Posted on Jun 6, 2022
During baby formula shortage, Kansas Citians come together 'to survive as a community'
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Over 76% of stores in Kansas City are now out of stock of formula. To keep babies fed, friends and family members are sending cans of formula to others with babies, posting on community boards what they see at the grocery store, and donating excess breast milk.
“Gotta go — formula,” Mia Cathey shouted at her husband as she rushed out the door one night at 9 p.m.
Cathey was off to buy two cans of the high calorie, hypoallergenic formula her 4-month-old baby needs to survive. The previous two weeks, she had been unable to find a single can of the formula anywhere in her hometown of Blue Springs, Missouri, and she was down to her last can.
Cathey was finally able to get a couple of days worth of food for her baby thanks to a post on a community Facebook group about one store’s stock.
Such experiences are common.
“Gotta go — formula,” Mia Cathey shouted at her husband as she rushed out the door one night at 9 p.m.
Cathey was off to buy two cans of the high calorie, hypoallergenic formula her 4-month-old baby needs to survive. The previous two weeks, she had been unable to find a single can of the formula anywhere in her hometown of Blue Springs, Missouri, and she was down to her last can.
Cathey was finally able to get a couple of days worth of food for her baby thanks to a post on a community Facebook group about one store’s stock.
Such experiences are common.
During baby formula shortage, Kansas Citians come together 'to survive as a community'
Posted from kcur.org
Kansas City
Food/Chow
Children
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“This (shortage) does point to a larger issue of just our maternity care here in the U.S.,” Thompson said.
Segregation, racism in the medical field and economic drivers made it harder for lower-wage workers, who were largely Hispanic or Latinx and Black, to access fair parental leave. This included a workplace that provided an avenue for breastfeeding such as nursing rooms, time to pump and other lactation support.
According to a report by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, early initiation and support was lacking in communities of color.
This shortage further underscored the issue.
A PBS report found that the demographic of parents hit hardest by the shortages were largely parents of color.
Thompson’s hope is that hubs like Uzazi Village can work to close those gaps in Kansas City and provide what parents need. The community support has no doubt been vital to these mothers.
“It does boil down to education. It does boil down to having better maternity leave for moms and giving them a fighting chance,” she said. “Giving them the opportunity to be able to do what they want to do.”
But it doesn’t change the fact that many of them still face another month or two filled with fear.
“There’s a lot of frustration as a parent that in (the) first world country that we live in, this should not be a problem,” Cathey said. “It’s very frustrating.”...
..."“This (shortage) does point to a larger issue of just our maternity care here in the U.S.,” Thompson said.
Segregation, racism in the medical field and economic drivers made it harder for lower-wage workers, who were largely Hispanic or Latinx and Black, to access fair parental leave. This included a workplace that provided an avenue for breastfeeding such as nursing rooms, time to pump and other lactation support.
According to a report by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, early initiation and support was lacking in communities of color.
This shortage further underscored the issue.
A PBS report found that the demographic of parents hit hardest by the shortages were largely parents of color.
Thompson’s hope is that hubs like Uzazi Village can work to close those gaps in Kansas City and provide what parents need. The community support has no doubt been vital to these mothers.
“It does boil down to education. It does boil down to having better maternity leave for moms and giving them a fighting chance,” she said. “Giving them the opportunity to be able to do what they want to do.”
But it doesn’t change the fact that many of them still face another month or two filled with fear.
“There’s a lot of frustration as a parent that in (the) first world country that we live in, this should not be a problem,” Cathey said. “It’s very frustrating.”...
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