Along with buying all the all in one baby suits, changing bags and Buggysnuggles they need breastfeeding gives newborns the best start in life.

However, Newport midwife Nicola Kilby told the South Wales Argus too many women give up after the first two weeks after encountering difficulties.

To combat this in her community, she has set up the Breast Friends support group and is hoping to register the organisation as a charity.

Working alongside nursery nurses Fiona Punter and Lynne Smith, Mrs Kilby is planning to run a course in April and continue to train people to act as support workers.

The 44-year-old said it is wrong that mothers who breastfeed sometimes feel pressured to take their newborn to the toilet to feed them when dining out in a restaurant.

She remarked: "They look pretty in a bikini, but essentially [breasts] are there to feed your baby. A lot find it hard and give up, but it is a skill and we want to encourage them to persevere."

Earlier this month, author and long-term breastfeeding advocate Ann Sinnott told the Metro that formula milk companies have probably propagated the myth that babies should not drink their mother's milk after they have popped their first tooth.ADNFCR-3005-ID-19604874-ADNFCR