Health

(ATLANTA) — The number of HIV tests and people diagnosed with the virus dropped significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new federal data.

The report, published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looked at data from two commercial laboratories and found decreases during the first half of 2020.

Between April and June 2020, in the early months of the pandemic, about 1.68 million HIV tests were performed, a 33% decline from the 2.52 million tests performed during the same period in 2019.

As a result, fewer people were diagnosed with HIV. During the first six months of 2019, 18,919 people tested positive for HIV. By comparison, 14,666 people received an HIV diagnosis during the same six-month period of 2020.

Rebounds were seen in late 2020, but not returns to pre-pandemic levels. From October to December 2020, 2.27 million HIV tests were performed and 7,758 people received positive diagnoses.

The use of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP — a daily pill containing two medications that prevent HIV-negative patients from being infected — saw just a slight drop in the first half of 2020.

A total of 179,280 prescriptions were written from April to June 2020, a 6% drop from January to March 2020. However, by September, the number of prescriptions had surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

“I think most people would agree that those kinds of drops are mostly attributable to the complete disruption of medical services that appeared early in the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Uriel Felsen, medical director for HIV testing at the Montefiore AIDS Center in New York City, told ABC News.

When cities and states across the country issued lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, this resulted in the closure of non-emergency health care services, which limited the number of HIV tests performed and number of PrEP prescriptions written, the CDC report stated.

Additionally, people fearful of contracting COVID-19 avoided doctors’ offices or hospitals, where they may have received care. Also, millions of people lost health insurance after being laid off from their jobs, limiting their ability to access care.

“It’s absolutely alarming that the services were disrupted this profoundly,” Felsen said. “Overall, there were more missed diagnoses and the more time people go without getting tested, the more time they have to transmit HIV unbeknownst to themselves.”

The authors noted that the COVID-19 public health emergency laid bare the need to deliver HIV services outside of traditional settings.

Felsen agreed and said, for example, he is part of a team at his hospital investigating a new strategy to try and improve PrEP access by prescribing it in emergency departments directly to those who are at risk.

“It has really reminded us that we need to be able to implement HIV prevention in a diverse array of settings so that, in cases where services are so extremely disrupted, people are still getting the care that they need, because the HIV epidemic didn’t stop because of COVID,” Felsen said.

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(NEW YORK) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday it will expand wastewater testing for polio to select communities across the U.S. after a person tested positive for the disease in New York this summer.

The initiative will start in two communities: Oakland County, Michigan, and a yet-to-be named county in the Philadelphia area.

Wastewater testing will extend to counties with low rates of polio vaccination or to counties connected to communities in New York where polio has been detected in wastewater, according to the CDC, including Rockland County, where a single case of vaccine-derived polio was detected.

On July 21, the New York State Department of Health revealed a patient in Rockland County had contracted a case of vaccine-derived polio, the first case in the United States in nearly a decade.

Since then, officials said the patient was a previously healthy 20-year-old man. He was diagnosed after he went to the hospital when he developed paralysis in his legs.

Vaccine-derived polio occurs when someone takes the oral polio vaccine, containing a weakened version of the virus.

In rare cases, oral vaccine patients can shed the virus in their stool, which can then spread through sewage and affect those who are unvaccinated.

As of Oct. 28, 89 positive wastewater samples have been collected in New York with 82 samples genetically linked to the Rockland County patient, health department data shows.

Although wastewater testing cannot provide data on how many people are infected with polio, it can tell scientists where polio is spreading and where vaccination campaigns may be needed.

“Wastewater testing can be an important tool to help us understand if poliovirus may be circulating in communities in certain circumstances,” Dr. José Romero, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a statement.

“Vaccination remains the best way to prevent another case of paralytic polio, and it is critically important that people get vaccinated to protect themselves, their families and their communities against this devastating disease,” the statement continued.

Officials have stressed the importance of getting vaccinated against or staying up to date with the immunization schedule. Among unvaccinated people, polio can lead to permanent paralysis in the arms and/or legs and even death.

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(ATLANTA) — Older people have always been known to be one of the groups at highest risk of death from COVID-19, but they now make up a larger share than ever before.

As of the week ending Nov. 19, Americans aged 65 and older make up 92% of all deaths from the virus, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It’s the first time senior citizens have made up more than nine out of 10 deaths since the pandemic began and a drastic increase from the roughly 58% of deaths they made up in summer 2021, an ABC News analysis shows.

