Michelle Zecchine’s heart breaks when she can’t find formula for her 4-month-old daughter, Leia.

“I’ve gone through two or three brands now that I just can’t locate,” she said. “I ran out of it at home and I searched for it online, and it wasn’t on Amazon. It hasn’t been in Giant. It hasn’t been in Rite Aid.”

And when she does hit the store after they’ve restocked, supplies are limited.

“It’s only maybe a can or two of the smallest size,” explained Zecchine, of Slatington.

The scenario is playing out across the nation, as mothers struggle to find formula following pandemic-related production issues and a recall of popular formula brands.

Earlier this year, Abbott Nutrition recalled several batches of its powdered formula including Similac, Alimentum and EleCare. The recall came after four infants became ill and two infants died from infections linked to the products.

About 31% of popular baby formula is missing from retailers’ shelves across the nation, according to an analysis by Datasembly, which assessed supplies at more than 11,000 stores. The out-of-stock percentage for baby formula hovered between 2% and 8% in the first seven months of last year, but grew steadily and reached 23% in January, Datasembly reported.

Because of the shortage, Walmart, Target, CVS and Walgreens are limiting the amount of formula that can be purchased at one time. Walmart’s limit is five containers a day, and Walgreens and CVS caps it at three.

Jullian “Jules” Silverman, however, can’t even find even one container of the sensitive formula she needs for her 6-week-old son, Jamisen.

“It’s hard to find it anywhere. Anywhere you go, it’s completely empty,” said Silverman, of Palmerton.

On a recent day, she tried Target, Giant Food Stores and Rite Aid stores. All were a miss.

“It’s just been getting worse, progressively worse. Each day, each week I go to look and there’s none,” Silverman said. “It’s scary. It’s like what if they don’t have any? What are we going to do? How are we going to feed our baby because there are moms who can’t breastfeed?”

Giant Company spokeswoman Ashley Flower said that Giant Food Stores, like other retailers, are experiencing “challenges” when it comes to baby formula supplies.

“Though product is available, the situation is fluid and it is possible that a particular item may be unavailable. We continue to work closely with our supplier partners to secure product and get it on shelves as quickly as possible to meet the needs of our customers,” Flower said.

Giant hasn’t set limits on purchases, she noted.

“We encourage customers to only buy what they need and not panic buy, ensuring product is available for as many families as possible,” Flower said.

DeAnna Semanoff of Lehighton, said it’s impossible to find the formula that her 11-month-old son needs.

She’s called supermarkets and big box stores as far away as Scranton and the Lehigh Valley in hope of securing some. Friends in York were also unsuccessful in their hunt.

“I have been dealing with this since my son was 3 months old, but it is far worse now,” Semanoff said. “I feel so sorry for all the mothers struggling to find formula because it is so stressful and having a baby is in itself stressful enough.”

As for Zecchine, her daughter has had some stomach issues and isn’t tolerant of all formulas.

“It makes me feel nervous, scared for the baby and anxious that I’m not going to be able to find her formula,” Zecchine said.

Leila Nassar, an International Board Certified lactation consultant at Lehigh Valley Health Network/LVPG Pediatrics, said the network has been helping a lot of mothers who want to re-lactate because of the shortage.

“A lot of moms who had been breastfeeding but stopped want to produce milk again,” she said. “We guide moms to produce milk again if they were breastfeeding before.”

The success rate, Nassar estimated, is between 40% and 50%.

Other times, mothers will call their network pediatric office to see whether it has formula samples available.

Vassar also suggested that mothers discuss different brands with their pediatrician. There’s a good chance that a similar brand might be available.

“The shortage is very scary for a lot of moms,” Nassar said.

According to information published by Pennsylvania Women In Crisis, those having trouble finding formula should:

• Talk to their doctor about what formula to use when the normal formula is unavailable.

• Prepare formula as instructed on the package.

• Check with other local grocery stores for the formula.

• Ask grocery store staff if they have any available in their stockrooms.

Individuals SHOULD NOT:

• Feed their baby recalled or homemade formula or add extra water to the mix to stretch what they have.

• Feed milk, dry milk, canned milk or Karo syrup to their baby.

• Feed their baby infant foods or water before 6 months old or the doctor says the baby is ready.