Local mothers struggle to feed babies amidst a baby formula shortage
As many local moms struggle amidst a baby formula shortage, many are fearing they won't be able to feed their babies if relief does not come soon.
"Every morning, I wake up and I get on Target," said mother Rebecca Stevens. "I get on Walmart and Amazon. And I look for the formula and I can't find anything."
Stevens, the mother of a 5-month-old boy named Lewis, stopped breastfeeding on Mother's Day not realizing the extreme baby formula shortage affecting many parents in America. With only enough formula to feed her infant for maybe a week or two, she took to Facebook to see if anyone had extra formula.
"There is really no option," said Stevens. " You breastfeed and your baby is fine, or you give them formula and your baby is fine. But if there is no formula and then what do we do when our babies are starving?"
In an attempt to ration her supplies, Stevens has resorted to watering down her remaining amounts of formula. Other mothers began to make their own formula, something the Food and Drug Administration has warned against. However, some mothers like Melina Khoshabeh, whose baby has a milk and protein allergy, need to get a specific brand of formula.
"I have been in contact with the manufacturer of his formula, and they have no word on when they will be back in stock," she said.
Not wanting her newborn Caden to starve, Khoshabeh scoured the internet for formula, finally finding some which were marked up by 400%. She decided to get it shipped from Europe but at a cost.
"So for four jars, which last about 8-10 days [it was] $170," said Khoshabeh.
With donor milk an expensive and hard-to-find option, local location consultants said that desperate mothers are trying to get more breastmilk amid the shortage.
"We are working with moms who may feel like they stopped breastfeeding too soon and they want to start doing it again, so we are helping them re-lactate," said Tami Pareti, board-certified location consultant.
Pareti said that the shortage is impacting one of the most vulnerable populations, new mothers.
"It's a hard time, so having this added stress level is not good for moms' mental health at this moment," said Pareti.
There are milk banks in California but primarily serve neonatal intensive care units at hospitals. Parents can get donated milk but experts warn that breastmilk should only be taken from someone they know and trust.