An infectious disease expert told ABC News the data showcases the lack of boosters received by the older population and how the impact of the disease is hitting the most vulnerable as protection mounts in the population.

“The bottom line is that age is the most powerful risk factor for COVID deaths and we’ve known that all along,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told ABC News. “At this point in the pandemic, it’s not enough to just get a vaccine series. So, what it reflects is the failure of the older age group to get boosters.”

As of Nov. 24, just one-third of people aged 65 and older have received the bivalent boosters, CDC data shows.

The updated booster specifically protects against the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, currently making up about 20% of infections in the U.S.

While this percentage is higher than most other age groups, Chin-Hong said it’s still quite low for a group at high risk of severe illness and death.

“Before vaccines, seniors died disproportionately but it wasn’t even as profound of a difference between the seniors and non-seniors,” he said. “But it was it’s kind of almost like a U-shaped curve with the beginning a high [number of] seniors [dying], then low number of seniors, relatively speaking, then high seniors again.”

Additionally, it’s not just unboosted seniors who are at risk of dying. According to the CDC, as of Oct. 1 — the latest date for which data is available — unvaccinated seniors aged 80 and older are dying at the highest rate of 14.6 per 100,000 followed by unvaccinated seniors aged 65 to 79 at 5.68 per 100,000.

Those above age 65 vaccinated but without an updated booster had the next highest death rates at 3.69 per 100,000 for those above age 80 and 0.71 per 100,000 for those aged 65 to 79.

Chin-Hong said more effort needs to be made at getting vaccines and boosters to seniors, such as nursing homes and community centers, like they were during the start of the vaccination campaign.

“We started vaccinating that age group very diligently,” he said. “In the old days, they were first in line. Everybody wanted grandma and grandma to get vaccines. But that’s only part of the picture and the immune system needs a reminder now and that’s when you’ll see [complications] the most.”

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(NEW YORK) — Actress Mena Suvari is opening up about her struggles with mental health in the hopes that her honesty will make other mothers feel less alone.

“I struggle with postpartum every day,” said Suvari. “I remember sitting on our balcony freaking out saying, ‘I have to get out of the house. I have to do something for myself, but I can’t leave.’”

The 43-year-old star spoke to Rachel Bilson on her podcast, “Broad Ideas,” about new motherhood and her ongoing mental health journey.

Suvari married her husband Michael Hope in October 2018 and she gave birth to their son Christopher in April 2021. She said, at first, the responsibility of being a new parent felt overwhelming.

“I had to learn. I don’t have to be in his face 24/7 to raise a good human being because of my fear. It’s a lot of work,” said Suvari.

Suvari said some of her struggles stemmed from an unplanned C-section during the birth of her son.

“We as mothers are entitled to those emotions and just because they have a beautiful baby who’s perfectly healthy, I still feel like I’m allowed to hold some space for being sad over not having that birth,” said Suvari. “Because it’s not fair to just be like, ‘But you’re fine, right? But you didn’t die? But your baby’s okay?’”

While many women may get “baby blues,” defined as worry, sadness or tiredness, after having a baby, those symptoms typically resolve on their own within a few days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But, doctors said, if these feelings persist longer than two weeks it may be postpartum depression.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of postpartum depression are similar to depression, but can also include feeling numb or disconnected from your baby, feeling excessive guilt about possibly not being a good mom, and doubting your ability to care for the baby.

Postpartum depression, like any serious medical condition, requires treatment by a doctor or a medical professional.

About 1 in 8 women with a recent live birth experience symptoms of postpartum depression, according to the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, conducted by the CDC.

Dr. Jessica Shepherd, a Dallas-based OBGYN, said that postpartum depression can last for years.

“Postpartum depression can last up to a year or years,” said Shepherd. “Make sure that you are connecting with your provider or reaching out to a therapist in order to decrease and minimize any future or severity of postpartum depression.”

Suvari said that, while she still struggles to get out of a dark place, she is grateful for the gift of motherhood.

“Miraculous, I never thought that something so beautiful would happen for me, for us. Something that I’ve always hoped for,” said Suvari, adding that she hopes that being vocal about her struggles will help others who also may be suffering. “This old lady just doesn’t want to play games anymore. And it’s like we have to talk about these things.”

If you are struggling with any mental health distress, including thoughts of hurting yourself, your baby, or any thoughts of suicide, text or call the crisis line at 988. Free help is available 24/7.

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(NEW YORK) — Approximately 10 million adults have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to CHADD, a respected ADHD organization founded in 1987.

