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Explosive Fight Erupts Between Roommates When One Finds All Of Her Baby’s Formula In The Trash
Interview With Author
Living with roommates requires making many compromises. You may not be able to play your music out loud late at night, and there’s always a possibility that you’ll go to the kitchen and find a pile of dishes in the sink that you never used. But for a living arrangement to work, it’s important that everyone in the house respects one another and keeps their hands off personal items that don’t belong to them.
One woman recently reached out to Reddit for advice after getting into an explosive fight with her roommate. Below, you’ll find the full story of what sparked this roommate rift, as well as a conversation with the author and insight from Registered Dietitians and mothers Jess and Nita, of Happy Healthy Eaters, and Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition, Mark Corkins, MD, FAAP.
RELATED:
This woman has been feeding her newborn formula since she came into the world
Image credits: Toa Heftiba / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
But when the mom came home to find all of her formula in the trash, she ended up in a huge fight with her roommate
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Blake Cheek / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Blake Cheek / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Later, the mother replied to some of the comments she had received and provided a brief update
Image credits: Infinite-Minute2004
“Formula is the most rigorously monitored food in our supply chain, and it’s important for parents to know and trust it’s safe”
To find out more about this situation, we got in touch with the mother who shared this story online, Reddit user Infinite-Minute2004. She was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and explain what’s happened since she made this post.
“I’m trying to save up to move out of the apartment,” the mom said. “We are as okay as we can be, but I don’t have the funds to [pay for the] first and last month deposits, security deposit, utilities, etc. and all of that other stuff you need to be fully self sufficient and on your own.”
We also asked the author if she had ever had issues with her roommate prior to this experience. “Didn’t ever have issues with [her] before this,” she revealed. “I knew she was kind of cuckoo, but I didn’t think she’d pull this. I literally just try to ignore her and stay out of her way. I keep myself and my baby locked up in the bedroom and literally do my best to never interact with her.”
Finally, the mother shared her Venmo with us, if anyone would like to help her get into a new apartment faster: @emit13.
We also got in touch with a few experts to find out more about baby formula and set the record straight about whether it’s “poison” or not. Lucky for us, Registered Dietitians and moms Jess and Nita, of Happy Healthy Eaters, and Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition, Mark Corkins, MD, FAAP, shined some light on this topic.
First, we wanted to know if it’s safe for babies to start drinking formula from birth. “Yes, it is absolutely safe,” Jess and Nita shared. “There’s also a wide range of reasons why an infant may need formula or why a parent may choose this route. Formula is the most rigorously monitored food in our supply chain, and it’s important for parents to know and trust it’s safe.”
Dr. Corkins added that it’s perfectly fine, as long as the baby is full term. “It is designed to meet the complete nutritional needs of a healthy infant,” he noted.
“Some families feel that it allows the caregivers to be more involved in feeding, especially when breastmilk isn’t available”
We also asked the experts if they could break down some of the pros and cons of feeding an infant formula instead of breastmilk.
“While there have been tons of technological advances and innovations on the production side of infant formula, it is still not like breastmilk,” Jess and Nita pointed out. “Breastmilk is incredibly dynamic. It changes feed by feed and day by day, which is so fascinating.”
“Breastmilk also changes depending on the child’s need – for example, if they are sick, the milk may change to provide more specific immune benefits. Other cons may be it takes time for preparation, it can be costly and some specialized formulas are in fact cost prohibitive for families,” they continued. “The shortages that were experienced several years ago also shines a light on how accessibility can sometimes be challenging.”
“It does not contain all the growth factors and immune protection factors of breast milk,” Dr. Corkins shared.
But when it comes to the pros of using formula, Jess and Nita say, “It’s right for some babies and parents. Some families feel that it allows the caregivers to be more involved in feeding, especially when breastmilk isn’t available,” they explained. “As clinicians, we also utilize formula for specific cases where weight gain (poor growth) is an issue – for example, we may concentrate breast milk with formula (this should always be done with a medical team).”
Dr. Corkins also pointed out that anyone can give formula, and it is very portable.
So are there any misconceptions about formula that these experts would like to dispel? “It contains ‘growth hormone’ and antibiotics,” Dr. Corkins told Bored Panda. “Bovine growth factor won’t activate the human growth hormone receptor anyway. Also, the milk is not allowed to contain antibiotics, and the milk is tested to ensure none is present.”
Jess and Nita shared that there’s plenty of misinformation often spread about formula. “There is a growing amount of people who want to prepare homemade formula, which is really unsafe and certainly not best practice,” they warned.
