Baby Formula Shortage

[Frustration]

Cow's milk doesn't have anything like the same composition as human breast milk, even if you look at unpasteurized whole milk. Human milk is sweet, and it contains different fatty acids necessary to human brain development. Some babies can't properly digest nonhuman milk, particularly cow's milk, and it makes them colicky - basically baby indigestion. Additionally, human milk contains antibodies against common local bacteria and viruses that help keep babies from getting sick until their immune systems are fully functional and can independently fight off potential contagion; cow's milk isn't the same, and formula doesn't have antibodies at all.

The real issue here is twofold: breast milk is monetarily free, but it has a huge opportunity cost, and so 1) many women can't afford to stay near their children 24/7 and need to re-enter the workforce as early as possible, and formula permits them to do that even if it's not as good as breast milk, and 2) it's so incredibly inconvenient that richer people use formula simply to avoid the tedious, awkward, and sometimes painful task.

As a result, some women have ceased lactating while their children are not yet able to fully transition to solid food, and use formula to fill the gap. And the sudden inaccessibility of formula has created a crisis, because it's not possible to just start lactating at a moment's notice, and the baby needs food right now. Economic desperation and laziness (I mean, 'love of convenience') have created this problem.