Thank you for joining the Nourish Study!

How does the study work day-to-day?

  • Monday to Friday, a research assistant will collect enough breast milk to feed your baby for 24 hours.
  • If there is not enough of your breast milk, we will add donor milk to meet your baby’s daily needs.
  • We will analyze 3 mL of milk for its nutritional content and store 2 mL for future research (total 1 teaspoon).
  • We will add standard breast milk fortifiers every day to the breast milk, for all babies.
  • If your baby is assigned to the individualized group, we may add extra protein and/or fat to meet a target daily intake, depending on results of the milk analysis.
  • Your baby’s fortified milk will be given back to your baby’s nurse to feed to your baby.
The research team will work closely with your baby’s care team to ensure that research participation and clinical care are seamlessly integrated. Our team is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of your baby during his/her participation.

Study Timeline

  • Study diet begins
  • Milk syringes are prepared by our study staff Monday through Friday
  • On weekends or holidays, the bedside nurse will prepare your baby’s milk in the same way it is prepared for non-study babies
  • We will measure baby’s body composition for the first time using the PEA POD scale (to learn more about the PEA POD, read our brochure – English | Español)
  • Study diet ends, and baby will be fed according to clinical routine every day
  • We will measure baby’s body composition using the PEA POD scale
  • Our research team will bring your baby to a brain MRI scan (to learn more about the MRI, read our brochure – English | Español)
  • We will measure baby’s body composition using the PEA POD scale
  • Our team will reach out between your NICU discharge and follow up visits
  • We hope you will join the follow up study when it is time to go home from the NICU
  • Joining the follow up study means we will send you an online survey 4 months and 12 months after baby’s original due date
  • We will give you information about the follow up study  just before baby leaves the NICU. At that point, you can decide if you would like to join the follow up study.
  • Follow up visit at the BWH Center for Child Development at 221 Longwood Avenue
  • Your baby will participate in neurodevelopmental testing with a child psychologist
  • The tests will examine your baby’s language abilities, motor function, memory, and behavior