Midwives at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) have launched a new initiative to support pregnant women and to help improve the immune systems of their babies.

The project aims to get women to encourage expecting mums to hand-pump milk from 36-weeks onwards, to increase the chance of their baby's first breastfeed being successful.

It aims to improve the experience of women who are induced into labour.

The King's Lynn hospital says colostrum - the first form of milk mothers produce - is packed with "special nutrients which boost babies’ immune systems for life".

The QEH will offer packs with equipment and information to women at their 34-week appointments, at the newborn feeding antenatal classes, or during their induction of labour.

Flo Crawley, infant feeding coordinator at QEH, said: “We’re passionate about providing excellent infant feeding support for the families in our care.

"We hope these packs will support many more families to give the best start to their baby’s immune system.”