Mums are using the Amazon Alexa to help them breastfeed as research shows more than half of mothers are opting not to.

Fewer than half of babies in England are breastfed at six to eight weeks, making these the lowest numbers in the world.

But a new support system called 24/7 Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life, an NHS approved scheme, is now available on platforms such as Amazon Alexa and Facebook Messenger.

The service is designed to give mums the support they need from the comfort of their own home taking the pressure off those stressful first months.

A new survey of 1,000 mothers of young children commissioned by Public Health England revealed that, in hindsight, mothers wished they had been better prepared for breastfeeding.

The research shows that some mothers found asking for help made them look like they could not cope and so this technology is designed to help and support.

The free service allows mums to ask Alexa questions to get immediate answers even when their hands are full.

Experts say breastfeeding boosts a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection, and babies who are not breastfed are more likely to get diarrhoea and chest infections.

Breastfeeding also lowers a mother’s risk of breast cancer and may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

For more information, advice and tips on breastfeeding visit: www.nhs.uk/start4life