It was around Christmas when Brook Blankenship first noticed a sparseness in the supply of infant formula.

"It was pretty hard to find sometimes," Blankenship, 21, of Coeur d'Alene, said Thursday. "There was just a few cans on the shelves. Now the stores are completely empty when I go."

Blankenship's first child, Harlynn, is 11 months old and will be going off formula soon.

However, baby No. 2 is due in August, and the Blankenship family will once again have to navigate the formula shortage, which worsened in recent months and is now at a critical level.

"It's been a whirlwind having a baby in the middle of the pandemic and now in the middle of a formula shortage," Blankenship said. "I'm hoping to breastfeed."

According to the Associated Press, supply disruptions and a massive safety recall by U.S. infant formula manufacturer Abbott have contributed to dwindling the inventory.

Abbott, one of the country’s largest infant formula makers, recalled all potentially affected products manufactured at its Michigan facility after reports of bacterial contamination and the hospitalization of infants who consumed the formula, including one who died.

The Food and Drug Administration said one of the cases involved salmonella and three involved Cronobacter sakazakiim, a rare but dangerous germ that can cause blood infections and other complications. The recall has affected Similac, Alimentum and EleCare with expiration dates of April 1 or later. The product was distributed throughout the U.S. and overseas.

To conserve supplies, major retailers such as CVS and Walgreens are limiting how many formula containers can be bought at one time. The Food and Drug administration is even considering importing formula to boost supplies.

"It is heartbreaking," said Post Falls mom Danielle St. Pierre, whose youngest son, Myles, just turned 1.

"We are blessed that Myles is almost ready to move to whole milk, but this has not left us immune to the shortages," she said. "I have woken early and gone to stores in the wee hours of the morning to find his formula in hopes they stocked in the middle of the night, often going to four or more stores only to come out empty handed."

St. Pierre, who works for a big-box retailer, said she is fortunate to have a strong support group. She receives texts from loved ones who happen to see formula when they're shopping at local stores.

"I have been brought to tears at work watching people have multiple people with them so they can each get the 'limit' just so they can maybe feed their littles for the stretch of time that passes before they will find it again," St. Pierre said. "Many mothers give up because it is hard and they don’t have the resources or support to find the strength to continue on."

Hayden Super 1 Foods store manager Brian Howell confirmed the reality of the shortage during a Press phone interview Friday. He said Super 1 isn't limiting formula inventory because it isn't receiving any.

"We were notified we wouldn't see supplies until June, back in February," when the recall happened, he said. "There has been nothing. There are no other sources. That's why it's so frightening."

The store has some specialty formulas, but nothing average families would need.

"Regular Similac, Good Start, you're not going to get it," he said.

Normally, if Super 1 is out of something, store associates will let customers know where else in the community to find it.

That's not a possibility for infant formula.

"Everybody's in this together," Howell said. "If it's like anything else, it's going to get worse before it gets better."

Baby formula is used as a supplement or an alternative to natural breast milk.

According to similac.com, its baby formula contains protein, fat and fatty acids, carbohydrates and human milk oligosaccharide prebiotics not derived from human milk, carotenoids, vitamins and minerals.

Most formulas contain protein from cow’s milk that has been altered for easier digestion and enhanced with extra nutrients needed for growth and development. The Food and Drug Administration sets specific nutritional requirements, including minimum amounts of protein, fat, calcium and a number of vitamins. Formula makers achieve those levels by adding various sugars, oils and minerals, according to the Associated Press.

Panhandle Health communications manager Katherine Hoyer said the Idaho Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program has increased formula options available to WIC participants, who are now able to purchase substitute formula from approved WIC vendors.

"Formula supply issues are a nationwide problem right now and Idaho is no exception," she said. "Unfortunately, WIC does not have a separate formula supply that we are able to give to our participants. We are at the mercy of what is available at the store. In Idaho, we have found that rural areas are hit harder with formula shortages than the urban areas, but all stores are struggling to keep stock on the shelf."