Chinese Baby Formula

This picture was taken from a store shelf in Hubei. This is the same formula we purchased for Myah while in China.
This photo was taken in a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei, where Myah is from, we stayed in Wuhan.


I am by no means a public service announcement blog but this subject touches so many of us who are in the Chinese adoptive family and I felt I just had to pass along the little information that I know.
First of all we received an email from our agency this week with new travel information issued by the Center for Disease Control for those who are either in or travleing to China soon. So please go check out their website for the latest information. Here is a little blurb copied from their website:

Special advice for U.S. travelers going to China to adopt an infant. If you are planning a trip to China to adopt an infant, please carry any needed formula or other milk products with you. Do not use any milk products produced in China. When you return home, please have your child evaluated by a pediatrician as soon as possible and inform the pediatrician that your child was adopted from China and that there is therefore the possibility that the child may have been exposed to contaminated milk products before being placed in your care.

I know that the formula involved in the scandal is called Sanlu, this is the very formula that Myah was given in the orphanage and we continued to give it to her once in our care. I actually still have a bag of it as a souvineer! The orphanage actaully gave us a few bags of it when we got Myah so I have no doubt that Sanlu was their formula of choice. Traces of melamine have been found in this baby formula and many children are very sick and are hospitalized with kidney stones and some have died from kidney failure. Melamine is used in plastics and other industries and is strictly forbidden in food processing. Experts say it is added into raw milk so that the protein content of the milk appears higher than it is actually.

I had not really felt the need to get Myah checked out until I talked with a few other China mommies who are really "up" on this kind of stuff and there have been a few reports that the formula affected could go back as far as 2005, that is when I got concerned. Myah was born in '05 and we brought her home in '06 so it is possible that it her formula could have been tainted. I am not panicking, I really don't feel that she has any issues but for peace of mind I have contacted our pediatrician and are having her kidneys checked. After her dental issues and tonsil and adenoid surgery took us by surprise, I feel responsible to at least get her checked out, especially since many reports that I have read online show babies in Wuhan in their pictures and showing the formula on the shelves in Hubei, that is where she is from and where we stayed. Oh and many of the candies carry a risk of having dairy products in them that are contaminated, the White Rabbit candies were listed and we ate that candy in China and I have since purchased it over here for Chinese holidays, I have that in my house too!!!
I plan on printing off some information for the Doctor to read, I am sure this is not something she has had to deal with yet, and as many of you know who have adopted from China, we are kind of on our own as far as having medical information on our children. We have the basic health information sheets but that is about it. My doctor is always appreciative when we have information for her.
So if this is something that you feel you need to do a bit more research on please Google the Sanlu brand and you will be amazed at all of the information. Also the Center for Disease Control is another great resource. My friend last night said a Yahoo group is being formed as a database for us families with Chinese children. Wouldn't that be helpful!