The formula shortage happening in the United States right now is a colossal failure of elected and corporate leadership to take care of its parents and children. No parent should have to worry about how they will feed their child.
The fact that three companies produce the majority of infant formula in the US and that we make it very difficult for suppliers and families to import formula from outside the country makes our supply chain extremely vulnerable to issues like the major recall that affected Abbott Labs earlier this year.
I’ve seen and heard plenty of comments already – and surely you have, too – along the lines of “Breastfeeding is free”, and “Formula is a choice”, and I want to take this opportunity to educate folks a bit on why these kinds of comments are harmful and truly misinformed.
A lack of any form of paid parental leave, paid childcare, or any other child-centered policies in the United States makes breastfeeding extremely challenging for the majority of families. It is a major time investment, and it does not come easily to every parent who wishes to breastfeed. On top of this, formula companies employ predatory marketing techniques to discourage breastfeeding and limit families’ choices. Families often receive formula samples in the mail, at the hospital, and at the pediatrician’s office – often making formula far more accessible than qualified lactation support, which is sometimes free for families with health insurance, but out-of-reach for many families without.
Every family who needs or chooses to feed formula should have access to it, period – but many families who would otherwise choose to breastfeed switch to formula or combo-feeding given a plethora of financial, social, medical, and/or political barriers.
This shortage should never have been allowed to happen, and families are NOT to blame for their feeding choices.
How Can I Help?
Now that we’re here, though, how can you help families struggling to find formula?
- Reach out to ask formula-feeding parents you know if they need any assistance tracking down formula; if they do, find out what brand(s) they are looking for or open to, and where they typically purchase, and offer to shop around to find a match.*
- Share nationwide sharing sites such as Free Formula Exchange or Free to Feed’s Formula + Milk Exchange on social media
- Find out if there is a local mutual aid organization near you coordinating a formula drive or crowdsourcing photos of available stock on local store shelves (if you’re here in A2/Ypsi, the Ann Arbor Mamas Network has a sticky thread)
- CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND TELL THEM TO TAKE THIS MORE SERIOUSLY.
- Share this NYT article on the shortage with detailed info/Q+A for parents on how to navigate
- Offer general support to parents in your life in other ways: parents of little ones always welcome a dropoff of food or the offer of an extra set of hands with housework, yardwork, childcare, etc. A small gesture in a stressful time can go a long way.
- Unless a parent has expressed interest or openness to donor breastmilk or breastfeeding, avoid offering this as a solution.
*Note that many babies have sensitivities to particular ingredients/formulas and may not be able to tolerate just any brand.
Donor Milk + Relactation
IF a parent has expressed openness to donor milk and/or breastfeeding support, and only if, it may be appropriate to consider:
- sharing information on donor milk banks and/or informal milksharing organizations like Human Milk 4 Human Babies or Eats on Feets
- helping them find or identify a personal contact they know and trust for informal milksharing
- if you are a lactating parent yourself, you can pump or hand express additional milk to donate through a milk bank or informal milksharing organization
- letting them know that lactation/relactation* support is available should they wish to explore it, and helping them connect to a lactation consultant.
*Relactation is not possible in all cases, but may be possible especially if a baby is under 6 months of age or if weaning occurred within the last 6 months.
Final Thoughts
Above all, if a family you know is struggling to feed their baby, hold them with love, kindness, and compassion. As a parent, nothing is more terrifying, and the last thing anyone needs is to feel judged or shamed for their choices.
If you or a family you know is struggling with feeding right now – to keep up milk supply, to find a formula your baby can tolerate, to transition from one formula to another – PLEASE reach out. Supported Sleep has a wide referral network of local and virtual providers who are happy to be a resource in your feeding journey, whatever it looks like.
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