“Many folks are also really worried about the ingredients in a formula – people often think if they can’t pronounce a specific word that it’s ‘bad’ or ‘toxic’, but this isn’t the case,” Jess and Nita continued. “All formula must meet specific requirements and prove that it supports optimal growth and development, especially since it’s the sole source of nutrition for infants 0 to 6 months of life.”
Image credits: Rainier Ridao / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
“Formulas are complete from a nutrition standpoint, and the kids will gain and grow just fine”
We also wanted to know what parents need to consider before choosing a formula for their children.
“Is it an FDA approved formula? Infant formula is the most highly regulated food of all,” Dr. Corkins shared. “If FDA approved, it must contain all of the required nutrients and be shown to support normal infant growth. Via the internet, there is access to all sorts of unregulated and foreign formulas without those safeguards.”
“If [a parent has] decided to cease nursing, just make sure that this decision is yours – for example, some women cease nursing because of return to work or maybe because of perceived low milk supply, but may not realize that they can still combination feed!” Nita noted. “This worked for me, as a I returned to work at 9 months postpartum. We found a way to nurse and offer bottles of formula.”
“The best formula for you is the one that works for your baby! If it’s working, then that’s amazing!” Jess and Nita shared. “We’ve loved learning more and more about the role of DHA in baby brain development, so when it’s available and if it’s important to parents, they can look for this ingredient in formula. Now more and more are definitely adding it because of the known benefits.”
The experts also pointed out that there is absolutely no reason to judge a parent for choosing to use formula. “Sometimes choice isn’t an option – support can look differently, so asking parents what they’d like is important (not tossing out their formula).”
Finally, Dr. Corkins added, “Breast milk is the ideal because of the immune factors. However, the formulas are complete from a nutrition standpoint, and the kids will gain and grow just fine.”
And if you’d like to learn even more about this topic from Jess and Nita, they’ve shared their own nursing stories on their blog, as well as the 411 on Formula and a list of 11 Things We Wish We Knew About Breastfeeding.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. How would you have reacted if you found yourself in this mother’s shoes? Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda piece discussing similar issues, look no further than right here!
Many readers urged the mother to get police involved, and she shared some more details about her situation
However, a small minority thought that the mother should bear some of the blame
Poll Question
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What do you think ?
Tamra 4 days ago
There are so many as*holes in this story, I don't even know where to start, but OP isn't one of them. The roommate needs to have a police report filed against her self-righteous a$$, the useless father of this child needs a firm slap and to step up and be a decent man and father, OP's parents also need firm slaps for being racist, and don't get me started about the idiots in our government who fought to make abortion unavailable. One final thing: everything in this young woman's life is seemingly working against her, yet she's absolutely trying her very best, so those who told her to "keep her legs closed" can 100% f**k all the way off.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 days ago (edited)
As someone who possesses a uterus, I was ENRAGED at that. Yeah, sure, she could have practiced abstinence, but that's not the freaking point. Baby is here now, baby is alive, and mom and baby are in a scary and potentially dangerous situation and OP is looking for advice on her current situation, NOT whether or not she should have had unprotected sex 12 months ago. Though, as an aside, I am even angrier that OP didn't even have the option to have an abortion because her state has a strict ban on abortions. I cannot believe my country, which I was so proud of as a young child in the 80s/90s for being so modern and progressive and filled with hope and potential for its female citizens, has somehow become darker than our most stereotyped visions of the Dark Ages. I'm not mad at OP, I'm mad because my stupid country didn't even allow her to have a choice over her body and her pregnancy.
Load More Replies...
Shark Lady 4 days ago
This hits a bit close to home for me, I was a mum at 17. There is so much stigma for single mothers, especially those who are young, we constantly get comments about not opening our legs and how we are everything that is wrong with society. We are the ones who stayed and fought everyday to bring up our children, the men who abandoned their responsibilities are the ones who need to be shamed.
ElfVibratorGlitter 4 days ago
Me too! I also had my daughter at 17. And she was also on nutramigen after weeks of trying different formulas and losing weight, so it was amazing to just have something she wasn't allergic to. And it's crazy expensive. $37.99 for 12.6 oz at target.
Load More Replies... KatSaidWhat 4 days ago
anon YTA figures... no, a*****e, people shouldn't have to lock s**t away, other people should have the decency to not commit destruction of property and then assault a baby. GTFO. Like, GTFRO.
