shipping breastmilk

[mommygraham]

My cousin and her husband are in the process of adopting, so I'm going to send her my breastmilk (once my baby's born and and I have a milk supply again). It will have to be shipped from Minnesota to Ohio. Any suggestions on the best way to do it? I know dry ice is probably the way to go, but does it also matter what I use to store the milk (plastic lansinoh bags vs hard plastic cylinders)? I donated my milk to a milk bank after DD2 was born but there was a drop-off location and I never had to worry about shipping it. Any suggestions?

[S4r4h]

No idea, but that's such a cool thing you're doing!

[Barbarap]

What a precious gift you are giving!

Check out Milkshare. There is a lady on there that made a blog page that describes exactly how to do it.

Found it: http://milkshare.forumotion.com/t250...anted-to-share

You might have to register to see this page. Here is the direct page to the blog.
http://milksharing.blogspot.com/sear...&max-results=2

Oh and to cut cost of purchasing another cooler your cousin can mail the cooler back to you empty so you can send it again. Might compare the cost of doing that with purchasing another cooler.

Or better yet, perhaps she can find someone in that area sending breastmilk to someone in your area and swap out 2 coolers. Crazy I know, but then you wouldn't have to pay for sending an empty cooler!

Good luck!

[K-Murph]

I donated three times (about 350oz each) through MilkShare while my LO was nursing. Here's how I did it:

Freeze the milk in Lansinoh bags immediately after pumping. Freeze them flat and then put them in gallon-sized ziplock bags, like so:



I never used dry ice. It wastes money and valuable space in the cooler. I would buy a styrofoam cooler (for around $6 at Walmart at the time) and completely filled as to the max with the frozen milk. And then I taped the whole cooler shut to make sure it doesn't open, then wrapped the cooler in newspaper and put it in a box. It helps to insulate the box and to keep it from getting punctured. The recipient used the bags of milk on the outside first because it melted. But it stayed cool enough due to all that frozen milk that nothing was spoiled. The thing you have to watch out for is punctured bag. That's why they're in ziplock bags. Be careful that when you freeze the milk that you don't drop it or knock it against something, or the bag will rip and you don't know it.

Good luck to you and your cousin!

[mommygraham]

Originally Posted by Barbarap What a precious gift you are giving! Check out Milkshare. There is a lady on there that made a blog page that describes exactly how to do it. Found it: http://milkshare.forumotion.com/t250...anted-to-share You might have to register to see this page. Here is the direct page to the blog. http://milksharing.blogspot.com/sear...&max-results=2 Oh and to cut cost of purchasing another cooler your cousin can mail the cooler back to you empty so you can send it again. Might compare the cost of doing that with purchasing another cooler. Or better yet, perhaps she can find someone in that area sending breastmilk to someone in your area and swap out 2 coolers. Crazy I know, but then you wouldn't have to pay for sending an empty cooler! Good luck!

Thank you! I'll check it out.

Originally Posted by K-Murph I donated three times (about 350oz each) through MilkShare while my LO was nursing. Here's how I did it: Freeze the milk in Lansinoh bags immediately after pumping. Freeze them flat and then put them in gallon-sized ziplock bags, like so: I never used dry ice. It wastes money and valuable space in the cooler. I would buy a styrofoam cooler (for around $6 at Walmart at the time) and completely filled as to the max with the frozen milk. And then I taped the whole cooler shut to make sure it doesn't open, then wrapped the cooler in newspaper and put it in a box. It helps to insulate the box and to keep it from getting punctured. The recipient used the bags of milk on the outside first because it melted. But it stayed cool enough due to all that frozen milk that nothing was spoiled. The thing you have to watch out for is punctured bag. That's why they're in ziplock bags. Be careful that when you freeze the milk that you don't drop it or knock it against something, or the bag will rip and you don't know it. Good luck to you and your cousin!

Thank you so much for the suggestions on freezing. All so helpful

[Barbarap]

AS the PP suggested don't hit a bag or drop it without putting it in another smaller siploc bag and noting it on there for your cousin to read. I didn't thaw the bags this time around because I had enough fresh, but I'll pass along a suggestion I learned from another donor to pass along to the momma of the little girl I was donating to.

Rather than thawing the milk in the bag in the fridge, cut the bags off the milk while still frozen and put enough for one day in a pitcher to thaw. It will be easier to handle and you don't have to worry about leaking bags. Even if you don't drop or hit a bag there are sometimes bags that have holes or get a tear in them.They make a big mess if they leak!

And about the dry ice: I've heard it's not necessary either. I've gone 8+ hours and not used dry ice. Pack around it with newspaper and the milk itself will keep it really cold. If you are shipping during the summer or want to make doubly sure, might want to add some for piece of mind.

[K-Murph]

I've shipped milk from San Antonio to Lubbock in the summer twice, and the milk was fine, if that'll give you a peace of mind. The recipient lost a few ounces of milk because some of the thawed bags leaked. But I didn't know that I had to be super careful about bumping frozen milk bags, so there were holes.

[Bekki]

I have a blog on just that subject! I have been feeding my babies donated breastmilk and have been shipping for almost 2.5 years. Through a lot of experience, one of my DS's amazing donors moms and I have put all of our info down on a website.

http://milksharing.blogspot.com

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me! We also run a Facebook page for women to come and ask questions about shipping milk (or anything related to milksharing). http://www.facebook.com/Milk-Sharing-Blog

[Bekki]

But, to be a little more specific:

Make sure that the milk is not in transit for longer than 48 hours. If you are shipping more than 1000oz, it should be OK for 3, but it's summer time, and you don't want to take any risks. You can go to www.ups.com and click the link on the left that says "Calculate time and cost". Enter your zip code and your cousin's zip code and it should tell you how long ground shipping takes. If it's 2 days, then you're in luck! Ground shipping is super economical! If it will take longer, you want to pay for 2-day shipping.

Also, make sure that when you ship, you send it early enough in the week that the package will arrive before the weekend. If you ship 2-days on Thursday, it won't arrive until Monday and your milk will be thawed.

How much milk are you shipping? Right now, it's generally not a good idea to send less than 500 oz without dry ice because of the warmer weather. If you are sending 500oz or more, it should be OK without dry ice, as long as it is packed correctly.

[mommygraham]

Originally Posted by Bekki But, to be a little more specific: Make sure that the milk is not in transit for longer than 48 hours. If you are shipping more than 1000oz, it should be OK for 3, but it's summer time, and you don't want to take any risks. You can go to www.ups.com and click the link on the left that says "Calculate time and cost". Enter your zip code and your cousin's zip code and it should tell you how long ground shipping takes. If it's 2 days, then you're in luck! Ground shipping is super economical! If it will take longer, you want to pay for 2-day shipping. Also, make sure that when you ship, you send it early enough in the week that the package will arrive before the weekend. If you ship 2-days on Thursday, it won't arrive until Monday and your milk will be thawed. How much milk are you shipping? Right now, it's generally not a good idea to send less than 500 oz without dry ice because of the warmer weather. If you are sending 500oz or more, it should be OK without dry ice, as long as it is packed correctly.

I actually did come across your blog and have been having fun reading it, thank you!