Featured photo: Teaira Young and her daughter Ja’Adore Adams
Photos courtesy of Teaira Young
Written by Jameca Patrick-Singleton
Teaira Young gave birth to her first child, a baby girl named Ja’Adore Adams, on October
21, 2021 and realized immediately that breast feeding wasn’t an option for her.
“I had a medically required breast reduction in January, and it wasn’t two whole months later that I found
out that I was pregnant” stated Young. “When I had my baby, I was just really fully healing from
surgery. I tried to breast feed but it wouldn’t work, so I totally rely on formula from the store to
feed my baby, it’s really hard right now.”
The nationwide formula shortage is being largely blamed on the closing of a Michigan formula producing plant called the Abbot Nutrition Plant who also, in February, voluntarily recalled all of the powdered formula that had been produced by its Sturgis, MI plant. Abbott Nutrition is also the exclusive provider to approximately half of the Women Infant Children (WIC) programs in the country. WIC is a nutritional program that provides free infant formula and other nutritional foods to low income families.
The shortage has recently gotten the attention of the White House as lawmakers on Capitol Hill complaining that the FDA didn’t move fast enough to address complaints about the plant, which they are saying is a direct correlation to the shortage that is currently taking place.
Locally, moms are feeling the consequences.
“I am blessed, we didn’t get any of the recalled formula, and WIC was very helpful,” said Teaira Young. “Right now WIC is allowing us to get whatever kind of milk that we need-even if it’s a kind that they don’t normally allow. The really hard part is if I don’t get to the store early. all of the milk is gone. You basically have to be the first person at the
store or there isn’t any left. It’s worse than the toilet paper shortage of 2020 because we are
scrambling to feed our babies.”
