Bywong mum Lizzie Cann knows firsthand the heartache a national shortfall of infant formula has caused among many parents.
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Her son suffers from a rare condition and relies solely on one of three in-demand brands of baby formula to survive – and she's down to her last three tins of it.
Eight-month-old Harley was born two months premature with duodenal atresia, a condition where his small bowel did not develop properly, preventing the passage his stomach contents.
Because of his complex stomach, immune and feeding issues, he has been fed on Karicare Aptamil De-Lact almost exclusively since birth.
But now the brand is in short supply, due to profiteers bulk-buying formula from supermarkets and pharmacies and selling it to families in China for up to five times the price.
Harley also suffers from adrenal insufficiencies and can't produce cortisol, the hormone which regulates the body's response to stress and low blood glucose concentration.
Mrs Cann said the spike in sugars Harley experiences when shifting between brands of formula can send him into an adrenal crisis and could even kill him.
She described it like an episode people with diabetes can experience when their sugar levels are too high or too low.
"He starts to act a little bit drunk so he's very, very hard to wake up," Mrs Cann said.
"He'll look very, very dazed, he'll slow in his breathing and he needs to have an immediate shot of steroids. If he doesn't get that he can go into a coma and die within about an hour."
Because he's on steroids, Mrs Cann said he has a "very, very big appetite".
"If we can't get him food quick enough that can put him into a crisis. The hospital is even on standby for him if we can't get it," she said.
Like many mums, Mrs Cann has insufficient breast tissue and physically can't produce enough milk to keep up with her hungry bub.
"I was hooked up to a breast pump for 12 hours a day and I produced 100ml. He's on 250ml of feed at the moment, I can't even produce enough for one bottle," she said.
In desperation, Mrs Cann has been driving more than three hours to Sydney to try and secure a steady supply of the formula.
She now has a back order with three different chemists and combs social media forums searching for elusive tins.
"The last time I bought it online was about $35 but I've seen it online for $150. You don't have a choice, your baby is going to dehydrate without it," she said.
"It's not something that mothers should have to go onto Facebook to search for food for their babies. It's disgusting. It's not fair and it's endangering lives."
Formula companies have blamed the extreme shortage on the Chinese online shopping event Singles Day, in which shoppers splurged a record $US14.3 billion worth of sales in 24 hours.
While Danone Nutricia – the company which produces the formula Harley needs – has boosted production, its efforts have been stymied by the availability of raw ingredients.
Mrs Cann has pleaded with the government to step in to alleviate the shortfall by regulating this "grey market".
She believes their reluctance thus far stems from the misconception that different baby formulas are interchangeable.
"Mothers are going to dilute milk, they're going to have to. Babies will die from that but what other choice do we have with babies who can't just go on any other formula?" she said.
