The ongoing formula shortage is creating a frightening and stressful situation for many U.S. families. As of last week, the U.S. is 43% out of stock of many infant formulas. In the wake of the growing crisis, many parents have shared photos of empty store shelves and report driving hours in search of a single can of their child’s formula. But their stories and requests for help are frequently being met with an infuriating and unhelpful response: Many people are telling frantic families they should just breastfeed.
On social media, hundreds of people have made posts shaming parents for not breastfeeding during or before the crisis. Even celebrities like Bette Midler have used their platforms to offer this advice.
There’s only one problem: Breastfeeding is not a solution to a formula shortage.
Breastfeeding may seem “free” and easy from the outside, but there are a number of reasons why breastfeeding isn’t possible or realistic for many families. Here are six reasons why breastfeeding won’t solve any problems for the babies who need formula now.
1. Breasts aren’t faucets. You can’t just turn them back on.
Let’s start out by stating the obvious: People with breasts aren’t walking breast milk dispensers. Lactation is stimulated by pregnancy hormones, and the process slows and eventually stops when breast milk is not being used.
As Georgia State Representative Jasmine Clark writes on Twitter, “People who are exclusively bottle feeding can’t just instantaneously start producing breast milk today because they can’t find formula. That’s not how lactation works. The breasts are not like a faucet that you can just turn on and off.”
2. Not every parent is able to breastfeed.
Even though breastfeeding is a natural process, it doesn’t work for everyone. About one in eight mothers stop breastfeeding due to issues like breast pain, low milk supply and difficulty with infant latch. Others may be unable to breastfeed because of health issues, like cancer or HIV, or because they’re taking certain medications. Adoptive parents, same-sex couples and single parents may also rely on formula to feed their kids.
Carla Cevasco, a historian, took to Twitter to remind people that formula was invented in the first place because, historically, many people weren’t able to breastfeed. “Throughout history, people have at times needed to feed infants using foods other than breastmilk,” Cevasco writes. “Sometimes the birthing parent was unable to breastfeed because: death in childbirth, physical or mental health concerns or the need to return to work outside the home right after childbirth.”
“Before the advent of modern commercial formula (in the 1950s), a lot of babies died of illness or starvation because they couldn’t breastfeed and the alternative foods were not safe or adequate,” Cevasco adds.
3. Not every baby is able to breastfeed either.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says breast milk is the best source of nutrition for “most babies,” not all. That’s because there are instances in which babies can’t or shouldn’t breastfeed. Some are born with rare genetic conditions or life-threatening allergies that require them to be fed with certain types of formula. Others may have special needs that require formula, even beyond infancy.
“Our 10-year-old grandson is fed through a G-Tube with Formula made by Abbott,” one person writes on Twitter. “It’s a higher calorie formula for special needs children. It’s important for all to understand that this shortage goes beyond formula for newborns. There is literally no alternative for our grandson!”
4. Working parents lack breastfeeding support.
Work is a huge factor in whether or not people are able to breastfeed successfully. In order to breastfeed, working parents need designated areas and time to pump breast milk. Too often, employers don’t provide those things. On Twitter, breastfeeding parents report being forced to pump in closets or bathrooms, or being denied pumping breaks entirely.
The Fair Labor Standards Act includes a provision requiring certain employees with reasonable break time and a space to express breast milk for up to one year after their child’s birth; however, employers can be exempted from this due to the size of their company, the expense of providing facilities and other factors. Hourly and part-time workers may also be ineligible.
Only 29 states have enacted laws to protect breastfeeding people in the workplace. Breastfeeding parents may also face stigma for pumping breast milk at work that can impact their future earnings and career opportunities.
5. Breastfeeding isn’t actually free.
While people like Bette Midler claim breastfeeding is “free”, that’s not actually true. Breastfeeding may be slightly cheaper than formula feeding; however, nursing parents still need to factor in things like:
- Breastfeeding support, like lactation consultants.
- Breastfeeding supplies, like pumps, bottles and other accessories.
- Increased food costs for the breastfeeding parent.
- Vitamins, supplements and other nutritional support.
- Lost wages.
Breastfeeding could cost an average of $950 during the first year, according to the nonprofit The Plutus Foundation, compared with $1,200-$1,500 to formula feed. Breastfeeding is also a huge time investment. Inc. Magazine calls it “a full-time job” requiring at least 1,800 hours per year. In a country that does not guarantee health insurance or paid time off for new parents, these factors alone are enough to make breastfeeding financially difficult or even impossible for many families.
6. Formula is a necessity.
Breastfeeding is a great option and is associated with a host of benefits, but even the CDC notes that most U.S. babies are not exclusively breastfed. Families may choose or require formula for so many different reasons, and telling people to breastfeed doesn’t eliminate the real systemic issues, physical limitations or other factors that make formula the best choice for them.
As one writer puts it, “Telling a parent hit by the formula shortage ‘Why don’t you just breastfeed?’ is like telling a diabetic ‘Why don’t you just make your own insulin?'”
If parents have chosen to use formula, they are likely making that decision based on unique needs and circumstances that make breastfeeding an unworkable solution. Telling them to “try breastfeeding” is not only insensitive and unhelpful, but it also ignores the simple reality that breastfeeding simply isn’t a possibility for many people impacted by the formula shortage.
What will solve the baby formula shortage?
Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy solution to the formula shortage. It was caused by a complex combination of pandemic-related supply issues and a major recall and factory shutdown by Abbott Laboratories, the largest formula manufacturer in the country. This week, Abbott negotiated a deal with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restart formula production at their shuttered Michigan factory. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also issuing waivers to allow low-income families greater flexibility in purchasing formula using food assistance programs.
Despite these efforts to address the problem, makers say the formula shortage could last through the summer. Families impacted by the shortage will need support from their communities and direct action from government leaders in order to support their children through the next few difficult months. Telling them to “just breastfeed” won’t make formula magically appear on the shelves, and it won’t stop innocent kids from going without.
