Women who breastfeed are more likely to do it for longer if they share a bed with their babies, a new study has found.

UK researchers looked at 678 women who were recruited midway during their pregnancy to take part in a breastfeeding trial.

The study found that women who frequently shared a bed with their babies consistently breastfed for longer than women who did not share a bed with their infants.

The study also noted that those who were the most motivated during pregnancy to breastfeed, were more likely to share a bed with their baby after birth.

"We previously found that mothers who bed share were twice as likely to breastfeed their baby for at least six months than mothers who began breastfeeding but didn't bed share. In this paper we show that mothers with the strongest intent to breastfeed are the ones who sleep with their babies the most," the researchers said.

They noted that some women choose to avoid sharing a bed with their infants because of concerns, such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This may mean that some are not achieving their breastfeeding goals.

"These mothers therefore need information on how to make bed-sharing while breastfeeding as safe as possible," the researchers concluded.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Acta Paediatrica.