A baby formula company expects the shortage to last throughout summer as they struggle to get hold of the right ingredients

• Formula shortages are affecting the US with over 40% of products being out of stock. 
• Parents are desperately trying to find formula for their babies, especially those with health conditions. 
• In a statement to Insider, Nutricia said they expect product to be tight until the end of August. 

Parents across the US have been dealing with a formula shortage that has left many scrambling to find the exact product they need to feed their babies.

Facebook parenting groups are filled with posts — some asking if anyone has extra formula they can share, others offering their frozen milk stash, and images of nearly empty shelves. Some told Insider that they would've reconsidered having more children had they known this shortage was going to happen. Jessica Booth, mom to a 5-month-old girl, said: "I just want to be able to know that I can feed my baby." 

And the end is nowhere near. It has been three months already, but according to a statement to Insider made by Nutricia, part of formula manufacturer Danone, US parents should prepare for another three, if not more.

"Given the extent of the Abbott recall, we do expect availability will remain tight in the United States until at least August," the vice president of the PR company representing Nutricia and Danone said in an emailed statement.

It's not so easy making safe formula for millions of babies

Due to a combination of factors, over 40% of baby formula is out of stock nationwide — usually, a shortage of formula doesn't exceed around 10%, the Wall Street Journal reported. On top of supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, Abbott Nutrition had to issue a voluntary recall of four formula brands after reports of babies who consumed the products getting severely ill, including two who died. 

Danone's representative told Insider the formula shortage is particularly challenging "as it requires specialized ingredients and extensive quality and food safety procedures to make. Because of this, it takes time to ramp up production."

Indeed, pediatricians are asking parents to not make their own formula at home with recipes found online because "the baby is not getting the right nutrients," Dr. Victoria Regan, a pediatrician at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Texas previously told Insider. They are also urging parents not to water down formula to make it last longer, as this can cause serious health issues in newborns. 

However, for parents of babies suffering from allergies, going without a specialized formula isn't an option, and they're struggling. "I don't think anybody understands how severe and serious the problem is. Like, even the pharmacy, I don't think they understand how scared and frustrated we are as parents," Megan Smith, a mom in Maine whose baby has severe allergies to soy and dairy, told Heather Marcoux for Insider. 

The formula shortage affects families beyond babyhood, as some toddlers with G-tubes depend on formula for nutrition. 

As they continue to look for formula, some women have turned to relactating — the process of restarting breastmilk production once weaned — to bridge the gap until they can find formula again. But that's not possible for many and not a real solution in the long term. 

According to Suzanne Barston, the author of "Bottled Up: How the Way We Feed Babies Has Come to Define Motherhood, and Why It Shouldn't," relactating can be hard under normal circumstances and even harder when people are under stress. And there's no greater stress than what parents in the US are going through right now. 

The New York Times reported late Monday afternoon that the FDA and Abbott have reached an agreement that could lead to the reopening of Abbott's plant. It's unclear when the reopening will happen, but the formula manufacturer said it could have more formula on shelves within six to eight weeks after production restarts.