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Knitted knockers

A hospital needing a cheaper alternative to fake breasts has begun knitting its own.

The woolly breasts are being used at Liverpool Women's Hospital to show new mothers how to breastfeed, reports the BBC.

Kate McFadden, the hospital's infant feeding co-ordinator, has already knitted several and has called in the services of her mother, a keen knitter.

The breasts are produced in a variety of skin shades.

They are used by community midwife teams to demonstrate how milk should be expressed, particularly for premature babies being kept in hospital.

Ms McFadden said: "When we first put an e-mail appeal out to everyone in the trust, there were a fair few messages being sent back.

"But they are vital to us and are a low-cost, simple teaching tool."

Ms McFadden sourced the breast pattern from the Lactation Consultants' Association.

She added: "You can buy model breasts, but they cost around £35 each, which is quite prohibitive, as we need about 50."