County, public health provide tips, resources for baby formula shortage

May 19—MARION COUNTY — The current baby formula shortage has created fear and hardship for families across the nation — and Marion County Public Health is here to help locally.

Emily Feagin, Marion County public information officer, sat down with Katie Damon, a dietitian with Marion County Public Health, in a video on Marion County Iowa's YouTube channel to provide tips and resources for families struggling to find formula to feed their babies.

Decreasing formula dependence

One way Damon recommends navigating the formula shortage is to decrease dependence on formula. Families can purchase milk from a human milk bank, such as the Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa. Damon says milk banks typically supply 40 ounces at a time for each baby.

Families can also consider milk sharing.

"If you are choosing to do milk sharing, you will want to choose that from a trusted family member or a close friend you've had an open discussion and dialogue [with], and ideally someone who's had the screening and testing to make sure there aren't any diseases that could be transmitted through the breast milk," Damon says.

Depending on an individual's situation, Damon also suggests considering relactation. She recommends reaching out to a lactation professional or taking breastfeeding classes. Both Marion County Public Health and most hospitals have lactation professionals on staff. If an individual is currently pregnant, Damon encourages breastfeeding.

"Reach out to those people. You guys are there to help. I know personally it can be a struggle, and it can be a long journey, and there are a lot of things that can come with it, so make sure that you reach out," Feagin says.

"You don't want to do this alone. That's what we're here for," Damon added.

Choosing formula

If an individual's baby is using a basic formula, Damon says to choose any brand available.

"Whether that's sensitive or non-sensitive, nutritionally, they're the same," she says. "Not ideal ... but we're not in an ideal situation, so we're going to have to pivot a little bit."

However, Damon says if a baby consumes a formula that provides a specific nutritional need, families should speak to their doctor about other options to use in the interim.

"If I go to the store and maybe NeoSure is not available, what are some other options that we could use in the interim until we can go back to what we're used to?" she says. "You want to have some flexibility if that's not available when you go to the store."

Cutting down on formula waste

To cut down on formula waste, Damon recommends, for example, making three ounces instead of a normal serving of four if a baby doesn't usually consume a full serving. She also recommends paced bottle feeding to help decrease overfeeding.

"That way, you still have that powdered formula for another feeding," Damon says.

Animal milk and homemade formula

In recent weeks, suggestions of using animal milk, like cow or goat, and making homemade formula as a substitute, have become controversial. Because there's more about infant nutrition than 40 years ago, Damon says animal milk or homemade formula are both lacking the nutritional value babies need.

"If you have to and you must because there's nothing available, it's better than diluting, again, because that means nutritionally, that means the baby is not getting what they need," she says. "But again, proceed with caution. It would only be meant to be used for a short term ... 16, maybe up to 24 ounces at most, but ultimately, we aren't sure, like what's the threshold there on the cow's milk?"

There is also a risk of contamination when making homemade formula.

"There's a lot of different ingredients being mixed together, so it can be a food safety issue," Damon says. "And formula even by itself is not sterile, so even when we are preparing formula, [make sure we're] practicing good sanitation habits."

For questions and additional resources, contact Marion County Public Health at 641-828-2238.

Emily Hawk is the associate editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. She can be reached at ehawk@oskyherald.com.