Breast is best was the message at a rally held in Bradford yesterday.

The event held during National Breastfeeding Aware-ness Week was to promote breastfeeding in public places, support feeding mums and make more information available.

It was organised by Bradford Teaching Hospitals, local primary care trusts, SureStarts from West Bowling, Manningham, Barker-end and Shipley, the La Leche League and the Real Nappy Project.

Mums gathered in Centenary Square where there was a marquee in which they could breastfeed their babies and get information from support groups and breastfeeding peer counsellors.

June Thomas, a community midwife at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, who also used to work for SureStart Shipley, encouraging women to breastfeed, said the rally was about challenging Bradford Council and local businesses to listen to needs of breastfeeding women.

"Breastfeeding is not something we should be ashamed of," she said. "If change is to occur it needs to come from the people who have the power to change things.

"Women can shout and lobby but we need the people with the money and the power to make that change happen. It is about meeting mums' needs. There is nowhere to feed and we need to raise awareness of this."

Breastfeeding has many benefits for both mother and child. It is convenient, natural and every mother's right, say campaigners.

Breast milk provides complete nutrition for the first six months of life and every extra week can make a difference.

Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer infection and allergic diseases and it protects the mother against conditions such as breast cancer and osteoporosis.

Amanda Fletcher, a primary care trust public health manager in Bradford, is leading the development of a breastfeeding strategy on behalf of the Strategic Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP), which is part of Bradford Vision.

She said: "Locally, 37 per cent of new mums do not breastfeed compared to 29 per cent nationally.

"And 10 per cent of women will give up in less than a week, so what we need to do is increase the number who start breastfeeding and encourage them to feed for longer.

"It should be six months as a minimum but we do recognise the reasons why some don't."

She said a key element to the strategy was raising the profile of breastfeeding so it was seen as normal and acceptable.

"We will do that through things like this rally but also by making the environment around Bradford breastfeeding-friendly," she said.

"Many women report being harassed and abused, even if they do it discreetly. We need to have the balance of breastfeeding in private if they want to but also for it to be seen and be an accepted part of life."

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

MOTHERS SPEAK OUT

Maricela Taylor, 35, of Undercliffe, a full-time mum who attended the event with one-year-old Luca Santigo Taylor: "Breast-feeding has been adorable. It is a lovely way to establish a close relationship with him. I think it is a good way to keep them healthy and it is a cheap way of feeding. "But there are not enough places to feed and sometimes you do get the odd look, even though we are discreet. I think shops should have an area for breastfeeding where you feel comfortable."

Bradford University student Carla Castaneda, of Little Horton, happily breastfed ten-week-old Maya Castaneda Moore in Centenary Square: "It was not easy in the beginning and I can understand why some women give up but with sheer perseverance it got better after a couple of weeks. There is an assumption bottle feeding is the norm when it should be the opposite. There is something very special about breastfeeding."

Sam Crawshaw, 27, of West Bowling, mum of 20-month-old Ben, whom she is still breastfeeding: "To start with breastfeeding in public was a nightmare. Most places you have to go in the baby-changing area or the toilet and that is disgusting. But now I am a veteran and I just do it anywhere. I do get the odd look because he is older but I don't listen because I know what is best for him."

Jan Shillito, 36, of Thackley, mum of Melina, who is aged eight and a half months: "It is a worry when you first start moving out of the house because you have to learn where to go and you can feel intimidated. I have planned routes around where I could breastfeed but there is always anxiety."

Maria Crimmins, 37, of Shipley, mum of Roisin, eight, Patrick, four, and Feargal, 20 months: "When I had my eldest daughter there was mixed advice on feeding, which made it difficult, but in the end I did have one midwife who spent time with me and now I will breastfeed anywhere you just have to get on with it. A lot of shops say they support breastfeeding but actually they do not have the policies to go with it."

Nazia Bashir, of Frizinghall, a 29-year-old mother-of-four, breastfeeding Ameen, five months, and who breastfed two-and-a-half-year-old Jamaal for 18 months. Her eldest Bilal, eight, and Sidra, seven, were bottle-fed: "I did not know what I was doing at first and gave up after a week but when I had Jamaal I was doing a breastfeeding support course that helped. I do not come into Bradford bec-ause there are not many places to feed. In Shipley I can go to SureStart but there should be more places in Bradford."