CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Chloe Manning noticed her daughter wasn’t tolerating the baby formula the hospital gave her just weeks after she was born.
“She just wasn’t happy," Manning said. "She just wasn’t getting what she needed out of her formula.”
Manning said her daughter was becoming colicky, fussy and was clenching her fists after being fed the initial formula.
Manning said it was the formula that was upsetting her stomach.
That’s when Manning decided to switch her formula, but she said the nationwide baby formula shortage isn’t helping.
She’s had to go all the way to Victoria and Galveston to find formula.
“I just really, really feel for all parents who are dealing with this right now. Whether it’s a sensitivity or not, it’s just really stressful and really scary not knowing whether you’re going to be able to feed your baby or not,” Manning said.
Dr. Eric Baggerman, the CEO of Amistad Community Health Center said if a baby is allergic to formula, they will have symptoms like eczema and hives, but they can also have symptoms like vomiting and abdominal pain.
“It’s that duration of the time or some of the more severe symptoms - like bloody diarrhea - that would key you to it’s an allergy,” Baggerman said about the differences between the flu and a formula shortage.
Breast milk is also an alternative to formula.
Raydean Calais has been donating her breast milk to mothers for about four years and said some of the mothers who come to her have babies who don’t tolerate certain formulas.
“Just seeing moms in need, for whatever reason, if they can’t breastfeed or pump, it’s good nutrients,” Calais said.
She uses a breast pump at her work, storing her breast milk in a refrigerator under her desk.
She said so far she has donated 1,700 ounces to 12 moms and is hoping to continue.
“Just donating it, you know, from our heart, to feed other babies, is what we do,” Calais said.
