By Mikisha Plesco, Director of Operations, GRAAHI
A nationwide baby formula shortage is severely impacting Black parents and babies, who are already disproportionately affected by the lack of access to the necessary nutrients to grow and thrive. In May, 43% of the top-selling baby formula products at national retailers were out of stock.
Formula is very expensive, with a yearly estimated cost between $1200 and $1500 which means Black families are hit the hardest, many of them living paycheck to paycheck. They may be relying on WIC benefits, perhaps even SNAP benefits, to purchase baby formula and do not have the resources to be able to stock up. And, they didn’t have the ability to stock up months ago when they saw this coming.
Mothers in Detroit and Grand Rapids have been sounding the message since February that there was no formula on their local grocery store shelves.
Here’s my story:
The most exciting day of my life was having my daughter in June of 2021. Being pregnant during a pandemic was truly frightening because COVID-19 vaccinations were not approved for pregnant women. So, I took every precaution – from masking with a N95, hand hygiene and not going out besides going to work. Even at work, I ensured social distancing and cleaning twice a day.
When my daughter was born, I thought “okay now I have to keep her safe from COVID-19 because no vaccination is available for her age.” She has been in this bubble and has been at home. No daycare, no visiting extended family, and no outside outings. This has been tough.
At her delivery, I was able to choose which formula I wanted to feed her. A formula that I had researched throughout my pregnancy. Although no explanation is needed, I chose not to breastfeed because of a medication that I take. As a new mom I stressed about everything, but COVID-19 was not the worst thing I was going to face.
During my pregnancy I was fortunate that I could save money for formula and ordered 13 cans, wanting to ensure I had enough for her first year. When my daughter was 3 months old, I had to downgrade her formula because it was not available.The formula I had researched, saved for and stored was recalled, and all 13 cans had to be sent back to the company. I scrambled, but was blessed to have my daughter’s physician provide 2 cans of milk. Friends and family also helped us find formulas without considering which kind (such as sensitive, pro advance, regular, allergens, etc.). My daughter is 11 months old and we will not be able to go past 12 months for her formula.
Formula shortage is not a new problem. There are only 2 formula companies that are recommended and only 4 major brands. Necessary recalls and shutting down a plant made the problem exponentially worse. Price increases and hoarding make it even more difficult for low-income families to have adequate supply.
President Biden enacted the Defense Production Act to ensure that baby formula is produced and/or flown to the United States. President Biden proposed $28 million aid that would assist the Food and Drug Administration to address the shortage, but 192 Republicans voted against the bill (Washington Post 2022). The bill came a little too late for some families, but it could have helped millions of families.
Formula shortages should have been addressed just like many other shortages that have happened across the United States. We have known for months that this was a problem and a solution was not mitigated early on to ensure every child under 1 had the formula that they need despite economic status. We have to do better for our community to mitigate risk proactively rather than reactively.
Now we are here and this is every new mom/dad/caregiver’s nightmare. Not to be able to feed formula to your child. If you are having difficulty with formula please seek out the following resources:
Your primary pediatrician may have a list of resources and guidance on formula recommendations.
If you are giving birth soon or in the process of giving birth, please ask hospital staff for formula packs.
Check out this article from Bridge Michigan which provides some helpful resources: https://www.bridgemi.com/children-families/how-find-baby-formula-michigan-and-how-keep-your-child-safe
References:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2022/05/18/house-formula-shortage-abbott/
