A pioneering video produced in Bradford to encourage mums to breastfeed has been launched.

The first of its kind in the country, Breastfeeding - a Gift for Life, aims to support mothers through the first months of their babies' lives and will be lent free of charge to those leaving Bradford Royal Infirmary's maternity unit.

Produced in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali, the film has already attracted orders from across the country and has been sent to the Department of Health which funded the £15,000 project.

Janette Westman, infant feeding adviser at the Bradford unit which sees more than 5,500 births a year, said that a positive approach to breastfeeding was making a difference.

She said: "Now 65 per cent of women who give birth in Bradford are choosing to breastfeed compared to 53 per cent two years ago.

"The video aims to show that breastfeeding is normal and socially acceptable."

Launched to coincide with National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, the video stars local mums from all walks of life.

Carol Wright, of Buttershaw, agreed to be filmed breastfeeding her 16-month-old son McKenzie in public after encountering stares and feeling self-conscious at a baby clinic.

An arthritis sufferer who had difficulty in moving to sterilise and fill bottles, the mum of four set up a group to support herself and others.

She said: "I still feed McKenzie now and it does not bother me at all.

"I would advise other women to find someone else who is breastfeeding because it only takes that one other person to give you the confidence.

"The video is a great idea and it will offer support and reassurance to other women. There was nothing available like it for me."

Breastfeeding offers the healthiest start to a baby's life yet the UK has one of the lowest rates in Europe. While 66 per cent of mothers start, many give up in the first weeks with just 27 per cent continuing after four moths.