As National Breastfeeding Awareness Week approaches, Health Correspondent Barry Nelson considers whether British reserve has anything to do with why so few people in this country choose the natural way to feed their babies.

PRUDES beware, the breastfeeding mothers of Darlington are preparing to go public in the interests of infant welfare. A mass breastfeeding session at Billy Bunters caf in Darlington's Cornmill Centre will be the highlight of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week which starts on May 11.

The number of young mothers willing to take part is heartening for lecturer Alison McFadden but it doesn't change the depressing statistics that show we lag a long way behind the rest of England when it comes to nurturing our babies the natural way.

Recent research carried out in hospitals in Darlington and Bishop Auckland by Alison showed that 54 per cent of new mothers intended to breastfeed their babies - a five per cent rise since 2000. But that pales in comparison to the national figure of 71 per cent.

To try to understand why breastfeeding remains unpopular with many women, Alison, a midwife and lecturer at Teesside University, recently interviewed 35 young women expecting babies or with young children, in Darlington.

Alison was encouraged by the positive comments from some women but saddened to hear the reasons why some women shun breastfeeding.

"Some women talked about the negative attitude of their parents and their male relatives and friends towards breastfeeding, says Alison. In one case a woman said her father-in-law refused point blank to come into the house when she was breastfeeding.

Along with disapproving attitudes in and around their home, the Darlington women also had to contend with a generally unsympathetic environment when they were out and about around town.

"A lot of women feel embarrassed, they feel they are being stared at," says Alison. "They also found that there aren't facilities to breastfeed. One of the women had been asked to leave a caf because they objected to her feeding her baby."

In a bid to change attitudes, the National Childbirth Trust is using press advertising to encourage everyone to be more supportive towards breastfeeding mothers. Adverts in tabloid newspapers like The Sun and the Daily Mirror are aimed at challenging the negative attitudes of young men and women. A recent survey of more than 400 teenagers found that more than half said they would be embarrassed to see a women breastfeed in front of them.

Alison, who is part of a pro-breastfeeding group in South Durham called Fresh Start, is now looking at the possibility of setting up some sort of incentive scheme to encourage more shops, cafes and bars to display signs welcoming women who want to breastfeed their babies.

"A pilot scheme has been tried out in Hull and this is something we would like to take a look at," says Alison.

Darlington mother Sally Ward is comfortable with breastfeeding her daughter Amelia even though she occasionally shouts "boobies, I want boobies" when she is out with her mum

"She is tailing off now but I will continue to breastfeed her for as long as she needs it," says the Darlington mother, Sally, "I think she does it more for comfort now. The other day she climbed on my lap, snuggled in and actually sucked her fingers instead."

But it wasn't always that easy. "When Amelia was born, she didn't know how to do it properly and would latch on to anything - it would make your toes curl and I was actually jealous of the mothers who had given up breastfeeding."

It was the same for Jenny Taylor, also from Darlington, when her son Oscar breastfed. "I found it very difficult to begin with and suffered from cracked nipples. It would have been very easy to give up but I knew it was for the best.

"I didn't tend to feed in public at first because I was aware of other people's perceptions and was worried about what people would say. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before I exposed myself. Now I will do it anywhere I can sit down, though it has to be said there are not very many nice places to feed in Darlington."

Efforts to promote Breastfeeding Awareness Week all over the North-East will culminate in the mass feed in the Cornmill next Friday. The campaign in Darlington, which is backed by the town's Primary Care Trust, is designed to promote the benefits and dispel the myths not just among the general public, but also among medical staff.

"Mammals' milk is species specific," says midwife and breastfeeding co-ordinator Frances Arrowsmith. "Cow's milk is for calves, it is designed to raise them to adulthood within a year, not 18, like humans."

About 99 per cent of mothers are able to breastfeed their children and in countries such as Finland, Norway and Canada, they do. In the UK, 64 per cent of mothers start breastfeeding their babies but after four months this figure drops to 40 per cent.

At the moment about 1,300 babies a year are born in Darlington. Just over half the mothers will attempt breastfeeding but after two weeks the figure drops to just 44 per cent.

"The important thing initially is that staff know how to support mothers," says health visitor Kath Lane. "They have to make sure the babies attach correctly so they get a good milk supply."

If they do, the benefits are enormous, but there is still resistance in the North-East, particularly from the men. "It goes back to what breasts are for," says Sure Start midwife Ginny Kirk. "For many men they are seen as sexual things and parents are embarrassed if they are exposed for feeding. I've know people who've been asked to leave restaurants for breastfeeding in public. So what is needed is a more friendly approach in town."

Jenny adds: "And you definitely need support from everybody because it is so easy to give up. You do feel isolated, in the minority and very much on your own."

But as she watches Oscar playing happily on her lap, she knows it has been worth the effort.

* To contact the NCT Breastfeeding Line (8am to 10pm every day) ring 0870 444 8708.