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Mothers Rely on Social Media Amid Formula Shortage Mothers Rely on Social Media Amid Formula Shortage

By Pa Zong Lee

JAZMINE RODRIGUEZ: Her last resort was to ask for small samples.
PA-ZONG LEE: Mothers are turning to community efforts and social media during the baby formula shortage. A Syracuse non profit that supports mothers prenatal and postpartum has been helping mothers from behind the scenes.
SEQUOIA KEMP: So a lot of times many people will see posts where people are saying like I need formula and then somebody might contact Sankofa like hey can you help this person… so a lot of what we’ve been seeing is people really returning to social media to request support from their community and we’ve been trying to fill in the gaps.
LEE: Even a mom from Oklahoma has seen this tactic.
RODRIGUEZ: All the moms have Facebook groups to try to help each other and they’re just constantly posting pictures of the grocery stores when they have a few cans available when if they’ve restocked or oh go to this target, go to this Walmart…
LEE: With the continued shortage of baby formula, it begs the question, are there alternatives? Well Kemp says it’s a bit more complicated.
KEMP: And then there was this huge debate people were just like just breastfeed and not everyone can do that so making sure that we are disrupting this narrative that all you gotta do is breastfeed, it’s not that easy, right?
LEE: And because mothers know its not that easy, they are willing to help other moms.
KEMP: I have one mother who gives breastmilk and formula. so she was like because I couldn’t rely on my breast milk, she donated a few cans to the center. and so its just really seeing that theme of community care really being played out amongst our clientele, amongst the families that we serve, and then the new people who have learned about us through those networks of support.
LEE: So until the shortage is over with, mothers will have to rely on community efforts. reporting from Syracuse, I’m Pa-Zong lee with NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Mothers are turning to social media and other community efforts during the baby formula shortage. Shipments of baby formula from other countries are coming in slowly but some families are in need of it now.

The Syracuse-based non-profit, Sankofa Reproductive Health & Healing Center, supports mothers during pregnancy, giving birth, and post-partum. Besides their services from doulas to lactation resources, they are now trying to help with the formula shortage. Co-founder Sequoia Kemp said social media has been their medium.

“Somebody might contact Sankofa like ‘hey can you help this person,’ so a lot of what we’ve been seeing is people really returning to social media to request support from their community and we’ve been trying to fill in the gaps,” said Kemp.

Outside of Syracuse, mothers around the nation have been putting this into practice. Jazmine Rodriguez, a pregnant mother of a toddler in Oklahoma, has seen this support system all over her social media.

“All the moms have Facebook groups to try to help each other and they’re just constantly posting pictures of the grocery stores when they have a few cans available when if they’ve restocked or oh go to this Target, go to this Walmart,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez plans to breastfeed her expected baby, but she also has plans set if this isn’t possible. She said she plans to order baby formula off of Amazon from Canada and maybe even Europe.

From social media to real life, mothers all over are supporting each other in this time of need.

“I have one mother who gives breast milk and formula, so she was like because I couldn’t rely on my breast milk, she donated a few cans to the center,” said Kemp.

For additional resources, the support group Help Me Grow Onondaga said they expect to have more formula within a week or two.

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