The sleepless nights are just one of a myriad of possible problems faced by new mothers trying to feed their babies nature's way.

However, with the help of a good support network, Julie (41), believes it is worth it.

She said: "The information about the health benefits of breastfeeding is well known but if you don't have a great support network, it can be very difficult.

"When you are breastfeeding your child, you are not getting any sleep and it is great to have someone at home taking all the other work off you, for example, the small things like doing the dishes and making the tea.

"It is also good if someone else is there to help with your other children and my partner Richard has been brilliant.

"My baby Sam is now 11 weeks old and I have another son, William, who is two-and-a-half. I believe if you can crack it (breastfeeding) in the first five weeks then you will be able to continue.

"It is a skill that you have to acquire but if you don't have that support network, it is very difficult."

However, despite breastfeeding her son, Julie believes mums who cannot or do not want to should not be made to feel guilty and instead offered support.

And that is exactly the opinion of NHS Fife breastfeeding co-ordinator and infant feeding adviser Irene Fenske.

She said: "We do not want mums to feel guilty if they choose not to breast feed, here at Forth Park we believe in supporting mums no matter how they decide to feed their babies.

"We want mums to make an informed choice about breast or formula feeding and we would certainly not say that bottle feeding is wrong.
"In Fife the culture is to bottle feed and we are hoping to eventually change this slowly, which can take a long time."

A breastfeeding clinic has been set up in Forth Park Hospital, running on a Monday and Thursday morning, and plans are in progress to set up more clinics around Fife to cover all the week days.

NHS also has a 24-hour help line on 07810637767.

This year, the Fife Breast Feeding Forum is holding a conference featuring the newly appointed national feeding co-ordinator Ruth Campbell as a speaker.

The focus will be on looking at different aspects of breastfeeding and why and how we should be making the cultural change to breast feeding being the norm.