In the face of the ongoing formula shortage, it’s a problem with life-or-death repercussions. Morello’s story is common among workers across the food system: Low pay, long hours, and job insecurity often mean parents of newborns return to work quickly - and many need to switch to formula due to a lack of opportunity to pump breast milk on the job. “We don’t want to take chances,” Morello said. Even if women like Morello are legally entitled to breaks, they’re often not proactively informed and fear that asking for special accommodations could be a job liability. She eventually gave up and switched to formula.Īn Oregon law passed in 2007 requires all employers to provide rest periods for breastfeeding employees and a non-bathroom space in which to pump. My breaks weren’t long enough for me to get somewhere and pump,” she said, which made it hard to produce enough milk. “With my son, I went back after six weeks because of the income situation. In the face of the ongoing formula shortage, lack of opportunities to pump while at work is a problem with life-or-death repercussions. Morello declined to disclose her hourly wage but said it is less than the price of a can of formula, which costs between $17 and $20. “My nipples are cracked, and my baby won’t latch. “I’m exhausted,” Morello said, as she was caring for her one-month-old daughter as her 6-year-old son vied for her attention while her partner attended a school event with the older children. Morello pumps every 90 minutes in hopes of stimulating a larger supply, but she has so far only yielded a few ounces per day - a fraction of what’s needed for one feeding. “People told me I better breastfeed because there’s no formula, and now here, the shelves are empty, and I’m not producing enough milk.”
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“I was very, very nervous about the formula shortage ,” Morello told Civil Eats by Zoom recently. This time is no different, except that Morello - like so many parents - can’t find formula for her baby. She has always had trouble producing enough milk, so she gave her older children a mix of breast milk and formula. Laura Morello, a farmworker from McMinnville, Oregon, worked in the fields, pruning plants, until the day before she went into labor on June 3.Įven though Morello, 33, knows she can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the Oregon Family Leave Act beginning in the late stages of pregnancy, she learned from her experiences with her older children, who are now 6, 11, and 14, that she can’t afford to use time away from work for anything other than caring for and nourishing her baby. This story was originally published on Civil Eats.