Andrew Radford, programme director at Unicef UK's Baby Friendly initiative, said the lack of a uniform standard between universities meant that midwives often learned technical rather than practical skills.
He said a "strong message" was given to maternity experts at a meeting organised by the Child Growth Foundation last week, which was Breastfeeding Awareness Week, that professionals needed better skills to support breastfeeding women.
"They might find themselves learning about the different constituents of milk, or the physiology of the breast," he said.
"But they don't learn how to support a mother so that she holds the baby properly and is feeding without hurting herself and making sure the baby can get enough milk."
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