Change of circumstances leaving me helpless

[Dmn28]

Hello,
Just a bit of a back story, in the early days of my pregnancy I was made redundant from work with only 2 weeks notice. I then found it impossible to find a new job in time before the baby arrived. Since then I have been finding it very difficult financially but somehow I've made it work and made ends meet. This month I have found it so incredibly hard. I don't have any family on call and hardly any support system close by. I'm at a complete loss, my child is running extremely low on formula and I fear by this evening he will be completely out. I have contacted food banks but have heard nothing back. Also all of them state they're not even open for another 2 days. This is a very embarrassing time for me right now and normally I wouldn't be putting my problems out there, but now I have a 6 month old child I have no choice. Please if anyone has any useful suggestions please send them my way! TIA

I want to thank you all for your advice! Due to circumstances I am unable to ask the father.

So what about the hv?

Call the council and enquire about crisis loans. Call your health visitor, google charity in your area for your baby.

Have you have done all of that already? If you are down to your last mouthful of formula for your 6mth old you must have exhausted all your options. It’s odd that not one google search or phone call over the last week has yielded no results at all?

Contact your HV and inform them you have no more formula/running out. I think SS can do a food bank referral, They are the best people to speak to.and explain your circumstances are not going to change hopefully they can point you in the right direction, so the same thing doesn't happen again next month.

I take it you have applied for healthy start vouchers? Otherwise there's emergency food programmes in London via some churches. If you don't work and don't have a support network I strongly advise considering moving, your benefits will go so much further outside of the SE, most councils have programmes to help people relocate to cheaper areas. Might not help you now but work pays the same here and rent is 1/4 the cost, it's a good long term plan.

Are you going to call you Health Visitor then? They can assist you and put you in the right direction.

I'm not trying to be funny, but did you not realise you were running low on formula? As it puts you in a tight spot trying to get hold of someone.

You need to make some phone calls but make sure the first call is your HV

• Get hold of some, not someone

Where are your family? Your parents and the fathers parents?

On the advice given I have contacted my health visitor who was very unhelpful! I hadn't been receiving vouchers before as my LO was breastfed. She stated that vouchers would be sent in the post and to contact the job centre about some sort of loan or a food bank. I wasn't expecting to have no money - an unexpected bill had been taken from my bank account so was thrown back when I realised I couldn't afford formula. Normally I am very good at budgeting. I have never once found myself in this situation. Unfortunately the father is not in our lives along with his family. I have one grandmother and she lives very far away and not in great health. That's my only family. This was very hard for Me to post so I really appreciate all of the fantastic advice you've given.

Ring the duty social worker for your borough.

So what advice did she give? I would be very surprised that she would leave you with a baby you can’t feed.

Then your next step is to call citizens advice. They should make an appointment with you I speak to one of their advisors and they will just ask about your finances etc and then give you a food bank referral.

But that doesn't help you right now, so council for a crisis loan or see if anyone can lend you £10 for formula.

And also, the voucher thing is bullshit. The vouchers are for milk and fruit and veg. It's nothing to do with breastfed or formula fed. You just get them along with certain benefits so you'd have been receiving them no matter what.

Contact your local MP office. They can help you get assistance and your local councillors.

(You'd have had to fill in the application but that should have been done back at the start).

I’ve never ever known a HV not make sure in some way that a baby has formula. I’ve known some who’ve travelled for miles around a city to collect and deliver in such circumstances. They at the very least refer you to where you can obtain some.

I did fill in a form when my LO was around 8 weeks. I then forgot about it as I didn't receive anything. As you've all stated it seems a bit odd that sufficient advice wasn't given by the health visitor so I am going to call back and ask to speak to someone else regarding it.

Your local church of any denomination will usually have a playgroup, I volunteered and ran one for a few years when mine were small. You do not have to be a church member etc. Many occasions mothers needed support in this way. We were always able to help in some way. It very tough to ask for help but please be confident that most people are not judgemental and can see genuine distress. Also OP, things will get better, I've had nothing and swallowed my pride to get through. I do many things now as a "pay it forward" for the times someone helped me.

Here are the opening times for Southwark and Lambeth food banks. Peckham was today, Clapham, Walworth and Brixton tomorrow. There are several other days and locations listed, call them.

Southwark foodbanks

Trussell Trust Brixton

Trussell Trust Clapham

That’s helpful of pax

Best wishes op, but I hope no one offers money.

Do you shop in Boots? Have you accumulated any Boots points you could use to buy formula? If you were breastfeeding could you still do that? At six months you might be weaning so between the food for fun and breast milk you might get by until tomorrow?

If you do have some Boots points perhaps rather than a big tin do formula you buy the smaller pre made cartons. Cheaper to buy smaller, though they are inherently more expensive long term.

Friends with babies on formula? Could they give you enough powder for a few bottles? Just enough to get by until foodbank opens?

Hassle the HV until she's more helpful.
Try a children's charity?
A local nursery perhaps they could lend you something which you could replace?

Good luck OP.

You can't buy infant formula with Boots Advantage points.

Formula is excluded from all special offers and promotions due to BF promotion rules.

Drat even as I was typing I was wondering about that.

What about weaning foods? Can you buy those with points? With weaning foods and water you'd get through 24 hours?

I think weaning foods are okay re promotions. Of course it depends whether the baby will take them.

But there are both statutory services and charities who should help.