The PEI Breastfeeding Coalition wants to encourage more women to try breastfeeding, launching a video campaign this week on social and traditional media highlighting Island women who have embraced it.

Nationally 89 per cent of women try breastfeeding. On P.E.I., it's 80 per cent, and that number drops dramatically after babies are just a month old.

"I thought I would just do it minimally, but once I started and it worked, it's the best part of parenthood so far so it's something I really believe in," said Mille Clarkes, whose son Henry was born 16 months ago.

That's why the award-winning filmmaker has taken the opportunity to work with the coalition to create two videos on the subject.

"Certainly I've heard stories where people have been approached or told not to and it's just the most natural thing," said Clarkes, adding "I do feel the tide is turning."

In one of the videos, entitled Let's Talk about Breastfeeding, new parents bounce their baby and an expectant mother laughs and cradles her bump while voices say "I just say don't give up, cause you body's doing something it's never done before," and "It's totally normal, natural — it's the best thing to do!" Another woman says with a smile to the camera: "That's what our boobs are for!"

Coalition chair Rosemary Drake hopes the videos will encourage more women to breastfeed.

"The more people see these videos on social media, the more they'll start thinking about oh, perhaps I could breastfeed, perhaps there is somebody out there that wouldn't mind giving me a hand," said Drake.

The Department of Health and Wellness gave the group just under $5,000 to create the awareness campaign.

The videos are under wraps until a public screeing Wednesday at the Guild, after which the coalition will share them on social media.

"I hope that watching these videos they'll see the real faces of real people that live here on PEI that have done it, or are doing it, that they'll be able to relate to that, and get a little courage and encouragement that they need," said Clarkes.