SUPPORT, support and more support! That's what one Dunfermline group is offering to new breastfeeding mums.

The Milky Way Cafe, which is part of the Fife Breastfeeding Cafe network, has been helping parents for more than a year and is keen to expand the informal group.

From its weekly get-together at Lynburn Primary's nursery, experts – as well as mums from all walks of life – are on hand to provide advice and support.

Lead volunteer Leanne O'Donnell, who set up the cafe, said they were keen to ensure mums know that help was available to them as part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week.

"It is just like a baby group but there's some trained help as well," she explained. "It is peer support and that is really useful in the early days. It is about finding out about breastfeeding. You are told to do it but when it gets hard, you really have to look for support. That is what Breastfeeding Awareness Week is about. It is about making people aware that there is support out there and to go and find it.

"It is certainly a challenge – breastfeeding, or even having a new baby, is a big challenge."

Mum-of-three Leanne, from Dunfermline, became a peer support volunteer when she was breastfeeding her own children, now aged seven, nine and 11, and is delighted that she can now help others.

"I love seeing the mums growing in confidence with their babies. When I had my eldest, it was quite hard-going. A lot of people feel pressure from families if they are feeding constantly and they maybe think something is wrong or that they don't have enough milk.

"It is support, support, support. These things are totally normal and speaking to other mums helps."

Leanne is hopeful that the cafe will help to improve breastfeeding rates in the area.

She said laws introduced in Scotland had helped new mums feel that they are able to breastfeed wherever and whenever they need to.

"There are two laws which protect breastfeeding babies in Scotland. Scotland was one of the first places to introduce a specific breastfeeding law that makes it illegal to stop a baby feeding.

"Also the Equality Act should give people more confidence. There is a lot more support for mums in Fife now. We have got a breastfeeding support team as well as the NHS one.

"Fife has very bad breastfeeding rates. Scotland is quite bad across the UK and Fife is particularly bad for Scotland. Specific areas are really, really bad in Fife and some are not quite so bad but it is gradually improving."

The Milky Way Cafe runs every Friday morning from 10-11.30am at Lynburn Primary's nursery. For more details, visit the Fife Breastfeeding Group – Milky Way Cafe Facebook page.