Lacey Moms Donate Breast Milk Following Formula Shortage

LACEY, NJ — If you're a member of any local Facebook group, you've seen posts from desperate mothers searching for formula for their children.

The formula shortage is hitting New Jersey hard, with Gov. Phil Murphy declaring a State of Emergency, and Ocean County parents are not alone in being unable to find what their babies need. Read More: Baby Formula Shortage Prompts NJ State Of Emergency: Murphy

Moms are turning to the internet, sharing whatever extra formula they may have laying around or telling others what stores have what formula brands in stock. Some Lacey moms, however, are going the extra mile: they're donating their own breast milk.

Two Lacey moms offered up previously pumped milk that has been sitting in a freezer unused in the Facebook group "Lacey Township Chatter."

"With the formula shortage I know there are parents struggling to feed their babies," Lacey mom Regina Rush wrote in a May 11 Facebook post. "I have 100+ ounces of breastmilk for donation."

Rush told Patch she had the breast milk saved from when she stopped breastfeeding and went back to work.

She said that the response to her post was "overwhelmingly positive" and was happy it could go to someone in need.

Rush said she decided to donate because the shortage has been going on for a while and she has a lot of feelings about it. She said that the lack of education and awareness worries her.

"There's not a lot of awareness for breastfeeding," Rush said. "A lot try and give up because it's hard and not everybody can."

One of the issues is that only a few companies produce FDA approved baby formula, Rush said. Four companies control nearly 90 percent of the formula market. Read More: Sen. Booker Wants To Trustbust Baby Formula Makers Over Shortage

She said she was frustrated by seeing people in mom Facebook groups hoarding pallets of formula or price gouging.

"I'm outraged," Rush said. She added that there is not much education for moms on the topic. Many don't know that they can reach out to breast milk banks or groups like La Leche League that provide resources for breastfeeding, Rush said.

"At a time like this, we need to be educating and advocating," Rush said.

Michelle Price, another Lacey mom, has a different reason for wanting to donate. She said she has two healthy boys at home, but they were the products of her third and fourth pregnancy. During her first pregnancy, her son Jack was stillborn at 30 weeks gestation.

"Since his birth and subsequent death, I have tried to do random acts of kindness in memory of him," Price said. "That’s what spurred the thought to donate. We weren’t going to use it so it seemed like the right thing to do."

She, too, has had an overwhelming response to her post. Price offered up several hundred ounces of pumped and frozen milk and all have been taken.

Price said that moms supporting other moms can change the world.

"I have always felt there is so much unspoken competition between moms and it’s disheartening," Price said. "At the end of the day, we all have a common goal: for our babies to be healthy and happy."

Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters here, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email veronica.flesher@patch.com.