The majority of babies born at the Dorset County Hospital NHS Trust last year are getting the best start in life, NHS figures suggest.

The trust has higher than average rates of both skin-to-skin contact within an hour of giving birth and initial breastfeeding, which Public Health England says "helps give babies the best nutritional start in life".

In 2017-18, 1,660 mothers gave birth at the trust. Data on skin-to-skin contact was recorded for 1,540 women, excluding those who had premature babies born before 37 weeks.

Of those, 87% were able to have skin-to-skin bonding time with their babies within an hour of giving birth.

But that still leaves 205 women who missed out on the "lasting benefits" of immediate skin-to-skin contact, which promotes breastfeeding, protects babies from infection and enables mother and baby to bond.

The Royal College of Midwives said that maternity wards should "make every possible effort for all babies to have skin-to-skin contact with their mothers within one hour of birth".

The process involves putting the newborn baby on its mother's bare chest and covering both with a warm blanket. This encourages the baby's natural instinct to breastfeed.

The first breastfeed is particularly important for babies because it contains colostrum, nicknamed "liquid gold".

Fran Bailey, a breastfeeding counsellor at parents' charity the National Childbirth Trust, said: "Colostrum is like breast milk, but much thicker and creamier.

"We call it 'baby's first immunisation', because it's rammed full of antibodies. There's only around 5ml of it, a tiny amount, but it's really good for helping to protect babies' tummies."

At the Dorset County Hospital NHS Trust, 79% of babies had maternal or donor breast milk for their first feed. The national average was 74%.

Data on the baby's first feed was recorded for 1,290 newborns, including pre-term babies. In total, 1,685 were born at the trust last year.

Jane Scattergood, Midwifery Advisor at Public Health England, said: "Skin-to-skin contact directly after birth has lasting benefits for both mother and baby.

"It also supports breastfeeding, which helps give babies the best nutritional start in life."

She added: "We know some mothers may need support and encouragement to help them start and continue with breastfeeding.

"That's why we provide trusted advice to parents through our Start4Life campaign resources, and to midwives and health visitors through professional guidance."