Baby Formula Shortages?

SkovandOfMitaze · May 19, 2022, 11:03am

So I’m out of the loop of whatever is going on. I’ve seen a handful of posts and once or twice I’ve seen some ads and a day or so ago when at my grandmothers checking in on the news something popped up about it. I guess there could potentially be a shortage of baby formula. I don’t really know. Not checked and though concerning that’s not what my post is about necessarily.

What I found , I guess odd but predictable, is that it’s being turned political. I’m seeing a increasing amount of posts , from women in their 20s to their 80s posting about homemade baby formula and sharing some meme of a old recipe that is a combination of something like evaporated milk, tea, orange juice , water , I think crushed vitamins show up sometimes and some kind of root powder. The picture comes with a fact checker message saying missing information that can mislead people and there are a bunch of “ I did my own research “ and “ my parents and grandparents were raised on something like this “ posts fueled with conspiracy theories of the government trying to prevent mothers from making their own food because they want the babies to die as punishment for conservative states fighting abortion.

At first I almost thought it was a joke but it seems that a lot of genuinely believes it.

Terry_Sampson · May 19, 2022, 1:29pm

That sentence could use an additional word, as in “trying to prevent mothers from making their own baby food”, which is still a silly “conspiracy theory” idea. Why? Because the possibility of the U.S. federal government, or all U.S. state governments, conspiring secretly to prevent mothers from breast feeding is crazy. Maybe “the missing information” are the names of baby food manufacturers who have a secret hand in financing and promoting the government’s illicit and crazy efforts to prevent mothers from breastfeeding? May be “fake news”, but that would sure make “a scary movie”.

jpm · May 19, 2022, 1:30pm

It is a complex problem, but is real and has been in the news for weeks now. And has turned political, as everything seems to do. Homemade formula is a thing, and the problem with it is primarily one of people not being competent to do it right. If properly mixed and supplemented, it has been a life saver through the years, though commercial formula is tested and superior. On physician boards, there are interesting conversations about it, pro and con. The con usually centers around that unfortunately, babies are admitted to the hospital not uncommonly because their parents are not capable of following the instructions on the can of formula to prepare, and these are the parents you expect to mix up homemade formula in a fairly precise fashion.
Formula companies have been at fault as well, not only in the quality control which led to the current shortage, but in fostering dependence on formula around the world rather than breast milk,
Economic and social change has a part as it is difficult to breast feed and work full time, and many families are dependent on the mother’s income either voluntarily or involuntarily.
The La Leche League and some of their radical breast feeding positions also has made things difficult both due to backlash, and by demonizing anything other than breast milk.
And, I am sure human selfishness is a factor in that like with any shortage there is a hoarding tendency which makes people snatch up any extra formula when it hits the shelf just in case. And, I admit is very understandable when you worry about feeding your infant.

I suspect by the time the government actions have effect, the shortage will be over. Hopefully, more new moms will find breastfeeding a better alternative.

Christy · May 19, 2022, 1:38pm

It’s not potential it’s real. There are areas where it’s not been available for a week and people are having friends ship it from out of state where it is still available. Part of the reason it “turned political” is you have stupid conservative men saying things like “just breastfeed” to women (as if you can just turn on the milk faucets at will). It’s too bad a difficult situation always generates nonsense in the science illiterate community.

Terry_Sampson · May 19, 2022, 1:38pm

Is there an on-line petition somewhere that we can sign?

HRankin · May 19, 2022, 1:50pm

It’s everywhere. I went hunting for a special formula for a friend this weekend and shelves were completely cleaned out.

The White House enacted a mandate to fix it yesterday, but it probably won’t effect the fact they literally just can’t produce it fast enough. Some places I read would not be back to normal for 2-3 more months.

