Desperate for formula, Coast moms must rely on Facebook groups to feed their babies
Desperate to find formula for her baby, Dena Norris has driven an hour from home and sought help from her pediatrician in the last few months.
“It’s a very scary feeling when you go into Walmart to get your child’s formula and there isn’t any there,” the Saucier mother told the Sun Herald.
When all else failed, it was a Facebook group that came through for Norris. She bought Enfamil Gentlease from a group member who could send the formula from out of state.
And Norris isn’t the only one struggling to find the purple cans she needs to nourish her child.
A nationwide shortage in baby formula has many Coast parents turning to Facebook to feed their babies. In these groups, thousands of parents buy, sell or trade cans of formula. They barter samples, post coupons and offer encouragement.
One popular group, formed last February, has more than 10,000 members and 2,060 posts in the last month. When a store in a member’s town gets new stock, the address and photos are posted. Some generous members even offer to buy and ship to group members at cost. Norris said people usually have fair prices. She hasn’t had issues with scammers, but uses PayPal so she can dispute a transaction if necessary.
Bay St. Louis mom Jasmine Blaire says she and her husband have had trouble finding her baby’s formula for more than five weeks.
“We have traveled to six different Walmarts and many drug stores trying to find it,” she said. “The three closest Walmarts to me don’t have my daughter’s formula at all, but a Walmart about an hour and a half away from me had only three small cans in stock two weeks ago.”
Blaire said each can lasted less than 3 days.
What to do if you need formula in MS
Formula shortages started last year.
While the country was stockpiling toilet paper during the COVID-19 pandemic, new parents hoarded baby formula. Demand increased while everything from production to packaging practically came to a standstill.
If you are a Mississippi parent who cannot find your child’s formula, you have options.
- If breastfeeding is not an option, consult your pediatrician for formula alternatives, said Dr. Mobolaji Famuyide, chief of the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Division of Newborn Medicine and professor of pediatrics.
- Consider a store-brand substitute, said Dr. Anita Henderson, president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a pediatrician at the Hattiesburg Clinic
- Talk to your pediatrician before switching formulas.
- Parents who get WIC should contact their local office if they are having trouble finding formula, Henderson said.
Similac recall: What to know
Before the U.S. could fully recover from the supply, employee and distribution shortages brought on by the pandemic, a February baby formula recall added to the nationwide shortage.
Abbott Nutrition voluntarily recalled Similac Alimentum, Similac Elecare and Similac PM 60/40 powdered infant formula after the Food and Drug Administration and Center for Disease Control received complaints. The formulas are used for babies who are spitting up, have upset stomachs, severe allergies or kidney problems.
The FDA started an investigation that includes four reports of Cronobacter Sakazakii infections in infants and one complaint of a Salmonella Newport infection in an infant. “All five ... illnesses resulted in hospitalization and Cronobacter may have contributed to death in two patients,” reported the FDA in February. The incidents were reported in Minnesota, Ohio and Texas.
All of the infants were fed products manufactured in Abbott’s Sturgis, Michigan facility. While the company’s internal investigation found no traces of the bacteria in products at the plant, Cronobacter Sakazakii bacteria was found in other parts of the facility. The FDA’s investigation found four strains of the bacteria in the plant and none in any of its products. The investigation is still active.
The FDA advisory does not include liquid formula products or any metabolic deficiency nutrition formulas.
Parents may confirm the safety of any Similac they have on hand by checking lot numbers at similacrecall.com or by calling 1-800-986-8540.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
