Powdered milk is one of the threats to breastfeeding as it is being promoted as substitute to breast milk, speakers at a roundtable said yesterday.

The other threats are attractive feeding bottles, supplying free samples of powdered milk at hospitals, lack of arrangements for working mothers to breastfeed their babies at different organisations, said Prof. Nazmunnahar, head of the paediatrics department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation (BBF) organised the roundtable on 'Breastfeeding: Analysis of essential fields of care for newborns" at the Jatiya Press Club to mark the World

Breastfeeding Week.

Dr Uzma Syed, programme manager, Save the Children, USA, gave an overview of breastfeeding patterns across the world, including Bangladesh.

According to a study report, about 85 per cent of newborns in the

country are not breastfed within the first hour after their birth due to lack of consciousness and delay in delivery process.

She said breastfeeding can protect a baby from respiratory infection in its first month.

Prof. Rezaul Karim, a scientist and volunteer of the BBF, called for ensuring breastfeeding promotion as breast milk protects babies from various diseases as well as save huge foreign exchange.

Among others, Prof. M Q K Talukder, chairperson of BBF, Prof. Hamidur Rahman, director, Institute of Child and Mother Health, and Shaheen Sultana, coordinator of BBF, also spoke.