Now, some telemedicine services which advertise an easy path to get evaluated for a possible ADHD diagnosis and obtain a prescription, completely virtually, have entered the landscape and some experts and authorities are taking a closer look.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stimulants, a controlled substance, are the best-known and most widely used medications to treat ADHD.

When not used as prescribed, stimulants can also be misused — as they can be addictive, according to a report done by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Chronic misuse of amphetamines, a category of stimulants that are commonly prescribed for ADHD, and whose effects are similar to cocaine, can produce psychosis, which “is characterized by paranoia, picking at the skin, preoccupation with one’s own thoughts, and auditory and visual hallucinations,” according to the DEA.

Health experts, like Dr. Judith Joseph, a board-certified psychiatrist, say telemedicine can be used safely in many medical contexts, but patients should be cautious.

“Telemedicine is really important. It’s a game changer,” said Joseph. “However, when it comes to prescribing medications that are potentially harmful for your health, you really want to be careful.”

Getting a diagnosis and prescription through telemedicine

In order to understand how the online diagnosis and treatment of ADHD may work in some cases, Joseph and ABC News’ Good Morning America worked with two patients, initially, one with ADHD and one without. They used the platform Done, which describes itself as “a digital health company that is making high quality psychiatric chronic care management more accessible and affordable for patients.”

Emily has been diagnosed with ADHD and on medication for years, while Madeline has never been diagnosed with ADHD and said she doesn’t have the condition.

Both begin the process by taking a quick two-and-a-half-minute questionnaire, answered truthfully, before they set up their telemedicine evaluation.

With the guidance of Dr. Joseph, Emily is the first to meet online with the nurse practitioner, who accesses Emily’s prescription history in the state’s online prescription monitoring program, and offers to renew her same medication.

Madeline is referred to the same practitioner and mentions having some recent stressors that have occasionally affected her concentration, but Joseph said that does not constitute ADHD. After a series of questions, the practitioner offered Madeline a choice from eight medications, including five stimulants and three non-stimulants.

“It felt like I was at a candy store and just could pick whichever one that I wanted,” said Madeline.

Joseph said she’s never seen anything like it in her career.

“What’s interesting is that the actual questionnaire listed all of the criteria, and [Madeline] still did not meet criteria based on the questionnaire. So it’s really quite upsetting,” said Joseph.

As a follow-up, Joseph observes a third patient testing the online diagnosis process. Jamie has also never been diagnosed with ADHD and said she doesn’t have a problem concentrating. She sets up an online appointment and is matched with a different nurse practitioner than the first two patients.

Joseph said she watched the nurse practitioner prescribe medication to Jamie “based on her desire to obtain a prescription.”

“The prescriber literally told the patient that she did not meet criteria for any diagnosis,” said Joseph. “And that he would prescribe her medications if she wanted it and then asked her, ‘Do you want me to diagnose you so that you can get a medication or a prescription?’”

ABC News reached out to both nurse practitioners, but did not hear back from one and the other declined to comment.

Done Global Inc. (Done.) provided ABC News with a statement that said the company “…is not a healthcare provider.”

“Done. is an online membership-based platform that allows individuals to connect with qualified clinicians to treat ADHD patients… [Clinicians] evaluate patients and make their own clinical determination on treatment. Clinicians are not employees nor contractors with Done,” said part of the statement.

Done also tells ABC News they are committed to increasing access to ADHD care to help more patients.

When it comes to a proper evaluation, according to CHADD, who conducts the evaluation matters — look for a healthcare provider who is an expert in evaluating and treating ADHD. A proper evaluation takes time and is important to ensure a correct diagnosis prior to stimulant prescription, especially given the risks of stimulant misuse.

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(NEW YORK) — Hailey Bieber, who suffered a mini-stroke earlier this year, is opening up about another health complication.

Bieber, 26, shared on Instagram Monday that she has a cyst the size of an apple on her ovary.

“It’s painful and achey [sic] and makes me feel nauseous and bloated and crampy and emotional,” Bieber wrote over a photo of herself, posted on her Instagram story.

Bieber also wrote that she has had a cyst on her ovary before, saying, “It’s never fun.”

She also said she does not have endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), two conditions that can cause ovarian cysts.

The Rhode Skin founder did not share any additional information about the cyst but said she thought other women could relate to what she’s going through, writing, “We got this,” alongside three peace sign emojis.

