(NewsNation) — Being a new parent brings with it a lot of worries, from the baby’s health and growth to finding day care providers and the right toys to fuel brain development.
For new mom of twins Lindsay Swanson, there’s a new worry that seemed highly implausible just a few weeks ago: a shortage of the baby formula she uses to feed her 6-month-old twin girls, Peyton and Parker. “I never in a million years imagined living in our country that I would have to worry about where I was going to get my children’s food from next,” she said.
Swanson has joined a legion of millions of parents across the country now trying to find enough formula to feed their babies on a daily basis. Major chains like Walgreens and CVS are now limiting the amount that can be purchased at one time.
Facing bare shelves and empty stockrooms and on the verge of desperation, Swanson texted family and friends in six different states hoping they could find the right formula for her girls. “When I’m not working … I’m trying to figure out how much formula do we have. And with two babies it complicates things,” she said.
In an address on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “We make sure it never happens again, and that’s important. But right now the baby’s crying, the baby’s hungry, and we need to address it right now.” She led Democrats in calling for immediate action to resolve the supply problem.
Some House members, like new father Colin Allred, suggested that President Joe Biden should invoke the Defense Production Act and make more formula immediately.
Biden spoke with the heads of major retail chains Thursday about a plan to import more formula and cut some bureaucratic red tape for manufacturers in the U.S.
In the meantime, help can’t come soon enough for worried parents. “You hate to say pit in your stomach, but it is. Because you’re wondering why, why is it like this?” said Swanson.