Pyla 4 days ago
Nothing like bottom feeders to tell a woman to keep her legs closed. Gaaaah 🤮🤮🤮😡😡😡😡😡RAGE
Tamra 4 days ago
Yep. And no mention of the "father" keeping his d**k in his pants.
Load More Replies...
_-DungeonKeeper-_ 4 days ago
The "confront calmly" people in the poll need to read the whole thing again
Janelle Collard 4 days ago
Right??? Starving a baby does *not* demand calmness!
Load More Replies...
Rahul Pawa 4 days ago
What bothers me the most is OP's mom's response. I keep thinking that's not how you treat someone you love. Zero compassion for her own daughter. Zero support for her grandbaby. WTF.
StumblingThroughLife 4 days ago (edited)
This LMAO LOL that is peppered through the OP's post, threw me off, as what is funny about any of this? NTA: The roommate has no right to even touch the OP's stuff, and I despise peeps who have specific beliefs/health/food choices, etc, that try to force it onto other people. The OP & her mother obv have issues, but starting an argument whilst the baby has no milk, is a b***h-move.
AKA AKA 4 days ago
it probably a coping mechanism. makeing efverything seem less serios help people cope sometimes
Load More Replies...
tori Ohno 4 days ago
And this is what happens when anti-choicers get their way. This is what they would do to all women if they could. Police report for the theft, and assault, and add the illegal eviction as well for the room mate kicking her out. Legally the roommate should have been forcibly removed, father or not, she committed a criminal act and assault, she should have been removed.
Emi Tagusen 4 days ago
hi all - this is the OP from the story. my reddit user name is Infinite-Minute2004. if anyone wants to help us out my venmo is @emit13. i'm still living with my roommate, trying to save up enough to be able to afford a basic apartment for me and my daughter. i was able to file a police report on my roommate, but nothing has come of it. her dad has still threatened to kick me out if i stop paying rent lmao. didn't ever have issues with my roommate before this. knew she was kinda cuckoo but didnt think she'd pull this. i literally just try to ignore her and stay out of her way. i keep myself and my baby locked up in the bedroom and literally do my best to never interact with her lmao. but yeah, my venmo is up above, i'd be so grateful for any help at all. my name is Emi Tagusen and my profile pic on venmo is me and my daughter when she was a newborn. thanks so so so much!!!
Janelle Collard 4 days ago
I hope the cops throw the book at the roommate + her dad for facilitating the abuse of OP + her baby. Really? The dad's going to evict OP cuz his b**ch daughter threw out the special formula? 😡
Mark Childers 3 days ago
Her only mistake was telling him about the pregnancy. Otherwise, all of the decisions would have been hers because he obviously doesn't actually care. It's probably a control thing. If he cared so much, he would have demanded custody. Now the mother and baby are going to suffer. They don't have any support at all.
TTorrest Author 4 days ago
Sidebar... For anyone dealing with an acid-reflux baby: Little Tummies! Miracle product with a stupid name. A few drops in every bottle made a world of difference with my babies. (They also slept in their high chair or car seat more often than not just to keep their bods on an incline. Gotta do what you gotta do!)
Orange Panda 4 days ago
If she was in my state, I would absolutely tell the LL to file eviction papers with the court so I could tell them what the roommate, his daughter, did with the baby formula that she buys with WIC. There would be trouble. Unfortunately, they're in a red state. I feel so bad for this girl.
brandyy17 4 days ago
i feel bad for her roommates kid. her roommate clearly doesnt care about child health of any kind. making a child go vegan is a very dangerous thing to do considering all the nutrients a child needs. while there r meals that have these nutrients its not enough for a growing child. i only kno this bc a friend of mine did it and her child ended up having multiple vitamin and nutrition dificiencies. he also passed away at 13 bc my friend refused to believe the meals she was giving him wasnt enough. the cause of death was malnutrition. ive seen child who grew up vegetarian b perfectly healthy tho. another friend of mine did this. she wasnt vegan and neither was her husband or child. her child drank milk, ate eggs, ate fish so he was getting good healthy nutrients. hes now 11 and has been super into football lately. the OP is brilliant for wanting to leave. her childs health and safety r at risk if she continues living there. i also hope that the police report follows thru bc her roommate committed child endangerment by throwing out that formula. trying to take the OP's child puts her in an even worse spot bc that can b considered attempted kidnapping. idk where the OP is from but some places take stuff like this very seriously so there is a chance her roommate is screwed.
brandyy17 4 days ago
and for those of u wondering my friends child who passed due to malnutrition my friend ended up arrested and the judge showed no mercy and gave her a 5 to 10 years in prison bc her actions were labeled as murdering a child. it has been 1 year since she was sentenced.
