It is extremely difficult for mothers all around the country to locate baby formula.
As of the previous month, the percentage of stores out of baby formula reached 40 percent. This has left parents concerned about where they would get their infants’ next meal.
In addition to the immediate nightmare, this extraordinary shortage could make it difficult for parents to make arrangements for additional children in the future.
Importance of the Formula
The formula is essential to the health of many infants in the United States.
The Breastfeeding Report Card published by the CDC found 19 percent of breastfed infants who were born in 2017 had their diets reinforced with infant formula before the age of two.
In that year, less than half of infants were breastfed exclusively for the first three months of their lives. Only one in four infants received exclusively breast milk for the first six months of their lives.
So the people who are obsessed with white birth rates and domestic infant supplies are the same people who got rid of the child tax credit and put tariffs on baby formula and refuse to allow parental leave and publicly funded pre-K? Got it.
— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) May 15, 2022
The shortage of infant formula has justifiably taken precedence over other issues on the nation’s political agenda.
On Thursday, Republican legislators held a press conference over the matter outside of the United States Capitol building.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington state, noted that “some families rely on certain formula.”
Going to the supermarket makes families feel like they’re participating in a game of Russian roulette.
We are just starting to better understand how families are being impacted by this scarcity.
A mother from Texas revealed to get infant formula, she took a day off from work and drove all over the state, finally purchasing it an hour away from her home.
Her friend secretly sent her more of the formula in containers that looked like wine crates.
TO ALL THE MOMS THAT CANT FIND BABY FORMULA….go to amazon…go to the bottom…change from US to Canada. You can get all the formula you need. They are not having a shortage just the US is. Have it shipped right to your front door. 🍼
— Becky Harris (@bharris1968) May 14, 2022
Concerns
It is appropriate that the majority of the nation’s efforts right now be directed toward infants who were born in the years 2021 and 2022 and who require the formula right now.
However, there is a possibility this shortfall will have long-term repercussions, such as fewer infants being born the following year.
There are various factors that go into a family’s decision to use infant formula. One of these factors is the fact that breastfeeding can serve as a kind of natural birth control for many women.
This method of lactational amenorrhea has been proven to have a success rate of 98 percent if the infant is under six months old, the mother is not menstruating, and the baby is breastfed continuously with no long breaks in between feedings.
Some women decide to wean their children off breastfeeding so they might have more kids. Imagine you are a nursing mother who is trying to get pregnant again and debating whether or not to switch to using baby formula.
Because there is a lack of baby formula, selecting that option is more complicated. The United States of America does not require another expense associated with having a larger family.
In light of the fact birth rates are at an all-time low, Congress and the administration of President Biden should take all available actions to ensure parents have access to formula.
