‘It’s just become impossible to find’: Moms deal with impact of baby formula shortage

By Quanecia Fraser

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Across the country, including in the Omaha metro, many moms say they’re not finding formula for their babies in the store. Some people have posted pictures of the baby formula section in stores being empty. But some moms are stepping in and doing what they can to help other moms.

At 11 months old, Jacob Bowman’s formula is still a big part of his diet.

“He has a very specific brand, Nutramigen, that he has to have due to allergy and intolerance issues,” His mom Shauna said.

Lately, Shauna said she hasn’t been able to find that at the store.

“We have been having to look pretty heavy for it, I would say for the last four or five months, but this last month, it’s just become impossible to find,” she said.

And it’s a similar story for moms looking for non-specialized formula who say they’re not finding any luck on the shelves either.

“We have these kids going without formula and not knowing what to do with your baby,” said Jodielle Beversdorf, the ordering coordinator for Kohll’s Pharmacy.

After formula manufacturer Abbott voluntarily recalled several name brands like Similac, Alimentum and Elecare following the death of an infant, Beversdorf said that led to a nationwide shortage as families bought up other kinds of formula.

“We sent all this Elecare back and now all these people are trying to find something else for their kids to be on because of course they need that formula to survive,” Beversdorf said.

Beversdorf said the backorder in formulas is what ultimately led to the shortage.

Breastfeeding moms like Mikayla Hedlund are stepping in to help. Hedlund uses online platforms like Eats on Feets and Human Milk 4 Human Babies to donate her extra breastmilk.

“I do pump in the night after I’ve been feeding her to kind of get a little bit of extra ounces because each ounce really counts right now,” Hedlund said. “I have people come to my home and they come collect from me.”

Hedlund said she’s glad to at least help lift what can be a heavy burden.

As for Shauna, she’s able to get by because she can give Jacob regular food, too, which helps the formula she has now last longer.

“But if he was younger and that’s all he could have, I just don’t know what we would do,” she said.

Like most moms, she just hopes the situation gets better soon.

Moms can use Facebook pages such as Human Milk 4 Human Babies Iowa, Human Milk 4 Human Babies Nebraska, Eats on Feets Nebraska and Eats on Feets Iowa to both donate and find breastmilk.

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