Mothers 'shouldn't judge', says emotional video ad calling for an end to the 'mummy wars'

Some of the women admitted silently condemning others for not breastfeeding

The short film explores the way new mothers unfairly judge others (Similac/YouTube)

An emotional new video ad has explored the judgements that many new mothers admit making about others, particularly to do with the way they raise their children.

The seven-minute feature profiles a number of women talking about their perceptions of parenting before they gave birth, and follows up with a 'day in the life' of being a new mother.

One of the mothers is shown leaving her crying son at childcare, a baby strapped to her chest, before going into work - where she is the only woman on her team.

She is then shown hiding away behind a screen to use a breast pump.

The ad, which was put together by formula brand Similac, gives a candid insight into preconceptions about how 'easy' or 'hard' being a parent is, before people experience it for themselves.

One woman admitted that she used to say, loudly, "Why can't she control her kids?" in earshot of a mother dealing with a crying baby, or in front of toddlers misbehaving in restaurants.

And while some people have questioned the motives behind the ad - Rachel Hall writes on the brand's Facebook page: "I'm sorry, but it seems that the "end mommy wars" campaign has largely been fueled by formula companies. I understand that we shouldn't be hateful about a mom's choice, but I'm still not jumping on the bandwagon" - others have expressed support for the overall message of treating people as kindly as you would like to be treated yourself.

Ray-lynn Hope says: "It is literally impossible to not judge. We can not control the things that just pop into our heads. But it is very VERY possible to control what you say and how you treat people. The only thing that matters is that these mothers love their children and take care of them."

At the end of the clip, the women all get together to meet for the first time.

One says that she even found herself judging the rest of the group on their appearance at that point, saying she was worried they were "too pretty" - and admitting that her reactions felt like "something left over from middle school".

During the meeting, which left many of the women in tears, the video shows them talking about the difficulties of breastfeeding, particularly for those whose children were in hospital for weeks when they were born, and from the perspective of those who had lost a baby.

One of the women later tells another, tearfully: "I feel ashamed for judging you, especially hearing your pregnancy loss story, because even though I don’t understand about the formula.

"I understand what it’s like to lose a baby and how part of your soul is always missing from your body."