Load More Replies...
Shannon Stephens 4 days ago
My son was on that formula it's one of the most expensive formulas, $75 a can that lasts, maybe a week.
J. Maxx 4 days ago
Can I ask a serious question from the MOMS on here? Couldn't she use a breast pump? It seems to me that the baby is having issues with the formula, even though it's a prescribed type. I'm just curious because back in my day, we didn't keep kids on formula for very long. I was brought up when folks gave babies chicken leg bones to suck on. LOL.
AK 4 days ago
Her baby is too old at this point and her milk would never have come in adequately unless she started right away. Pumping is very, very difficult. And breastmilk might not have been tolerated by the baby either. WIC has also been known to promote formula (gotta keep money rolling in for the manufacturers, that's the way in the USA), and she might not have been supplied with a breast pump in time.
Load More Replies... Tamra 4 days ago
There are so many as*holes in this story, I don't even know where to start, but OP isn't one of them. The roommate needs to have a police report filed against her self-righteous a$$, the useless father of this child needs a firm slap and to step up and be a decent man and father, OP's parents also need firm slaps for being racist, and don't get me started about the idiots in our government who fought to make abortion unavailable. One final thing: everything in this young woman's life is seemingly working against her, yet she's absolutely trying her very best, so those who told her to "keep her legs closed" can 100% f**k all the way off.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 days ago (edited)
As someone who possesses a uterus, I was ENRAGED at that. Yeah, sure, she could have practiced abstinence, but that's not the freaking point. Baby is here now, baby is alive, and mom and baby are in a scary and potentially dangerous situation and OP is looking for advice on her current situation, NOT whether or not she should have had unprotected sex 12 months ago. Though, as an aside, I am even angrier that OP didn't even have the option to have an abortion because her state has a strict ban on abortions. I cannot believe my country, which I was so proud of as a young child in the 80s/90s for being so modern and progressive and filled with hope and potential for its female citizens, has somehow become darker than our most stereotyped visions of the Dark Ages. I'm not mad at OP, I'm mad because my stupid country didn't even allow her to have a choice over her body and her pregnancy.
Load More Replies... Shark Lady 4 days ago
This hits a bit close to home for me, I was a mum at 17. There is so much stigma for single mothers, especially those who are young, we constantly get comments about not opening our legs and how we are everything that is wrong with society. We are the ones who stayed and fought everyday to bring up our children, the men who abandoned their responsibilities are the ones who need to be shamed.
ElfVibratorGlitter 4 days ago
Me too! I also had my daughter at 17. And she was also on nutramigen after weeks of trying different formulas and losing weight, so it was amazing to just have something she wasn't allergic to. And it's crazy expensive. $37.99 for 12.6 oz at target.
Load More Replies... KatSaidWhat 4 days ago
anon YTA figures... no, a*****e, people shouldn't have to lock s**t away, other people should have the decency to not commit destruction of property and then assault a baby. GTFO. Like, GTFRO.
Pyla 4 days ago
Nothing like bottom feeders to tell a woman to keep her legs closed. Gaaaah 🤮🤮🤮😡😡😡😡😡RAGE
Tamra 4 days ago
Yep. And no mention of the "father" keeping his d**k in his pants.
Load More Replies... _-DungeonKeeper-_ 4 days ago
The "confront calmly" people in the poll need to read the whole thing again
Janelle Collard 4 days ago
Right??? Starving a baby does *not* demand calmness!
Load More Replies... Rahul Pawa 4 days ago
What bothers me the most is OP's mom's response. I keep thinking that's not how you treat someone you love. Zero compassion for her own daughter. Zero support for her grandbaby. WTF.
StumblingThroughLife 4 days ago (edited)
This LMAO LOL that is peppered through the OP's post, threw me off, as what is funny about any of this? NTA: The roommate has no right to even touch the OP's stuff, and I despise peeps who have specific beliefs/health/food choices, etc, that try to force it onto other people. The OP & her mother obv have issues, but starting an argument whilst the baby has no milk, is a b***h-move.
AKA AKA 4 days ago
it probably a coping mechanism. makeing efverything seem less serios help people cope sometimes
Load More Replies... tori Ohno 4 days ago
And this is what happens when anti-choicers get their way. This is what they would do to all women if they could. Police report for the theft, and assault, and add the illegal eviction as well for the room mate kicking her out. Legally the roommate should have been forcibly removed, father or not, she committed a criminal act and assault, she should have been removed.