According to the U.S. Office on Women’s Health, women form at least one cyst every month as part of the normal ovulation cycle, while around 8% of premenopausal women develop cysts large enough to need treatment.

What to know about ovarian cysts

An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac that forms in the ovaries.

Cysts are formed every single month in the ovulation process, according to the Office on Women’s Health. Most of the cysts are what gynecologists call “functional cysts” and do not cause specific symptoms.

Any cysts that develop after menopause are not normal and should be evaluated by a doctor, as they are more likely to be cancerous, according to the U.S. Office on Women’s Health.

Symptomatic ovarian cysts can be caused by hormonal problems, endometriosis, pregnancy and severe pelvic infections, according to the Office on Women’s Health.

If an ovarian cyst does cause symptoms, they may include bloating, pressure or pain near where the cyst is located.

Most functional ovarian cysts are about the size of a walnut. However, symptomatic ovarian cysts can grow to the size of a grapefruit, and in some cases, can grow to several pounds in weight.

Symptoms for a ruptured ovarian cyst may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting and intense pelvic or abdominal pain on the side of the body where the cyst is located. Ruptured ovarian cysts can mimics symptoms of appendicitis, ovarian torsion and ectopic pregnancies that are medical emergencies. The Office on Women’s Health recommend seeking immediate medical attention if a woman is having sharp, sudden abdominal pain especially if accompanied by vomiting, fever, dizziness, weakness or rapid breathing.

The majority of ovarian cysts resolve on their own and most are benign, according to Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News’ chief medical correspondent and a board-certified OB-GYN.

If a cyst is small, the doctor will implement what Ashton calls “watchful waiting” to see if the cyst resolves itself on its own.

Treatment for a larger ovarian cyst typically begins with a sonogram or ultrasound so the doctor can look for features that would indicate the cyst is benign. If there is not suspicion, the doctor will likely have the patient come back in four to six weeks for another checkup, according to Ashton.

If there is a suspicion of cancer, a doctor will likely order further testing.

Problematic cysts can be removed through surgery. The National Institutes of Health estimates that 5% to 10% of women have surgery to remove an ovarian cyst.

Women with frequent or painful cysts may be advised by their doctor to take over-the-counter pain medication or hormonal birth control, according to the Office on Women’s Health.

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(NEW YORK) — Promising data shows that an Alzheimer’s drug can slow cognitive decline.

In a phase III clinical trial, with results published Tuesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, the drug, Lecanemab — developed by Eisai and Biogen Inc. — slowed the rate of cognitive decline by 27% in patients in the early stages of the disease, making it the first drug of its kind to produce such positive trial results, a study showed.

Researchers followed nearly 1,800 patients over the course of 18 months and found the drug “resulted in moderately less decline on measures of cognition and function,” compared to patients who received a placebo.

However, the companies noted that “longer trials are warranted to determine the efficacy and safety of Lecanemab in early Alzheimer’s disease.”

Patients who have Alzheimer’s disease have build-up of two proteins, amyloid-beta and tau, in the brain. They clump together and form plaques, disrupting cell function and causing symptoms such as memory loss and confusion.

Lecanemab is a monoclonal antibody that helps remove the amyloid-beta clumps.

Trial participants were split into two groups, both with a Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) score of about 3.2 when the trial began. This score, which measures dementia impairment, has a scale from 0 indicating no impairment to 18.0 indicating severe impairment. A score of 3.2 indicates very mild impairment.

Over the course of 18 months, patients in the Lecanemab group saw their score go up by 1.21 points in comparison with patients in the placebo group, who saw their score go up by 1.66 points.

There were some adverse events in the trial, the companies said, including patients who experienced brain swelling or brain bleeding.

Following the 18-month study, two patients died after experiencing brain hemorrhaging. However, Easi said no deaths are considered linked to Lecanemab.

What’s more, the Alzheimer’s Association said it was “encouraged” by the news and called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to give accelerated approval of Lecanemab.

“These peer-reviewed, published results show Lecanemab will provide patients more time to participate in daily life and live independently,” the association said in a statement. “It could mean many months more of recognizing their spouse, children and grandchildren.”

The statement continued, “Treatments that deliver tangible benefits to those living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s and early Alzheimer’s dementia are as valuable as treatments that extend the lives of those with other terminal diseases”

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(ATLANTA) — Two-third of states across the country are reporting either “very high” or “high” levels of influenza-like activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly report.

