pleased to have shared this important research on our social media.