A mom is speaking out about the terror of the formula shortage on families like hers.
Kayzie Weedman, 30, is a mom of two. Her baby daughter is formula-fed and has a milk protein allergy. That means Kayzie relies on a specific type of formula to keep her baby nourished.
But due to supply chain issues — and an Abbott Laboratories in Sturgis, Michigan, being closed after a bacterial infection from formula produced there killed two babies — formula shelves are bare in many locations. That's leading families without the essentials they need to feed their babies.
Kayzie just spoke out about the anxiety of the situation in a TikTok video that has already been viewed over 1.4 million times.
In the video, Kayzie shares her experience with going to store after store and coming home empty-handed. Her daughter Palmer's milk protein allergy means that just any type of formula won't do. That makes the shortage that much more stressful.
She talked to Good Morning America about how the situation is impacting her family. "We don't have an option to have any other formula on the shelf. So we can't just go and get whatever's left on the shelf," she continued. "We have to have her prescription formula or the hypoallergenic formula."
But even the pharmacist isn't able to fill the prescription right now because of the shortage. So it's a pretty terrifying situation. Kayzie further illuminated the anxiety she's feeling by sharing a picture of what her daughter looks like if she has formula with milk protein in it. In the photo, her daughter is completely covered in a painful-looking bright red rash.
The situation has forced the worried mom to take things into her own hands. "I have actually been able to facilitate swapping of formula for a lot of moms," she said. "Some moms will say, 'This formula didn't work for me. Can you reach out to your followers and see if it'll work for them?' So I've actually shipped a lot of formula to different moms so that we can all help each other out because that's really all we can do."
The formula shortage is really scary, and it's impacting so many families. But for families like Kayzie's, it is even more serious. She urges other parents to reach out to as many parents as possible to get what they need.
"Social media can be a scary but amazing place. … I'm really lucky for social media because it got me the cans I need so my daughter doesn't starve," she said.
Abbott also urges parents whose children have special dietary needs to go to www.abbottnutrition.com/metabolics, where they can find assistance.