Emi Tagusen 4 days ago
hi all - this is the OP from the story. my reddit user name is Infinite-Minute2004. if anyone wants to help us out my venmo is @emit13. i'm still living with my roommate, trying to save up enough to be able to afford a basic apartment for me and my daughter. i was able to file a police report on my roommate, but nothing has come of it. her dad has still threatened to kick me out if i stop paying rent lmao. didn't ever have issues with my roommate before this. knew she was kinda cuckoo but didnt think she'd pull this. i literally just try to ignore her and stay out of her way. i keep myself and my baby locked up in the bedroom and literally do my best to never interact with her lmao. but yeah, my venmo is up above, i'd be so grateful for any help at all. my name is Emi Tagusen and my profile pic on venmo is me and my daughter when she was a newborn. thanks so so so much!!!
Janelle Collard 4 days ago
I hope the cops throw the book at the roommate + her dad for facilitating the abuse of OP + her baby. Really? The dad's going to evict OP cuz his b**ch daughter threw out the special formula? 😡
Mark Childers 3 days ago
Her only mistake was telling him about the pregnancy. Otherwise, all of the decisions would have been hers because he obviously doesn't actually care. It's probably a control thing. If he cared so much, he would have demanded custody. Now the mother and baby are going to suffer. They don't have any support at all.
TTorrest Author 4 days ago
Sidebar... For anyone dealing with an acid-reflux baby: Little Tummies! Miracle product with a stupid name. A few drops in every bottle made a world of difference with my babies. (They also slept in their high chair or car seat more often than not just to keep their bods on an incline. Gotta do what you gotta do!)
Orange Panda 4 days ago
If she was in my state, I would absolutely tell the LL to file eviction papers with the court so I could tell them what the roommate, his daughter, did with the baby formula that she buys with WIC. There would be trouble. Unfortunately, they're in a red state. I feel so bad for this girl.
brandyy17 4 days ago
i feel bad for her roommates kid. her roommate clearly doesnt care about child health of any kind. making a child go vegan is a very dangerous thing to do considering all the nutrients a child needs. while there r meals that have these nutrients its not enough for a growing child. i only kno this bc a friend of mine did it and her child ended up having multiple vitamin and nutrition dificiencies. he also passed away at 13 bc my friend refused to believe the meals she was giving him wasnt enough. the cause of death was malnutrition. ive seen child who grew up vegetarian b perfectly healthy tho. another friend of mine did this. she wasnt vegan and neither was her husband or child. her child drank milk, ate eggs, ate fish so he was getting good healthy nutrients. hes now 11 and has been super into football lately. the OP is brilliant for wanting to leave. her childs health and safety r at risk if she continues living there. i also hope that the police report follows thru bc her roommate committed child endangerment by throwing out that formula. trying to take the OP's child puts her in an even worse spot bc that can b considered attempted kidnapping. idk where the OP is from but some places take stuff like this very seriously so there is a chance her roommate is screwed.
brandyy17 4 days ago
and for those of u wondering my friends child who passed due to malnutrition my friend ended up arrested and the judge showed no mercy and gave her a 5 to 10 years in prison bc her actions were labeled as murdering a child. it has been 1 year since she was sentenced.
Load More Replies... Shannon Stephens 4 days ago
My son was on that formula it's one of the most expensive formulas, $75 a can that lasts, maybe a week.
J. Maxx 4 days ago
Can I ask a serious question from the MOMS on here? Couldn't she use a breast pump? It seems to me that the baby is having issues with the formula, even though it's a prescribed type. I'm just curious because back in my day, we didn't keep kids on formula for very long. I was brought up when folks gave babies chicken leg bones to suck on. LOL.
AK 4 days ago
Her baby is too old at this point and her milk would never have come in adequately unless she started right away. Pumping is very, very difficult. And breastmilk might not have been tolerated by the baby either. WIC has also been known to promote formula (gotta keep money rolling in for the manufacturers, that's the way in the USA), and she might not have been supplied with a breast pump in time.
Load More Replies... You May Like Guy Doesn’t Clean Up After Himself, Thinks Roommate Should Do It For Him, Ends Up Homeless “So I'm Not Allowed To Sleep?”: Roommates Won’t Let Student Get Enough Sleep, Regret It Lady Looks Gift Horse In The Mouth After MIL Gifts Grandchild Clothes, Not Toys, Netizens Slam Her
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