Train mothers on breastfeeding

To ensure adequate nutrition for newborns, new mothers should be taught about breastfeeding, experts said at a roundtable yesterday.

Although there is a lot of investment on exclusive breastfeeding for six months, many mothers are unaware of it. Eventually, babies remain malnourished, they said.

They recommended taking care of the mothers since their pregnancy, taking special care of infants and adolescents, preventing child marriage, and implementing policies and projects relating to nutrition.

The Prothom Alo in association with Suchana project of Save the Children organised the roundtable on child malnutrition at the newspaper's office in Dhaka.

Speaking as the chief guest, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim stressed exclusive breastfeeding.

Save the Children Deputy Country Director Ishtiaq Mannan, Bangladesh National Nutrition Council Secretary Mohammad Shahnewaz, Prothom Alo Associate Editor Abdul Quayum, Dhaka University Prof Nazma Shaheen and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Chief Technical Advisor Naoki Minamiguchi also spoke.