As parents across the U.S. struggle to find formula to feed their children, the pain is particularly acute among Black and Hispanic women.
Capri Isidoro, of Ellicott City, Md., looks at her one-month-old baby Charlotte, Monday, May 23, 2022, in Columbia, Md., during a lactation consultation. Charlotte was delivered via emergency c-section and given formula by hospital staff. Isidoro has been having trouble with breastfeeding and has been searching for a formula that her daughter can tolerate well.
As parents across the United States struggle to find formula to feed their children, the pain is particularly acute among Black and Hispanic women. Black women have historically faced obstacles to breastfeeding, including a lack of lactation support in the hospital, more pressure to formula feed and cultural roadblocks.
The racial disparities reach far back in America's history. The demands of slave labor prevented mothers from nursing their children, and slave owners separated mothers from their own babies to have them serve as wet nurses, breastfeeding other women's children. “Nobody’s taking responsibility for the fact that they’ve steered families of color toward formula for so many years and made people rely on it and taken away choice. And then when it falls apart, there’s not really any recognition or accountability,” Freeman said.
Yury Navas, a Salvadoran immigrant who works at a restaurant and lives in Laurel, Maryland, says she was not able to produce enough breast milk and struggled to find the right formula for her nearly 3-month-old baby Jose Ismael, after others caused vomiting, diarrhea and discomfort. Some mothers have turned to social media and even befriended other locals to cast a wider net during shopping trips.
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