Up to four hundred mums and their babies are expected to attend a breastfeeding rally.

The event is being held as part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, which runs from May 14 to 20.

Janette Westman, infant feeding advisor at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We want to give out a message to women who are thinking about how they are going to feed their baby that you don't have to be locked in your home if you breastfeed.

"It is possible to lead a normal life and facilities will be available for mums to breastfeed their babies in public."

The rally will be held in Centenary Square, Bradford, between 11am and 2pm next Tuesday, May 16.

It has been organised by Bradford Teaching Hospitals, local Primary Care Trusts, Bradford and Keighley's nine SureStarts, community midwives, La Leche League, the National Childbirth Trust and the Real Nappy Project.

There will be a marquee in which mums can breastfeed their babies and information from groups and counsellors.

"In other countries people don't bat an eyelid when mums breastfeed in public, but it has not been popular here since the 1950s," said Janette. "This is all about making breastfeeding part of public life today."

Recent statistics from UNICEF have shown 25 per cent of all new mothers have reported problems finding somewhere in public to feed their baby, with the figure rising to 40 per cent among breastfeeding women.

Arshid Rabani, health development worker for SureStart Shipley, said: "The aim is to promote breastfeeding in public places and encourage city centre shops in Bradford and Keighley to provide facilities for breastfeeding mothers.

"Eventually we hope to provide an A-Z directory of the shops which allow mums to breastfeed on their premises."

l Health visitors and breastfeeding peer counsellors will be at Mothercare, Bradford, between 1pm and 3pm, Monday to Friday next week, to give mums-to-be information and advice on breastfeeding.

e-mail: claire.lomax@bradford.newsquest.co.uk