Viral TikTok shows the terrifying reality of the formula shortage for babies with allergies

With more than 40% of formula being out of stock across the country, parents of infants have been left in a state of emergency due to the formula shortage. One mom’s viral TikTok highlights just how dire this situation is for her family, because her baby girl has a milk allergy.

TikToker Kayzie Weedman (@momofrory) shared a video recently that shows the terrifying effect of living through a national formula shortage.

Related: Here’s how the White House is handling the U.S. formula shortage crisis

“Let’s talk about the formula shortage that is plaguing the US right now, because more people need to know about this,” she says in the video. “You go to your local Target, your local Walmart, and you think you’re going to get the formula your baby needs? Nope. Shelves are bare. And there are babies who can’t have just any formula that’s on the shelf.”

For Kayzie’s baby, Palmer, formula is necessary because the protein in cow’s milk causes her to have a severe allergic reaction.

“I’m going to insert a picture of what my daughter looks like when she has cow’s milk because she has a huge cow’s milk protein allergy,” she explains. “So, what am I going to do when I go to the shelves and can’t get the formula that I need? The pharmacist who fills her prescription formula can’t fill it because they can’t get it — it’s back-ordered six months and I just have to sit there and stare at empty shelves and not know what I’m going to do next.”

“My daughter, Palmer, is on a hypoallergenic formula due to a slew of allergies that she has. She has a cow’s milk protein allergy, a gluten allergy, a soy allergy, and a goat’s milk allergy,” Kayzie tells Buzzfeed. “She does not have the ability to switch to any formula that is left on the shelf because MOST formulas have all of her allergens and she breaks out in a horrible rash that turns into boils and scabs, she has trouble breathing and wheezing, and she constantly throws up.”

Cow’s milk protein intolerance (CMPI) is an abnormal response by the body’s immune system to a protein found in cow’s milk, which causes injury to the stomach and intestines. Cow’s milk protein intolerance is not the same as lactose intolerance, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.

CMPI symptoms will usually develop within the first week of starting cow’s milk in the diet. The signs might manifest as a skin rash or eczema, or involve the GI tract, such as vomiting, abdominal pain, blood in the stool, mucousy stool, and diarrhea. Prolonged issues in infants could lead to wheezing, irritability and poor growth/failure to thrive.

Related: The formula shortage is leaving parents in a bind—here’s what to do if you can’t find formula

At the end of the video, Kayzie shows what the store shelves look like in real-time, and it’s nothing short of heartbreaking (not to mention anxiety-inducing). She said every store within a 3-hour radius was out of her daughter’s formula.

“What are formula moms supposed to do? How are we supposed to feed our kids?” she asks.

Currently, the U.S. government has reached an agreement with Abbot Nutrition, one of the major manufacturers of infant formula in the U.S. Months after Abbott’s largest factory in the U.S. shut down, the Sturgis, MI facility is preparing to reopen.

While the plant could reopen in as soon as two weeks, once production starts, it could be another six to eight weeks before that product hits store shelves.

In the meantime, the Biden Administration has announced new measures to get infant formula into the U.S. safely and quickly.

If you can’t find your baby’s formula due to the infant formula shortage, we’ve compiled a list of options for parents here.

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