SkovandOfMitaze · May 19, 2022, 1:53pm

I believe it’s happening. I’ve just not paid much attention to it until recently when I seen some girl on her phone asking if car formula could used and I just ignored it. Then seen some of the posts on FB. I realized not a single friend of mine, men or women, have any infants. The only people I’ve seen until this morning complaining was far right people using memes which is why I kind of glanced over it all. But suddenly this morning I’ve also been getting a bunch of ads from local places saying they are in stock.

I’ve seen a bunch of the breastfeeding ones too which is again is something I don’t know anything about. Never talked about it. It’s not like women in general conversation with random men about it. I never looked into how many women can or cant breastfeed or if a baby can or cannot drink cow milk. Seems some are also saying their babies are allergic to their breastmilk. It’s all beyond me. I just brought it up figuring there would be better info here. I probably won’t ever study it out but figured I should learn a tad bit since it’s the bi e belt and far right where I live and should probably know in general if a infant can or cannot drink cows milk vs goats milk. But I’m at work and so I’ll look more into some stuff later. Maybe on one of the podcasts they can link some legitimate sites about this.

SkovandOfMitaze · May 19, 2022, 1:59pm

That’s crazy. I guess because I only go shopping once or twice a month and I don’t have a baby and none of my friends are new moms I just somehow fell through the cracks on this whole thing. Barely heard about it until this morning it was just all a local fb group. Then recently a woman was asking someone on the phone a baby can drink kitten formula and at that time I did not know it was a shortage and just thought it was someone asking a friend a random question.

Well hopefully these places can get fixed quickly. I guess if I see someone at a store I’ll buy a few since I know we have moms with infants at church. I wont buy dozens or anything. Just 1-2. I buy baby wipes , including recently to clean my cats ears with and I know sometimes I’ve seen infant formula on the shelf near it. I shop at 7am when I go and so that’s probably why stuff is often restocked then.

Randy · May 19, 2022, 2:06pm

Yes, we’ve seen seizures from low sodium in the past–it’s so easy to make a mistake.

Christy · May 19, 2022, 2:20pm

Yes, this is a real thing because some people are allergic to the proteins in any milk. They need to have really expensive plant-based formulas, but those aren’t the ones that are not available right now.

I saw a guy on Twitter who thought all women start producing milk once a month at puberty. The level of ignorance about female biology is pretty astounding. The interaction of three hormones (estrogen, progesterone and human placental lactogen) in the final months of pregnancy and the rapid change in the balance of these three hormones after giving birth generally causes a woman to start lactating a few days after the baby is born. If the baby does not nurse, her hormone levels will return to pre-pregnant, non-lactating state in a little over a week. If the baby does nurse, or if she pumps, it will stimulate the production of the hormones that keep the milk production going. I believe it is the same for other mammals. We don’t get milk from any old cow, we get them from ones that just had calves and if you don’t keep milking them every day, they won’t keep producing milk.

Very young infants need breast milk or synthetic breast milk (formula) because there are proteins and vitamins necessary for development that are not in cow’s milk and the different balance of proteins, minerals, and vitamins in cow’s milk can stress their kidneys and digestive systems and cause serious medical problems. Human babies have evolved to need human milk, go figure. As babies’ systems mature, many can tolerate cow’s milk, which is why many people switch from breastfeeding or formula to milk around a year.

Eli · May 19, 2022, 2:26pm

On a lot of Christian forums I see two things:

Crazy conspiracy theories
The apocalypse is happening tomorrow.

This forum is different because I don’t see those things here so thank you for being reasonable.

beaglelady · May 19, 2022, 2:36pm

There’s another conspiracy theory from the immigrant-hating right going around: we have a formula shortage because it’s all being shipped to the border for immigrants.

marta · May 19, 2022, 3:17pm

Ermm…did you mean "force mothers into breastfeeding? That’s what could happen if there’s no formula…only it couldn’t because this is more complex than that, but what do you expect when…

Quelle surprise ! I would have known that without you telling me. Just how predictable and samey samey are these groups? I’m not even in America but I knew they would say that, because these types would say exactly the same no matter what country. Let’s blame the most vulnerable, not like they can fight back, right? Whoever is saying this, I hope they don’t call themselves Christian.

