GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — As the country deals with the baby formula shortage caused by the temporary closure of a major plant in Sturgis, Michigan, a virtual baby-feeding platform is working to offer free resources to parents who are struggling.
"Feeding your baby, at baseline, is stressful. Feeding your baby during a pandemic is extremely stressful. And feeding your baby during a pandemic, during an inventory shortage, is just astronomically stressful," said Andrea Ippolito, the CEO of a company called SimpliFed.
During the shortage, the platform is offering one free appointment and free classes to new and expecting parents who want to learn more about their options.
"We ask you what your goals are, meeting you where you're at, whatever that goal is. We do a lot of listening, and then we work with you to design a plan, whether that's with formula feeding, combo feeding or breastfeeding," Ippolito said.
"We're seeing significant interest for women who are pregnant and want to understand what their options are for under this formula shortage. We're also seeing pretty significant interest for postpartum families in troubleshooting what's happening."
To access the free resources, you can visit SimpliFed's website.
"Also, we're happy to collect your health plan information to figure out what you are covered for because under the Affordable Care Act, you have access to breastfeeding support fully without cost sharing to you, that's the law of the land," Ippolito said.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.