Wrong advice from medical professionals has led to 50 per cent of mothers stopping their breastfeeding, according to a new study.

Most breastfeeding mothers need a little support but health professionals often do not have the time to get to the bottom of why they may be finding it difficult, said Simon Attard Montalto, Mater Dei Hospital's paediatric department chairman and one of the study's authors.

"Incorrect advice on breastfeeding is often given early, prior to discharge from hospital," the study concluded, adding that, as a result, many mothers introduced supplementary artificial milk feeds while in hospital.

The study, published online on the journal Midwifery, followed mothers of 403 babies who chose to breastfeed for six months. But by the end of the study, only 152 - just over a third - were still breastfeeding, with the analysis concluding that many health professionals were not sufficiently committed to supporting breastfeeding mothers. Artificial feeds were being widely recommended without any scientifically based rationale.

Figures show that private hospitals - which tend to admit fewer mothers thus giving professionals more time to focus on each patient - had a higher rate of breastfeeding. In 2006, 57 per cent of mothers who delivered their baby at private hospitals were still breastfeeding after three months, as opposed to 33 per cent at the state hospital.

Prof. Attard Montalto said professionals might be too "neutral" when it comes to breastfeeding: "We are not necessarily advertising against, but we should be promoting breastfeeding," he said.

Some professionals tended to recommend that a woman switched to formula milk when problems arose, when all it took was some time to get to the bottom of what was causing the problem, he added.

Infant feeding specialist midwife Helen Borg, one of the study's authors, told The Times that health professionals required more information to be able to pass this on to mothers. Ms Borg said one mother was told by her family doctor to stop breastfeeding her baby because she was anaemic, without being offered tests to confirm this.

"Some general practitioners do not know how to help mothers with their breastfeeding problems and just tell them to stop," she said.

Louise Bugeja, who runs the Parent Kraft Services at Mater Dei, said Malta does not have a pro-breastfeeding culture.

"There is a lot of contradictory advice and support is lacking. New mothers are very vulnerable and want the best for their baby. So if somebody tells them their child is not eating enough and they should switch to formula, they tend to do so," she said.

Prof. Attard Montalto said there is no doubt breast milk is a lot better than formula, especially because it has properties that protect the baby from infection.

Practice development midwife Mary Buttigieg-Said and medical statistician Edward Clemmer also contributed to the study.