Terry_Sampson · May 19, 2022, 3:42pm

Absolutely not! Nor am I silly enough to believe a woman can produce breast milk on demand. On the other hand, I am old enough to remember a 62-year old step-mother who kept me fed, diapered in cloth, warm, and happy beginning when I was 3 month’s old. How the heck did she do that without store-bought baby formula and disposable diapers in 1949? I’d ask my great-grandmother, grandmothers, Mexican mother-in-law, but they’re all dead. [Mi suegra, by the way raised 10 kids, most in Mexico until she and her husband brought them all to the U.S. legally in 1959.]

Maybe, just maybe, however, it’s time and not too late–at least, here in the U.S.–to consider implementing pre-birth to adult child services for as many as need or want it as possible.

jpm · May 19, 2022, 4:03pm

I am sure you were fed home made formula. I was raised on it too, as I was a C-section baby and my mom had complications and was in the hospital several weeks. You can actually make passable formula (The typical old recipe was evaporated milk, water and Karo syrup) but it was lacking some of the stuff we need, and for that reason supplemental vitamins were used, as well as the early introduction of table foods or baby food (particularly iron fortified cereal) was done to fill the gaps. The evaporated milk was better than using fresh as it was both sterile, and the heat process helped break down some of the cow milk proteins. One problem with cow and goat milk is that it has a high sodium load compared to human milk also. So, that along with the problem of some people not making it correctly has led to no medical authorities recommending homemade formula due to the liability concerns. If I had a baby, I would not hesitate to use in an emergency, but I trust my measurements.
As a funny aside, a friend was using PET brand evaporated milk when baking something with her pre-teen kids, and they asked what PET milk was. She calmly explained that it was milk they get from pets, like cats and dogs, with the predictable response from the kids.

marta · May 19, 2022, 4:11pm

I wasn’t suggesting you’re ignorant about female biology, I meant that as a comment about general public.

Yes, good point, how did people do it before? Was there more malnutrition among infants? It’s like now young parents can’t imagine life without Pampers, forgetting that as little as 30 years ago this was luxury, only used maybe when traveling or something.

To me, there’s no such thing as illegal people, so no need to tell me.

I have no idea what that is

Cute pics BTW🙂

Terry_Sampson · May 19, 2022, 4:38pm

I’m sure you weren’t. I just wanted to back anybody off who thinks people who don’t have kids are clueless when it comes to parenting.

Point taken.

Something along the line, in part, like some-but-few places in the U.S. have:
Pre-natal, Post-natal and, potentially, more …

Terry_Sampson · May 19, 2022, 4:47pm

Maybe, … maybe not …
More likely than not.
Witnesses are dead, and I cain’t remember.

How’d they do it in “Life on the Prairie”??

SkovandOfMitaze · May 19, 2022, 4:48pm

I guess somehow just the specifics of my life resulted in me never being curious. My son was breastfed for I think 2 years to be honest. My gf at that time so I had my son with had one of those pump machines. She stayed home at that time while I worked and she fed him , but from 12am-6am I woke up once during that time around 3 and had to warm up the milk and feed him. If he woke up crying before that it was my job between 12-6 so she could sleep. So most of the time I fed him at 12 ad then slept and woke back up around 3 and fed him and then went back to sleep and got up round 5-6 to begin my day. It’s when I would change his diaper too. But by the time he was around 19 months I think we could basically change him at night before going to bed and give him a bottle and he would manage himself until we woke up in the morning. He was able to hold his bottle and feed himself. It took a while longer because his shoulder was damaged while being born though by the time he was in school it seemed to have complete healed.

The other part was that we were already vegan then. So my son was raised that way and animal milks never care into the picture and somewhere between 2-3 I know he was already drinking ancient grain milk.

Terry_Sampson · May 19, 2022, 4:53pm

Is that code for still-made “moonshine”?