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At-risk premature babies would benefit from being given milk feeds earlier, a study has suggested. The University of Oxford study found babies were not at a higher risk of severe bowel problems if moved off tube-feeds early, as was feared. Four hundred babies, born at least five weeks early and small for their age, were studied for the Pediatrics paper. The premature baby charity Bliss said it hoped the findings would lead to a change in feeding practices. Over 60,000 babies are born prematurely every year in the UK and one in 10 babies born in the UK needs some form of special care because of problems during their birth, because of a life-threatening condition or because they were born too early. High-risk premature babies are vulnerable to severe bowel problems, including a condition called necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). Concerns over this risk has led to special care units previously tending to delay the start of milk feeds. But tube feeding can also cause complications, including liver problems. The researchers behind this study, which was funded by the charity Action Medical Research, wanted to examine if underweight premature babies could take milk earlier, which would then help them gain a healthy weight sooner.