‘You feel helpless’: Miami-area moms scramble to find baby formula amid U.S. shortage
When Sthefany Juarez showed up this week at a South Florida charity, the 24-year-old didn’t know what to expect — but the first-time mom was desperate. Down to her last half can of a specialized baby formula for her nearly 4-month-old boy, the Broward County mom wasn’t sure what she was going to do to feed him.
“It’s very stressful, very heartbreaking looking at the empty shelves,” she said. “You feel helpless.”
Juarez’s situation has become all too familiar for parents across South Florida as the United States grapples with a formula shortage. In recent weeks, many have had to scramble, traversing multiple stores, desperately making calls and pleading for help on social media.
Parent groups and nonprofits have stepped up to make sure the most vulnerable are fed as the survival of countless infants under 12 months depends on the essential nourishment.
“If you would have told me a year ago that this was going to happen in the U.S., I would have told you that it was impossible,” Dr. Ruben Gonzalez-Vallina, director of gastroenterology at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami-Dade County, told the Miami Herald in Spanish.
A crisis turned into ‘chaos’
Earlier this month, the White House employed wartime laws and resources to tackle the shortage rooted in part on supply change disruptions, staffing and ingredient shortages and a national recall of a defective brand.
President Joe Biden’s administration invoked the Defense Production Act — a federal law enacted on the onset of the Korean War — to require suppliers to prioritize the production of key infant formula.
The administration has also directed federal agencies to make use of Department of Defense commercial aircraft to pick up infant formula overseas.
But as the first two shipments of the precious cargo have arrived, mothers in the Miami area say they are still encountering many empty shelves, purchase limits and out-of-stock products online.
Dr. Gonzalez-Vallina said the situation has turned chaotic as some parents of infants who suffer from certain allergies or other medical conditions have been pushed to try new baby formulas. Ingesting these non-specialized formulas could result in dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, rash and even potentially deadly allergic reactions.
He emphasized that parents should consult with a doctor before changing a baby’s formula or diet. He added that they should never attempt to make their own formula or add more water than what is required because it can severely harm their children.
“Do not dilute it or make your own,” he said. “You have to try to find it but I don’t know where you can.”
Moms turn to charities and each other
Margi Bré is the founder of The Legacy Closet, the charity Juarez turned to. She said the demand for baby formula has translated to about a 70 percent increase in calls. The nonprofit in Margate helps struggling parents and families by providing them with items from non-perishable food to formula and clothes.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said the founder of Legacy Closet. “We have mothers literally crying that they can’t feed their babies.”
When Juarez told Bré about her situation, Bré gave her three cans of infant milk. Juarez broke into tears.
“Those are seven to 10 days I know my baby isn’t going to go hungry,” the Coconut Creek mom said.
Juarez is one of many South Florida moms who are scared of running out of baby formula.
Yadira, 34, a Hialeah mother of three, said she is depending on the kindness of other moms on social media and doctors who carry baby formula samples to feed her 4-month-old son. Yadira, who asked the Miami Herald not to use her last name for privacy reasons, said she has looked everywhere to find an expensive formula designed for food-allergic infants like her son.
Four cans of Neocate Syneo, the formula that Yadira’s baby needs, can cost nearly $200 and last around 12 days.
“I’ve never experienced anything like we are experiencing right now,” she said.
Yadira is not only relying on the kindness of doctors or strangers online. She also turned to the Tree of Life Parenting Center, a non-profit in Coral Gables that offers free services and products from counseling to diapers.
Gloria Martinez, executive director of the organization, said parents desperate for formula have been calling non-stop in recent weeks, particularly those with babies who only tolerate specialized, more expensive infant milk. On Monday morning, there were about 20 outside the center before it opened, she noted.
“With the shortage, families that didn’t need us, now are reaching us for formula,” she said.
As the second international shipment of formula arrived Wednesday at Dulles airport in Virginia, Miami-area mothers encountering empty shelves fear their babies could go to sleep with an empty stomach.
“It’s heartbreaking that we are in the United States of America and our babies are going through this,” Aguilar said.
To donate to Tree of Life via PayPal, visit treeoflifemiami.org/get-involved and click on “I want to help.” You can also buy items from its Amazon Wishlist at smile.amazon.com.
To donate to Legacy Closet, go to thelegacycloset.org/donate-today. You can also buy items from its Amazon Wishlist.
This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 7:03 PM.
