There is nothing more natural than breastfeeding your baby despite what many myths have implied.

But some mothers tend to shy away from the idea because they think it's embarrassing. Others feel that because they cannot see the amount of milk in the breast the baby may not be getting enough and then there are mothers who just do it incorrectly and get frustrated.

According to health officials, Bermuda has an 80 percent breastfeeding rate for women, prior to being released from the hospital, but within the next few weeks after that the number drops.

And because of this, a workshop with Elaine Wotherspoon community midwife and breastfeeding coordinator of Glasgow Royal Maternity in Scotland has been organised to help improve community nurses and King Edward VII Memorial Hospital nursing staff's skills and knowledge of breastfeeding.

This workshop, which has been very successful throughout the UK, is designed to standardise the knowledge base and transfer the information to mothers so they are aware of the long term benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the baby, according to Miss Wotherspoon.

She added: "Babies are less likely to have asthma, xanthoma, gastro-intestinal problems and diabetes which is important due to the high number of diabetes and asthma on the Island.'' And for mothers, Miss Wotherspoon said breastfeeding can help prevent all types of cancers.

"The duration that a woman breastfeeds needs to be improved. A woman should breastfeed for at least six months and it is important to remember that the benefits only last as long as the baby is breastfeeding,'' Miss Wotherspoon said.

She also added that among all the misconceptions circulating around breastfeeding the most popular one is that mothers worldwide feel they have insufficient milk.

"Breastfed babies have a gradual weight gain but bottle fed babies have rapid weight gain and then they level off.'' Assistant coordinator of nursery/NICU at King Edward, Lisa Blyden said: "In this economic climate a very high percentage of women go back to work in three months shortening the breastfeeding time.'' Coordinator of the workshop Hilda Gray added: "The real point is that we want to teach these working mothers to have express milk for their babies while they are at work so that when they are home they can continue breastfeeding for a longer period of time.

"Mothers should realise that expressing milk all the time is double the work and if they are only pumping, their milk supply will drop off.'' The week of workshops will be for all maternity and nursery staff, children's ward, community nurses and members of the voluntary breastfeeding support groups in the community.

Miss Gray added: "This workshop comes as a complete package designed by Lea Jamieson from Britain and it has been taught there to the midwives throughout the UK. It has been very effective in increasing the duration of breastfeeding and that is why Elaine is here.'' Miss Wotherspoon said: "I will also be teaching what ways of breastfeeding are correct and what is not correct.

"I will be giving a final talk on Saturday June 28 which will be a public forum from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Nurses' Residence on Berry Hill Road.

"The purpose is to teach mothers the correct way to breastfeed. If it's painful it's not correct.'' Miss Wotherspoon also said that most nursing staff have their own ideas about breastfeeding and sometimes incorporate their personal experiences when teaching a new mother.

"We are trying to teach them based on research instead of from their own personal knowledge,'' she added.

Miss Gray said: "The main point we are trying to make through this workshop is that mothers need to breastfeed over a longer period of time, we want to improve the knowledge on both parts of mother and staff.'' Public relations spokesperson for the hospital Kendaree Burgess-Fairn said the workshop endeavours to clear up inaccuracies about breastfeeding.

The workshop is sponsored by the Meet-A-Mom Association, the Continental Society and Abbott Labs.

BREASTFEEDING WORKSHOP -- Miss Elaine Wotherspoon -- community midwife and breastfeeding coordinator of Glasgow Royal Maternity in Scotland (centre) is in Bermuda heading up a workshop on breastfeeding. The workshop is aimed at helping to increase the duration that a mother feeds, and updating nurses skills etc. Pictured with her are assistant coordinator of nursery/NICU Mrs.

Lisa Blyden (left) and coordinator of the workshop and KEMH staff midwife Miss Hilda Gray.