In wake of formula shortage, Winter Garden mom offers surplus breast milk

As West Orange-area store shelves sit empty, one Winter Garden mother is offering surplus breast milk to local moms in need.

Daffnee Cohen, mother to two daughters ages 5 months and 2, said the ongoing baby formula shortage has moved her to act.

“This literally makes me feel physically ill,” Cohen said of the shortage. “I just can’t imagine being in that situation. It keeps me up at night. … It’s such a gut-wrenching situation.”

In her time as a mother, Cohen actually has dealt with the opposite problem — overproduction.

“The irony is that I used to complain about it,” she said. “The truth is I don’t have to pump at all.”

After the birth of her oldest daughter, Cohen was able to stockpile thousands of ounces of breast milk. In fact, she had so much that she was able to help a friend in need after her older daughter had transitioned to solid foods.

Similarly, Cohen now has thousands of ounces stored and is willing to give some of them to another mom in need.

“I’m hoping I can help someone — even if it’s just a couple of bottles a day,” she said. “Just the thought of having a baby go hungry at 3 in the morning — I felt like I have to do something.

“I’m a pretty bootstrapping person,” Cohen said.
“I just wish we could all be kinder; that’s just being a mom.”

For anyone in need, email Daffnee Cohen at [email protected].