Hey internet friends. Currently in the United States, we are experiencing
a baby formula shortage, leaving parents across the US rushing store to store, hunting for
formula amongst the empty shelves. In this video, I wanted to cover this latest shortage,
the reasons behind it, and also some solutions and resources for parents.
Souless NPC fact checkers who have the absolute privilege of watching my video, is this medical
advise? Is any of what I’m about to say medical advise? No it isn’t. It never is,
y’all. It’s only observations, analysis, and consideration of historical lessons and
methods. So keep it moving.
Can you think of anything more distressing than the prospect of not being able to feed
your baby? And how about that timing? Right during the whole Supreme Court leak of the
Roe vs. Wade reversal? It’s interesting isn’t it?
The latest numbers posted today reflect that quote about 40% of large retail stores are
out of stock, with more than half of US states seeing out of stock rates between 40% and
50%.end quote Now, in an effort to keep shelves stocked, retailers are limiting purchases
to a few containers per customer—which I can confirm I have seen signs for purchase
limits at stores around me, and the shelves have been pretty bare for a while. Months.
Just a handful of companies account for the entire US supply of baby formula. Quote Industry
executives say the constraints began last year as the COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions
in ingredients, labor and transportation. Supplies were further squeezed by parents
stockpiling during lockdowns. End quote
There’s also this whole issue about a major formula plant being shut down for contamination
issues. There was a recall of several major formula brands back in February, which resulted
in the shutdown of the Sturgis Michigan Abbot nutirtion facility after four infants developed
bacte3rial infections after consuming formula from this facility, and two of those four
babies sadly died. What’s weird about this contamination and shutdown of the facility
is that FDA inspectors inspected the facility back in March and while they found lax safety
protocols and bacteria on several surfaces, none of the bacterial strains matched the
ones they collected from the four babies, so the FDA doesn’t have an explanation of
how the contamination occurred and even says the facility isn’t responsible for the bacteria
and was likely not the source of infection, but the FDA still won’t reopen the facility
despite this.
Even stranger is that On May 10, the FDA released a statement about what they were doing to
combat this formula shortage, and one of their actionables is that they were not objecting
to Abbott Nutrition releasing product, you know the same product that they suspected
killed 2 babies, and they’re releasing this product to quote individuals needing urgent
life-sustaining supplies of certain specialty and metabolic formulas on a case by case basis
that have been on hold at their Sturgis facility, because quote access to these products may
outweigh the potential risk of bacterial infection. End quote
Also at the bottom of their statement is them saying that the FDA continues to advise against
making infant formulas at home.
So to summarize, COVID government enforced lockdowns led to disruptions in the supply
chain and that affected baby formula as well, and now a huge producer has been shut down
by the FDA, causing even more shortages, but the FDA might release their bacteria laden
powder formula if you beg hard enough. But be sure not to make your own formula at home
because that’s dangerous, according to the FDA.
Now I’ve seen a lot of discourse about this shortage online and I just want to take a
moment to address that. There’s a lot of, why don’t these lazy mothers just breastfeed
their babies, formula is toxic anyway, so this is a good thing there’s a shortage.
I find all of this commentary super callous even though I agree these powdered formulas
aren’t the greatest. Like the number one doctor recommended brands of infant formula
in the United States have their first ingredient as high fructose corn syrup, why?
But in case you live in total ignorance, not all mothers can breastfeed even if they want
to, so according to you, should their babies just starve then? Is that what you want? You
believe that what they’re pumping into the water is turning the frickin frogs gay but
having no effect on women’s hormones, making the Tiddy milk dry up? Really? I’m not part
of the fed is best crowd because breastmilk is supreme, but there are so many factors
at play here that sabotage new moms. Firstly, birth has historically been an event where
grandma, sisters, aunts, experienced moms in the family, have been present to guide
and advise new mothers, especially in regards to nursing, but in the age of medical tyranny
and covid lockdowns, when only the husband is allowed to be present for birth, it’s
very easy for exhausted, vulnerable mothers to succumb to medical pressure. ASK ME HOW
I KNOW. At the hospital, they give you a gift basket which includes several different brands
of formula. When you’ve just had a baby and are still at the hospital, doctors, nurses,
they don’t want your baby to lose more than a few ounces from birth weight before they
discharge you. But it can take a while for your milk to come in, beyond colostrum, so
your baby is going to lose some weight, but the doctors and nurses act like this is child
abuse. And they pressure you to supplement with formula. After all, it’s right there.
