The national baby formula shortage has left parents of infants all over the country scrambling and parents and caregivers of Horry County are no exception.
Kassandra Nordquist of Myrtle Beach and her 10-month-old, Sophie, are itching for Enfamil Gentleease formula to hit the shelves again.
“It’s pretty bad to the point where there’s moms out here basically sitting in the aisles, crying, and I know that sounds extreme, but when you don’t know when you can next feed your baby, it’s devastating,” Nordquist said. “I mean, it makes you feel like a failure as a parent, because the least you could do is feed and provide for your baby.”
Nordquist attested to turning to Facebook groups that mothers frequent so users can upload pictures of formula aisles because, in Nordquist’s words, “Even though we might not find our formula, there’s other moms actually out there looking for it.”
Some moms are feeling pressured to breastfeed, but for many, that is not an option, said Verywellfamily. This can be because of some not being able to produce enough milk or some having to take certain medications that make breastfeeding dangerous.
Michelle Davis of Little River said that her granddaughter is in need of Similac Gentlease formula for her 10-month-old.
“She is a self supporter single mom so cost is a factor especially with price gouging,” Davis said about her granddaughter. “She did not produce enough milk to breastfeed the last time, although she tried, and with the type of medications she needs, it is unsafe to breastfeed while on it.”
Eden Sorensen of Conway and her six-month-old have 10 days worth of Enfamil AR formula left.
“On Friday evening and Saturday, my mom, grandmother, infant and I spent the day hopping in and out of the car going to over 20 places around Horry County trying to find his formula,” Sorensen said. “I have an aunt in Florida who happened to be shopping and found the smallest can they make for $18 a piece. She bought two for me and shipped them to me. By the time I paid her back for shipping, I paid $30 a can.”
The State reported that four babies in South Carolina have been hospitalized because of the formula shortage and, “The issues being treated include homemade formula causing problems and babies not being tolerant of new formulas as parents are trying to substitute.”
The Department of Health and Environment Control is warning caregivers of infants to consult pediatricians before making any changes to infants’ diets in light of the shortage. The agency is also warning caregivers to “not feed your baby cow’s milk or other non-dairy milks until 1 year old, unless you’ve talked to your child’s pediatrician.”
Making homemade formula or watering down formula is also said to not be advisable. DHEC provides health and safety concerns for doing such things.
During the formula shortage, there is increased risk of families falling victim to fraud so families should not “buy formula online that comes from outside the U.S.” because it could be “counterfeit” or “have a fake label or a wrong use-by date,” DHEC said.
The White House said that the shortage was caused by Abbott Nutrition’s voluntary recall when it was found that a facility in Sturgis, Michigan “closed due to concerns about bacterial contamination after four infants fell ill.”
President Joe Biden has enacted the Defense Production Act and Operation Fly Formula to address the formula shortage.
The Associated Press reported that Operation Fly Formula has already resulted in 78,000 pounds of infant formula arriving in the US.
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