GLASGOW mums joined forces in George Square to help spread the word that breast is best.

They were keen to get across the message that breastfeeding can be done discreetly, anywhere in public.

Their campaign is part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week and comes as new figures show fewer mums in Glasgow breastfeed their babies than in many other parts of Scotland.

A Scottish Government drive to increase breastfeeding is showing little progress, according to the statistics.

In some areas, such as the East End, fewer than one in five newborn babies are exclusively breastfed.

In Glasgow 24% of mothers were breastfeeding exclusively at six to eight weeks in 2006/2007 - compared with the national average of 26.4%.

This marks a slight drop from the previous year when 25.6% of new mums were breastfeeding exclusively by six weeks and 34.5% were doing so at the first visit.

In the East End just 14% of mums were breastfeeding alone at six to eight weeks compared with 32.2% in the West End. Statisticians say there is a clear link between breastfeeding rates and levels of deprivation.

Exclusive breastfeeding across Scotland at six to eight weeks varied from more than a third of mums in NHS Lothian to 18.8% in Lanarkshire.

The overall rate in Scotland for breastfeeding, both exclusive and mixed, was said to have stayed "relatively stable" since 2001.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will launch a strategy this month to encourage more mums to breastfeed.

The initiative will include extra staff training to offer more support to new mums and closer monitoring of standards of care.

Research shows starting and continuing to breastfeed is linked to levels of maternal confidence and social support.