THIS week is breastfeeding awareness week reinforcing the message that breast is best for babies.

So it might be, but it's not always the easiest option when baby seems hell bent on a policy of non-cooperation.

Some mums master this new skill with minimum effort, but others are left feeling inept, inadequate and too ham-fisted to overcome the obstacles posed by obstinate infants.

At times like this, what you need more than anything is a new breast friend to offer advice and encouragement, which is how Jackie Keates and Tracey Drewett came

to be "Bosom Buddies".

Tracey (36), mother to two-year-old Joe, responded to an ad asking for volunteers to train as bosom buddies - mothers who had already successfully breastfed one or more children and were willing to share their experience and time with mums who were just getting started.

She got in touch with Mandy Grant, who was just setting up the Bemerton Heath breastfeeding support group, and underwent a six-week training course covering a raft of topics related to breastfeeding from the physical mechanics and benefits to normal feeding patterns and why women give up on it.

"I'd actually had problems myself feeding Joe.

"It sounds like a clich to say I felt I wanted to give something back but if I

hadn't had help I probably wouldn't have

carried on," she says.

"It's something I feel very strongly about and there isn't enough good information about it - there is real need for this kind of peer

support."

Tracey was there when Jackie (25) joined the group with four-month-old Ben.

"I had terrible problems to start with and nearly gave up," recalls Jackie.

"Ben wouldn't feed - he wouldn't latch on and seemed to be scared, throwing himself backwards and screaming.

"I was given lots of conflicting advice and even tried bottlefeeding before my health visitor suggested I come here."

Armed with useful advice from Mandy, she was also introduced to Tracey as her bosom buddy.

"She was just there - she gave me support, came over and made sandwiches for me when I was moving, introduced me to other mother and children groups, and gave me her phone number for when I was desperate," Jackie says.

"In the end, she became a very good friend and Ben is now breastfeeding beautifully and thriving."

Says Tracey: "It's been very, very satisfying.

"When you first start being a bosom buddy, it's quite daunting because you worry about everything you say, but it becomes more natural with time and we've gained a great friendship out of it.

"It's lovely to know that through your own bad experience, you can help someone else."

So grateful was Jackie to the group that she has in turn trained as a Bosom Buddy and intends to train as a breastfeeding councillor in the future.

"I'm a nurse and have done a bit of midwifery, so I thought I would know a bit more about breastfeeding than others, but if it hadn't been for this group, I would definitely have given up," she says.

Bemerton Heath breastfeeding support group meets every Wednesday from 11am-12.30am at Bemerton Heath family centre in Pinewood Way. It is an informal, relaxed group run by mums, midwives and health visitors and is open to all breastfeeding mothers.