Are you (or someone you know) expecting a baby?

An upcoming Cork-based infant research study wants to hear from you.

Atlantia Clinical Trials are on the search for up to 200 expectant parents in Cork interested in taking part in a number of new safe and stress-free infant studies. The studies focus on newborns and babies up to three months of age and will mainly focus on helping researchers learn more about newborn sleeping and crying patterns.

Those partaking will be paid €350 for their time on completion of the study – a nice boost during maternity and paternity leave.

‘The results will really help newborn parents’

The first trial will examine if an activity and sleep tracking device can be used to detect sleeping and crying patterns in infants.

While it’s common to track such patterns on paper, it can be difficult for already busy parents of newborns to remember to write down all the activity and to distinguish the level of fussing and crying or to determine the exact duration of sleep.

The aim of the study is to develop an algorithm that can be used objectively to identify infant crying and fussing to complement or replace paper diaries in future studies on colic, and other newborn issues.

“Parents of newborns are always wondering whether their baby’s sleeping patterns and crying or fussing periods are normal, or if perhaps they are signs of colic or an underlying symptom,” explains Aisling Harrington, Project Manager, Atlantia Clinical Trials.

“While the specific causes of these digestive issues are still unknown, some studies of sleep time in infants have shown that it may be linked to serotonin and melatonin levels. This trial will help us to understand the relationship between sleep and colic.

“We are very excited about these trials as we believe that the results will really help newborn parents. They are non-invasive, safe, and stress-free trials, that will inform new research and studies in the future. We could welcome both new moms and dads to take part in the study.”

How does it work?

Selected participants will receive €350 to take part in the research. The infants will wear a small device on a band around their waist, for eight consecutive days. At the same time, parents will document everything on the e-diary so that the e-diary can be compared to the device to show whether it tracks things correctly or not.

Atlantia are also seeking babies for another study. Healthy term infants must be aged 0-6 weeks and have been born at normal birth weight. Parents and infants will be expected to attend four clinic visits over six months. More details about this study can be provided by an Atlantia team member.

If you or your partner are expecting a child and would like to learn more about participating in the studies see https://volunteers.atlantiaclinicaltrials.com/infants, email: [email protected] or phone: +353 (0)21 430 7442 for more information.