THE Royal Bolton Hospital is to stop supplying free formula milk to new mums, in a bid to increase breastfeeding in the town.

From early April, mothers who choose to bottle feed will have to provide their own pre-prepared milk during their stay at the Princess Anne Maternity Unit.

It is hoped the move will encourage more new mums to breastfeed, meaning their babies will have reduced hospital admissions and infections and are less likely to develop conditions such as asthma and heart disease or become obese.

Mothers also benefit, becoming less likely to suffer from ovarian and breast cancer and develop weaker bones in later life.

It is all part of the trust’s bid to gain Baby Friendly status, a UNICEF UK, the United Nations Children’s Fund, initiative to promote breastfeeding.

Less than 70 per cent of mums start breastfeeding in Bolton but by the time their baby is six to eight-weeksold, only around a third of them have kept it up.

Many mums do not find breastfeeding easy and the hospital hopes the change will support them to try it and persevere.

Shelagh Tomlinson, maternity inpatient matron, said: “Breastfeeding gets babies off to a great start in life, as well as enabling women to bond with their babies.

“We know that being breastfed reduces a person's lifetime incidence of hospital admissions, infections and heart disease, so there are lots of reasons to encourage breastfeeding.

“We find many mums want to breastfeed, but may give up in the early stages.

“The majority of women can successfully breast feed their baby if they have support and guidance.”

The hospital says it respects that it is a personal decision for women and staff will support them and their families whatever their choice. If mums choose not to breast feed, they will need ready prepared milk, but bottles and teats will still be provided.

The hospital, along with NHS Bolton, the local primary care trust, passed the first stage in achieving Baby Friendly status in May. The organisations are now working towards gaining full status, with two more stages to go.

For more information on breastfeeding women can speak to their midwife or visit breastfeeding.nhs.uk.

Teresa Neary-Taggart of Little Angels and Bolton Breast Buddies, local breastfeeding support groups, welcomed the move.

She said: “Breastfeeding needs to be the norm, not a gold standard. People think it’s hard but it’s a lot easier than bottle feeding.”