There's "a lot of price gouging," Sarah Cosley said. "People are taking advantage of desperate moms." But the group has reminded her "of the goodness of people."
Sarah Cosley
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sarah Cosley, a 38-year-old mom from Dubuque, Iowa, about the national formula shortage. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
My 6-month-old daughter's name is Brooklyn, and I don't know how long I can feed her.
I'm so exhausted, and I'm on the brink of tears some days. I work full time as a surgical technician, and it's grueling, with at least two 12-hour shifts weekly. And I now spend almost all my free time trying to find formula for my baby.
I started panicking and called her pediatrician. They contacted Similac, the formula brand, who said there weren't any shortage issues. Their best advice was to go to Similac's website and see what stores had Brooklyn's formula, Pro-Total Comfort, in stock. The website directed me to stores I'd already visited, and I knew I'd met a dead end. That's how it's been ever since.
My first daughter, Annabelle, is 9 1/2. She was also formula-fed because I was extremely sick with both pregnancies. I had preeclampsia and was suffering uncontrollable blood pressure postdelivery — I almost didn't survive. Both girls were in the newborn intensive-care unit for a week, and I couldn't breastfeed due to health complications.
At this point I can't get Brooklyn's formula in any form, liquid or powder. I can't find any equivalents either. Anything that I find on Amazon is typically out of stock or unavailable.
And I felt I had to do something for myself and anyone else that I could reach.
I started the Infant Formula Shortage Support Group Facebook group on May 7 when I was completely out of ideas. As of Thursday it has nearly 500 members. The group is growing by word of mouth, and also because I've been commenting on articles about the formula crisis with my group information.
In my first post, I wrote, "If anyone is looking for a certain type of formula, please reach out, and maybe someone can help. Even venting on here may help us to cope with this dire situation. Something needs to be done now. Babies should not suffer because of a lack of access to the formula they need."
Now we have moms searching for formula in Arizona, California, Minnesota, Idaho, Maryland, Texas, Florida, Tennessee — across the country. It's clearly a national crisis, because members are from all over the US. The majority of what I'm seeing is that stores are almost empty.
Two moms from Arizona and California are mailing me what they have in excess.
Currently, I have about eight bottles and a can of powder. Brooklyn's intake varies, and she's growing, so I can't gauge how far this will get me. It's a team effort here, and my family is also helping out: My mother, grandmother, aunt, and fiancé are constantly searching.
Purchasing international formulas is not a viable option, and it would take hours to research because of the different labeling, brands, and regulations — I wouldn't even know where to start.
There's so much misinformation out there, including how to make your baby formula, which doctors don't recommend. There's also a lot of price gouging, which makes me sick to my stomach — people are taking advantage of desperate moms.
There are so many strangers willing to jump in to help. We've got people trying their darnedest to help mothers locate the formula.
There are also moms donating or selling breast milk. That's an "at your own risk" situation — you have no idea how your baby will respond.
Apparently the FDA reached an agreement with the company that produces Similac to address safety concerns so its factory can reopen — but it could take more than two months for that formula to be available.
There are 10,000 babies born every day, and we need a solution now.