As of the week ending Nov. 19, the latest date for which data is available, 16 states as well as New York City and Washington, D.C. are reporting “very high” levels while 17 states are reporting “high” levels.

By comparison, during this time last year, all states were reporting “low” or “moderate” levels of activity with only New Mexico and Rhode Island reporting “high” levels.

The data comes as experts have warned that the flu season has begun earlier than usual, with cases on par with those seen typically seen in winter and causing hospital beds to fill up quickly.

So far, this flu season, there have been at least 6.2 million illnesses, 53,000 hospitalizations, and 2,900 deaths from flu, according to CDC estimates.

Just a week earlier, as of the week ending Nov. 12, there were an estimated 4.4 million illnesses, 38,000 hospitalizations, and 2,100 deaths from flu reported.

The hospitalization rate, which sits at 11.3 per 100,000, continues to be the highest for this time in the season since the 2010-2011 season, as far back as statistics are available.

Although influenza-like illness is at the highest level at this point in the season in recent memory — the rate of increase has slowed down over the last two weeks.

In addition, five influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported this week, for a total of 12 deaths among children reported so far this season.

What’s more, CDC is reporting most influenza viruses tested match well to this season’s influenza vaccine.

Among adults aged 18 and older, as of mid-October — the latest date for which data is available — 26.3% were vaccinated against the flu compared with 23% last year, according to the CDC dashboard.

Vaccination coverage among children aged 6 months and older is roughly the same with 35.4% vaccinated as of the week ending Nov. 5 compared to 35.3% at the same time one year earlier.

However, among pregnant people, as of the end of October 2022, just 36.8% have received their flu shots compared to 48.6% of pregnant people who had received the flu shot at the end of October 2021.

The early flu season is additionally concerning with the pediatric surge of respiratory illness already filling up 78% of pediatric beds, according to data from the Department of Health & Human Services.

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(NEW YORK) — A New York mother is sharing details of her daughter’s battle with RSV, a respiratory virus that health officials warn may continue to spread this holiday season, along with the flu and COVID-19.

Anita Binayi-Ghiam said her 3-year-old daughter Ella began having difficulty breathing during the last week of October.

Though Ella tested negative at first for both COVID-19 and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, Binayi-Ghiam said she knew something was not right with her daughter.

She and her husband brought Ella to Cohen Children’s Medical Center on Oct. 30, where she was admitted and tested positive for RSV.

“It was mother’s intuition that told me to bring her in that Sunday,” Binayi-Ghiam said in a statement shared by Northwell Health, which operates the medical center. “It was so unlike Ella not to eat or drink. My husband and I just knew that something was wrong.”

Ella spent nearly one week in the intensive care unit on oxygen due to RSV, according to Binayi-Ghiam, who said her daughter has now recovered.

“It was horrendous,” she said. “I hope no parent has to go through it. It was terrifying.”

Health officials are now warning that not just RSV but also the flu virus and COVID-19 may be more likely to spread over the holiday season in what some call a “tripledemic.”

“We just had massive gatherings, the busiest travel days in years, and a large amount of circulating viruses all over the country,” Dr. Alok Patel, an ABC News medical contributor, said of the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays, which occurred amid an already high number of cases of respiratory viruses in the United States.

In early November, the number of cases of RSV in the U.S. hit a two-year high, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Nov. 4, the CDC issued an official health advisory in response to the rise in respiratory infections in children.

Pediatric bed occupancy also remains the highest it has been in the last two years, with 78% of pediatric hospital beds filled, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where Binayi-Ghiam’s daughter was treated, said it has seen a nearly 50% increase in patients in its emergency department.

“These last two weeks in our emergency department have been the busiest we’ve seen in the past 10 years,” Dr. Matthew Harris, a pediatric emergency room physician and medical director of crisis management at CCMC, said on Nov. 23, just before the Thanksgiving holiday. “Our emergency department was up nearly 50%, our admissions were up 49% and our treat-and-release numbers were up over 50%.”

Experts have told ABC News that a combination of waning immunity to COVID and lack of exposure to other viruses, combined with gatherings indoors, is fueling a “perfect storm” leading to the rise in cases of flu, RSV and COVID-19.

While RSV affects children and adults, it’s particularly dangerous for kids under 1 year old and seniors 65 years old and older.

RSV is a contagious virus that can spread from viral respiratory droplets transferred from an infected person’s cough or sneeze; from direct contact with the virus, like kissing the face of a child with RSV; or from touching surfaces, like tables, doorknobs and crib rails, that have the virus on them and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before hand-washing, according to the CDC.

