MOTHERS in Waltham Forest are helping other women breastfeed their babies by offering them support and advice.

A new training programme supported by Whipps Cross University Hospital is allowing local women who have breastfed to give information to new mums in their community Seventy-five mums and health professionals have just completed their training and, to celebrate, a party was held at the Epicentre in West Street, Leytonstone, on Friday during Breastfeeding Awareness Week.

Amanda O'Dell, 32, from Walthamstow, completed the programme.

She said: "I had a hard time at first with my son but a positive midwife made all the difference. I was horrified at the low breastfeeding figures we have. My son was breastfed until he was 18 months old and I am not breastfeeding my daughter, Genevieve."

The training is run by the Breastfeeding Project Group, which was started four years ago by a midwife from Whipps Cross to offer more support to breastfeeding mums.

It is a partnership between the hospital trust, breastfeeding organisations, mothers, health visitors, dieticians and the council's Early Years services.

Around 4,500 babies are born at Whipps Cross every year and to help give support to mums, the trust has created a new infant feeding co-ordinator post, which is being shared by Sarah Leach and Jo Naylor.

Ms Leach said: "Breast milk is the best form of nutrition for infants yet British breastfeeding rates are amongst the lowest in Europe.

"This programme is a great way to encourage mothers to breastfeed; these trained volunteers can give first-hand experience and information to mothers in their community."

Ms Naylor added that an environment of support needed to be created for women of all ethnic, social and cultural backgrounds to be comfortable feeding their baby anywhere and at any time.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said the long-term plan at Whipps Cross was to gain baby-friendly status, awarded by UNICEF, which no London hospital has yet achieved.