One mom has shared her horror story of how the shortage of formula on the shelves right now has impacted her family…
Kayzie Weedman also shone a light on how millions of other mothers are also struggling right now because of the lack of formula available to them.
Weedman took to TikTok to share her outrage and desperation in a video that has recently gone viral, in it she said: “Let’s talk about the formula shortage that is plaguing the US right now because more people need to know about this. You go to your local Target, your local Walmart, and you think you’re going to get the formula your baby needs? Nope. Shelves are bare. And there are babies who can’t have just any formula that’s on the shelf.”
Before adding a picture of her baby, she continued: “I’m going to insert a picture of what my daughter looks like when she has cow’s milk because she has a huge cow’s milk protein allergy.
“So, what am I going to do when I go to the shelves and can’t get the formula that I need? The pharmacist who fills her prescription formula can’t fill it because they can’t get it — it’s back-ordered six months and I just have to sit there and stare at empty shelves and not know what I’m going to do next,” she said.
Weedman continued: “Formula is not available on any of the shelves. They’re empty — nowhere near three hours near me [has it]. Can’t get the formula. What are we going to do? Where do we go from here? How do formula moms feed their kids?” the worried mom then inserted a photo of the bare formula shelves at a nearby store.
After watching her video and sympathizing with the young mom, many others took to the comments section to share their own experiences and the struggle they have faced due to the shortage. One user wrote: “I am having so much anxiety for all the moms right now this is not ok.”
Another commented: “I’m 38 weeks pregnant and so terrified!! Just bc I plan to breastfeed but you never know! Things don’t always go as planned.”
“I have had to travel up to two hours to get formula,” Weedman later told BuzzFeed, adding that she keeps seeing people tell mothers to “breastfeed or try harder,” which doesn’t help. “I could not breastfeed because of Palmer’s immune system and allergy needs. MY breastmilk was slowly killing my baby and if I did not have formula, she would be far worse off,” she said.
In a desperate effort to get help from the online community, she posted on TikTok and Facebook to try and see if there was anyone who could help her. And women everywhere came to support the mom by offering to ship her the specific formula she needed for her baby.
“The community of mothers around me has been outstanding. The amount of help I have received from complete strangers is something I never imagined. The tribe of mothers out there are special people,” Weedman gushed on Facebook.
She added that although she now has a good supply of formula, this is still a huge problem here in America: “This formula shortage is very scary and very real. My suggestion is to be on the lookout every time you go to any store that sells formula. Find your formula-feeding friends and band together to look for and purchase formula for each other. I have friends and family from all over looking for her cans every time they go to the store. Help moms out and just grab ONE can. Frenzy buying isn’t helping.”