People infected with RSV are usually contagious for three to eight days, but some infants can continue to spread the virus even after they stop showing symptoms for as long as four weeks, according to the CDC.

Health officials are advising parents to make sure their child’s vaccinations and their own are up to date, including flu shots and COVID-19. They say parents can help protect their kids from respiratory viruses by continuing to follow as much as possible the three Ws of the pandemic: wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance.

Infants and toddlers can usually recover at home with RSV unless they start to have difficulty breathing, are not eating or drinking, or appear more tired than usual, in which case parents should contact their pediatrician and/or take their child to the emergency room.

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(NEW YORK) — Parents can often feel a lot of pressure when it comes to feeding their babies.

Infant feeding tech Mallory Whitmore, a mother of two, is trying to ease some of that stress.

“My goal is that parents can feed their babies confidently, even if they’re using formula,” Whitmore told ABC News’ Good Morning America.

Whitmore is the creator behind the popular Instagram account “The Formula Mom,” where she first opened up about her own experience formula feeding and has since become a resource for other families who are looking for practical information and support.

Earlier this month, Whitmore also took on a new role as education lead for Bobbie, an organic infant formula brand.

“Like most parents, I had assumed that we would breastfeed and that’s just not how it turned out,” Whitmore said of her own experience as a mother of two. “I was desperate for information about how to formula feed safely and successfully. I couldn’t find any information that felt supportive, judgment free and research based.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusively breastfeeding infants for the first six months of their life before introducing nutritious complementary foods because of the health benefits of breastmilk, which can include reduced cancer risks for moms and immunity and nutritional benefits for babies.

However, health care providers said not all parents can or want to breastfeed and that a fed baby is what’s most important.

“We know that breast milk is the gold standard for infants, we can know that breast milk offers ideal nutrition,” said Whitmore. “But we can also acknowledge that it might not be the ideal choice for us based on the lived circumstances of new parenthood.”

Whitmore said there are many reasons why a family would choose formula.

Some parents take certain medications that prevent them from breastfeeding safely. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that only a few medications are not recommended while breastfeeding and physicians can make a case-by-case assessment.

Neurodivergent parents may dislike the sensation of breastfeeding. Others who might choose formula over breastfeeding include mastectomy cancer treatment survivors, adoptive families, working parents or parents who want their own “bodily autonomy” back after nine months of pregnancy.

Ultimately, Whitmore explained, parents don’t need a reason at all.

“There are really a lot of reasons why a family may end up formula feeding. It could be something as simple as that’s the choice that the family makes, that’s what they want to do,” said Whitmore. “I like to encourage folks that any reason, or no reason at all, is a valid reason for formula feeding. You don’t need to meet some sort of benchmark of suffering.”

Earlier this year, a baby formula shortage escalated to a national crisis due to a voluntary product recall of one of the country’s top baby formula producers.

As a result, nearly 50% of all baby formula in the U.S. was out of stock by early May, according to previous ABC News reporting. The crisis prompted an emergency response from business leaders and the White House, who tried to help alleviate supply issues by importing nearly 300 million bottles of baby formula from other countries.

As the crisis unfolded, and desperate parents faced increasingly empty supermarket shelves, Whitmore was there to help her followers navigate the ongoing situation.

“For a lot of babies, formula is their sole source of nutrition and there’s not another option,” she said. “It’s really been incredibly difficult, both logistically and also mentally and emotionally taxing for new parents who are already exhausted.”

While the situation has improved somewhat in recent months, the shortage is not over, and some parents are still struggling to find formula.

For those still looking for advice, Whitmore has a few specific tips, including recruiting other family members to help search for formulas and preparing the formula to make it last.

“Batching formula in a dedicated formula mixing pitcher, which is good in the fridge for up to 24 hours after you’ve prepared it,” said Whitmore. “This allows parents to pour exactly what they need for each individual feeding instead of making a big bottle and then throwing away whatever they don’t need.”

Whitmore added that it’s just as important for parent’s to put together a feeding plan ahead of their baby’s arrival, just as they would a birth plan, and lay out what’s important to them when thinking about formula and what circumstances they would consider using it.

“It’s also important to have a contingency plan and to not wait until you’re sleep deprived and hormonal and recovering from a major medical event to think through these choices and decisions,” she said. “If you can make those decisions and craft a plan when you still have more mental capacity before the baby gets there, that’s always going to be a better option.”

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