Iowa Mom Donates Breast Milk to Help Shortage of Formula

We're in the midst of a terrible baby formula shortage. I can't imagine being a parent of a young child right now who needs formula. I've heard that some parents are spending hours trying to find formula for their baby.

One Iowa woman is trying to do what she can to help offset that burden of the formula shortage.

DETAILS: Not Just South Dakota: Baby Formula Shortage a ‘National Crisis’

Her name is Andrea Heidenreich from Dubuque, Iowa. As she told KCRG, "'Sometimes women can overproduce breastmilk, and I was one of those overproducers'". So she decided she would donate the rest of her breast milk to women and their children who needed it. But her breastfeeding journey didn't start off easy.

The reason to feed a child formula versus breastfeeding is a very personal decision. Deciding that formula is the best option can come around for many different reasons. For example, Andrea says that when her son Oliver was born there were some difficulties but they were lucky enough to work with a lactation expert who was able to help.

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Other women aren't that lucky and those are the women who Andrea wants to help. She made her final donation to the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa on Saturday. In total, she donated 45 gallons of breast milk. The Mother's Milk Bank says that there are other women who also overproduce and are donating in order to help with the formula shortage.

How to Help with the Formula Shortage in Minnesota

There are many places in Minnesota where you can donate breast milk, too. Some of those include the Milk Depot at North Memorial and the Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies. You can also donate breast milk in Rochester at Mayo Clinic. The collection depot is located at Mayo Family Clinic Southeast in Rochester. You can get all the details on their website.