Can you make formula from other ingredients? You can let a baby drink from another women's breast though.

That's how they did it in the past, when a mother wasn't producing enough milk. It was an actual job called wet nurse [1].

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet_nurse

Wet nurses need to be already lactating mothers, not just any woman. Also in a strict lockdown how are you going to get a wet nurse to visit you?

From GP comment it sounded like there are multiple mom's with infants in the building and statistically most of them should be breastfeeding. So if I run out of formula another mom is probably the best solution to not let my baby starve.

In China breastfeeding is less popular than other parts of the world[0], so the statistics might not work out.

[0] https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2187934/chin...

These numbers are actually surprising considering that natural breast feeding has health benefits for the baby. Although it says "only breastmilk" which can also mean formula is used as a supplement.

In lots of poorer parts of the world formula is marketed as being better than breast milk. In many developed countries adverts like these are banned but they used to be allowed. There were also problems with e.g. young children with well-to-do parents being given only canned food and getting scurvy. The theme was again about a supposed better-planned diet than what poorer people from less advanced times had to use.

Definitely true here in SE Asia and other parts of the developing world. In the Philippines for instance, you go to a supermarket and there are rows and rows of formula boxes and all you need to do is look at the packaging and advertising to see the message they're trying to convey: formula is for good-looking, light-skinned, smart, educated parents and only ignorant dark-skinned provincial poor people breastfeed because they can't afford formula. That's the thinking. There's almost no consideration that breast milk is more healthy for the baby.

America went through something similar about a century or two ago before birth control was prevalent.

Because breastfeeding mostly delays the return of fertility, formula popularity resulted in a huge spike of babies. (Ancient societies would often breastfeed for more than two years).

As society gathers more data on the huge health and IQ impact of breastfeeding, it will become the norm again as it is in the west (for the fewer mothers that do exist…).

Sure but how long can that last? I mean if no one is eating then the milk will stop and she's unlikely to sacrifice her kid's only food supply for yours.

Sure, that's fair enough.

And unreal to even be having a conversation about.

That other woman would need to eat something to make milk too. Plus she'd need to be recently pregnant.

> That other woman would need to eat something to make milk too.

Well, eating something is much easier than replicating the composition of baby milk (i.e. making formula).

I already answered your second point in a sibling comment. Though inducing lactation without pregnancy is actually possible according to my linked Wikipedia article. But that's not what I was thinking about when writing my comment.

You don't need baby formula, it's sad how MANY Chinese fall for baby formula propaganda banned in west with formula samples given to new mothers in Chinese hospitals. Only 1-5% of mothers are unable to breastfeed, the most of the formula buyers just believe fairy tales and feed their kids unhealthy formula and then they complain about being unable to get formula.

Also you dont really need much for baby besides breastmilk, you can make fabric diapers as in old times (yes, it's inconvenient, we went easier way) and that's about it, since baby just need breastmilk, clean clothes and diaper, when older you are fine with boiled smashed vegetables, so these complaints really feel but completely clueless (lazy) mother and only justified complaint is rash ointments which can be really issue and ain't that easy to deal with at home.

>is rash ointments which can be really issue

If you'd ever shared your home with a baby that had nappy rash I feel you might have a different pov here.

I think your should read my comment again judging by your reply since it seems you think you are contradicting me.

Also, rash ointment = can be slightly less aggressive about changing wet but not full diapers.

It seems difficult to argue that mothers should totally change what they’re doing (away from the thing they had believed was right) and to achieve this they would likely need to be convinced that the new way is better. But I think this is also missing the point because if people are struggling to get food too they likely won’t produce much milk.

Obviously, I'm just pointing out they complain about being unable to do the bad thing they are used to. I can understand it's difficult to start doing the good thing now, but using this as example of how bad is lockdown is almost as alcoholics complaining they can't get alcohol, there are for sure much better examples why COVID zero is stupid strategy than mothers unable to get formula for their babies.

Well withdrawal syndromes for chronic alcoholics can be quite fatal so while it seems like it would be silly to complain about locked-down alcoholics not being able to get alcohol, the consequences could actually be bad. Though that depends on how sympathetic alcoholics are to you.

Maybe the actual thing to say is just ‘lockdowns are bad when they cause people to be unable to meet their basic needs’ and then not litigate on what precisely it is that people need.