TAYLOR, Mich. (WXYZ-TV) — For metro Detroit moms navigating the ongoing infant formula shortage, looking for food for their babies has become a full time job.
This week the FDA reached an agreement with Abbott Laboratories to resume production at its shuttered plant in Sturgis, Mich., but it's unclear when exactly production with start up again.
The company declined Action News's request for a tour of it's Sturgis facility.
In a statement to Action News, Abbott said production could resume within the next two weeks. It could still take several weeks however, for store shelves to be fully stocked again.
In the meantime, local moms like Chelsea Tarrow are literally counting the ounces of formula they have left.
“I start from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed," thinking about her formula supply, Chelsea said.
She stopped producing milk soon after her son Liam was born. He's now three months.
"He’s happy," Chelsea sad. "He doesn’t know what’s going on. But I’m terrified.”
Terrified that those last precious ounces of what's now essentially liquid gold, won't go far enough.
Chelsea relied on a special Abbott-made formula from Similac. When the Sturgis plant shut down production in mid-February due to contamination concerns, she switched to generics. But as demand went through the roof, soon those were wiped clean off the shelves too.
“He goes through almost 300 ounces a week," she said. "I’ve been panicking. I’ve been panicking a lot.”
So she turned to Facebook, joining as many groups like these as she could; communities of moms both seeking and offering donor breast milk.
Chelsea said the responses have been plentiful; but so has the competition. The moment someone posts they have ounces nearby, dozens of moms reply that they're interested.
The Facebook groups, like "Breast milk for babies: Michigan Metro Detroit Area" have attracted moms desperately seeking milk from all over the state.
“I got a ton of responses which was amazing, this community is awesome," said Brisa Estrada from Harbor Springs. She's in need of donated breast milk for her baby girl named Sloan.
“I had ladies from downstate, the Detroit area, the Muskegon area," she said, all willing to help.
Last week Brisa drove to collect donor milk every single day. And this weekend she made a four hour round trip to Cadillac to collect donor milk.
She was beyond grateful for the 100 ounces of breast milk she received from another mother.
“That donation probably has me good for a few days," Brisa told Action News.
Donor breast milk can fill an important gap, especially right now with formula supply still so low. However, when done informally the CDC warns of potential health risks.
The Henry Ford Health System suggests that mothers collecting donor milk from a stranger pay close attention to the following indicators:
- Source: Get to know your donor, their lifestyle, and their medical history.
- Storage: Breast milk must be transported on ice. Breast milk can be frozen for up to six months.
- Supply: If you're a donor mom, make sure your own baby's needs are first before you offer to donate.
- Sanitize: Make sure donor milk is properly sanitized before feeding it to your baby. This can be done using the Holder pasteurization method.
"We heat the breast milk at 145 degrees on a stove-top for 30 minutes," explains pediatric nurse practitioner and lactation counselor for Henry Ford Health System, Alexandra Danko.
Once the milk is heated, then bring it back down to room temperature and refrigerate it for proper storage.
“This can ensure the safety of the breast milk and make us feel good about the milk that we’re giving to our child," Danko told Action News.
Thanks to a $20,000 grant from Jackson Community Foundation’s Community Needs Endowment fund, Henry Ford is working to establish a donor milk bank within the hospital system.
Chelsea has left over formula which Liam can't have. She's donated cans to two local moms so far. She's also been able to barter that supply for donor milk.
“Day and night I’ve been searching to the point we haven’t ran out. But we’re getting low," she said.
