Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain
Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum here. The infant formula shortage in the
Speaker 1: United States came to a head in the spring of
Speaker 1: two as a result of ongoing supply chain disruptions combined
Speaker 1: with a recall of several major brands of powdered formula,
Speaker 1: so a combo of issues both within and outside of
Speaker 1: the industry. All of this was further exacerbated because many
Speaker 1: parents stockpiled powdered formula during the COVID nineteen pandemic. The
Speaker 1: brand Abbot Nutrition recalled several brands of its powdered formula
Speaker 1: and shut down its Michigan production facility when federal officials
Speaker 1: found that four babies with bacterial infections, two of whom died,
Speaker 1: had consumed products made at that facility, and since Abbott
Speaker 1: is one of the companies producing most of the US
Speaker 1: formula supply, the recall took much of the inventory of
Speaker 1: formula off of shelves. In some states, between forty and
Speaker 1: of infant formula ducks were pulled from stores. The President,
Speaker 1: Joe Biden announced on May twelfth, two that the federal
Speaker 1: government is working with manufacturers to increase production of formula
Speaker 1: and help families access existing stock. But hungry babies don't
Speaker 1: care about supply chains, inventory and price gouging. They just
Speaker 1: want to be fed and their parents want to feed them.
Speaker 1: They also have questions like can you just add a
Speaker 1: little more water to make the formula last a little longer?
Speaker 1: Is it possible to make your own formula? If so,
Speaker 1: what's the recipe some parents have attempted to restart breastfeeding.
Speaker 1: For the article, this episode is based on How Stuff Works,
Speaker 1: spoke with Dr Bob Shelley, Associate Dean of Student Affairs
Speaker 1: and Director of Admissions on the Savannah campus of Mercer
Speaker 1: University School of Medicine. Shelley is also a pediatrician by
Speaker 1: training who practiced in Savannah from until Unlike any good doctor,
Speaker 1: and he's extremely sympathetic to the situation caregivers find themselves
Speaker 1: in and encourages them first and foremost to seek the
Speaker 1: advice of their pediatrician or other healthcare provider. They can
Speaker 1: give you the best advice for your individual situation, he said.
Speaker 1: If parents speak to their pediatrician, they may be able
Speaker 1: to assist them in finding formula and get them samples
Speaker 1: or let them know where formula seems to be in stock,
Speaker 1: so I would encourage families to do that. Shelley says
Speaker 1: that for those caregivers who don't have a healthcare provider,
Speaker 1: the local Women, Infants and Children Office may also be
Speaker 1: able to suggest places to look, but he says to
Speaker 1: put your smartphone and social media to work for you too.
Speaker 1: A quote. The companies that make Similac and infamil have
Speaker 1: apparently developed apps that parents can download. These apps are
Speaker 1: supposed to be able to assist families in finding the formula.
Speaker 1: While there was a recall on Similac some time ago,
Speaker 1: the Similact that's in stores now should be completely safe
Speaker 1: to use as long as it's not reached its expiration date.
Speaker 1: I'm told their Facebook groups where people help each other
Speaker 1: find formula as well. However, if you do find formula,
Speaker 1: please don't buy more than you need. The American Academy
Speaker 1: of Pediatrics or a a P suggests parents buy no
Speaker 1: more than a ten day to two weeks supply to
Speaker 1: help ease the shortage, and Shelly is adamant on one point.
Speaker 1: Stick to buying formula domestically. He said, I would certainly
Speaker 1: not recommend purchasing formula from international markets. The FDA has
Speaker 1: stringent guidelines for formula and you would be losing those protections. Also,
Speaker 1: don't water down your supply. A formula is exactly that,
Speaker 1: a complex recipe of essential ingredients and nutrients meant to
Speaker 1: be mixed with a precise amount of water. Shelley said,
Speaker 1: we really do not recommend watering down formula. The babies
Speaker 1: will not be getting enough nutrition. Nutrition for babies is
Speaker 1: essential to proper growth and development, both physical and mental.
Speaker 1: Shelley said, we would generally also advise against switching cow's
Speaker 1: milk or plant based milk. The Federal Drug Administration also
Speaker 1: advises against parents and caregivers making their own baby formula
Speaker 1: because the recipes lack vital nutrients infants need to grow.
Speaker 1: Shelley says that whole cow's milk can be an acceptable
Speaker 1: substitute for formula, but only for a brief and short
Speaker 1: period and only for babies who are older than six
Speaker 1: months and who have already been on cow's milk based formula.
Speaker 1: But he warns caregivers who go this route to be
Speaker 1: very cautious. He said, families really need to be careful
Speaker 1: doing this and be certain their child is on plenty
Speaker 1: of foods containing iron, as babies drinking a large amount
Speaker 1: of cow's milk can become iron deficient. Again, we would
Speaker 1: only suggest doing this for a very short time and
Speaker 1: do not use low fat milk. Infants need the extra
Speaker 1: fat for brain development. Okay, but what about switching formulas,
Speaker 1: like from milk based to soy based, or just to
Speaker 1: a different brand. The APE says that foremost babies, it's
Speaker 1: fine to switch unless they take a specialized formula. So
Speaker 1: if your baby drinks and name brand milk based formula,
Speaker 1: you can totally switch to a store brand milk based
Speaker 1: formula or from a milk based to a soy based
Speaker 1: formula and vice versa. But if your baby is on
Speaker 1: a partially hydrolyzed sensitive formula, and talk to your child's
Speaker 1: healthcare provider before switching. Also, while they're not in every state,
Speaker 1: breast milk donors are sometimes available through the Human Milk
Speaker 1: Bank Association of North America. This life giving service is
Speaker 1: typically offered to caregivers of premature or sick children whose
Speaker 1: caregivers are unable to breastfeed them because of stress, medications,
Speaker 1: or other complications. Meanwhile, if you have breast fed in
Speaker 1: the recent past, you may be able to restart successfully.
Speaker 1: Of course, milk production and consumption on the baby's part
Speaker 1: isn't automatic. It's an individual biological process and everybody's body
Speaker 1: is different. Shelley recommends contact acting a lactation consultant. It
Speaker 1: may require pumping or hand expressing eight to twelve times
Speaker 1: a day for twenty to thirty minutes, and re encouraging
Speaker 1: your baby to latch and suckle before and after bottle feeding,
Speaker 1: and instead of using a pacifire in order to build
Speaker 1: your milk supply. Today's episode is based on the article
Speaker 1: what to Do when You're out of baby Formula on
Speaker 1: how stuff Works dot com, written by Patty Resmussen. The
Speaker 1: brain Stuff is a production of I Heart Radio in
Speaker 1: partnership with how stuff Works dot Com, and it's produced
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