In the gift basket. Again, ask me how I know. And when you supplement with formula from
the very beginning, it not only stretches your baby’s stomach, but it means that you
aren’t emptying your breasts of milk, which is key to building your milk supply. So medical
intervention and pressure creates dependency on formula from the early hours of your child’s
life in these cases. It’s so important for mom to be nursing the newborn around the clock
to build supply…these are things experienced moms in the family would tell you, because
it’s a natural process. Women have been birthing babies without medical intervention
since the beginning of time.
Of course there are extenuating medical circumstances that can prevent a mother from successfully
breastfeeding, and the societal and financial pressure for women to return to work can tank
supply since you need to constantly be emptying your breasts of milk to keep your supply.
So if you’re about to say get your tiddies out to solve the formula shortage, it’s
more complicated than that. I suggest you get your tiddies out first if you’re throwing
those comments around willy nilly.
This is where we arrive at the solutions portion of this video and no I’m not about to shill
you bill gates tiddy milk called bio milk, Artificial breast milk firm that offers an
environmentally-friendly alternative to baby formula, although how crazy is it that this
guy is always like a common denominator in every solution? Pndemic? Don’t worry bill
has opened several vaccine factories? Food shortages? Don’t worry, Bill Gates and Monsanto
are buying up farm land? Formula shortage? Don’t worry, Bill will squeeze synthetic
milk right out of his own chest, because remember men can breastfeed too and chest feeding is
the inclusive term
If you are a soon to be new mother who is considering breastfeeding but you don’t
have any family who has experience with nursing, I’m leaving lots of educational resources
below, also this book is really helpful by the le leche league. The key is that you must
empty your breasts of milk constantly to establish your supply in those first few weeks, it is
essential bonding time to nurse your newborn around the clock. It might hurt, it might
be uncomfortable, you might be tired, but it is essential and you can do it. There are
pistons firing off in your brain that release oxytocin each time you nurse your baby, which
helps you produce prolactin which is key in lactation. If you think you have a lack of
supply issue, you can include a few pumping sessions which helps with supply and demand.
The other thing I can say is there are lots of products to increase lactation but being
hydrated is most vital. Water, coconut water, and even drinking milk is what has helped
me the most.
If you are a mother who has an oversupply and you have like 2 freezers of frozen breastmilk,
I am so jealous of you, but really, consider donating them to your local milk bank. If
you are a mother who is having trouble breastfeeding and seek to supplement, check out your local
milk bank and get your baby some donor milk. This is typically a free thing. A Free resource.
I am going to leave a link so you can find donor milk near you. After all, in olden times,
there were wet nurses, or a hired mom who would feed your baby. Given your station in
life, historically, wet nursing evolved from need to choice—royal families typically
used wet nurses.
Which brings us to the question, what did moms do before formula? They breastfed, they
used wet-nurses, and they gave babies animal’s milk. Cow, goat, sheep, donkey. orphanages kept
lactating goats and donkeys on site and fed infants directly from them.
Highly recommended by pediatricians throughout the 1940’s and 1950s was the whole evaporated
milk recipe, where parents made their own baby formula using evaporated milk, some boiled
water, and a couple of tablespoons of Kara syrup. I am not telling you to make this but
I am putting the recipe up on the screen and giving you all the ingredients and telling
you that my husbands grandma fed this to all of her children back when powdered formula
didn’t exist.
So that about covers it. What do you think about the formula shortage? The timing of
the formula shortage? What do the shelves look like where you live? Were you breastfed
or raised on formula? Let me know, I always look forward to your comments. Thank you for
watching, subscribing, and supporting my channel on patreon.
good luck bye