Since the formula recall that happened by a major American brand earlier this year, it seems like families of babies everywhere are panicking in an attempt to get formula. And as of late, there is actually a real palpable formula shortage: depending on the state where you reside, there is up to a 40 percent out-of-stock rate for formula brands. In the mom groups I am in, many moms are asking about the availability of specific brands across all of New York City and which stores/locations may carry them. Others are asking to buy cans off of other families. In a friend’s local mom group, someone asked if someone would be willing to *donate* their can of Bobbie formula, which is the formula we supplement with that is modeled after EU formula for purity and quality of ingredients. For some babies, they have sensitive tummies or specific allergies, so they can only take certain formulas. This is a really scary and tragic situation across the board. The thought of babies starving or dying really tears me up.

We have several cans of Bobbie that we purchased in advance, not to mention a few cans of Australian formula that Chris’s parents are planning to bring when they come in a few weeks. I am grateful that we have a decent formula supply to keep us going to supplement my breast milk, which is the majority of my baby’s diet, thankfully. But the shortage does worry me. My period hasn’t yet returned, and many sources and moms I know have warned me that once my period returns, I can see very noticeable drops in my milk supply. I have no idea what my drop could be, if it happens at all, and so I have no idea how much formula we may need to supplement in that event.

But I suppose one thing this shortage has made me think about is how grateful once again that my body has been able to get my supply up to where it is now. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get my milk supply up to be the majority of my baby’s diet, but here we are. I am beyond thankful for my milk supply status now. All of those months power pumping really did pay off in the end. The nationwide formula shortages have also sparked many conversations in the pumping mamas Facebook group I am in; it’s even encouraged moms to keep pumping and even power pump to increase supply when they were originally planning to wean or just stop pumping altogether because it was too arduous and exhausting. I can only hope that I will continue to produce and at minimum, stay at the level of milk supply I am at now to keep my baby going until she is at least 1 year old. It would be amazing if I could go longer than that, but that’s my goal right now to keep giving her pumped breast milk.