How to Ship Breast Milk
To ship your breast milk, first collect it and freeze it, making sure to leave some space in the containers for the milk to expand. Next, pack it securely in a styrofoam cooler with dry ice. You can put this into a cardboard box for shipping.
Supplies You Will Need
The supplies you will need to pack and ship your breast milk include:
A hammer to break the dry ice, if necessaryA shipping boxA thick coolerDry IceGlovesNewspaper or packing paperPacking tapeStrong, sealable plastic zip-type bagsThe proper shipping labelsYour frozen breast milk
Packing and Shipping Instructions
Follow these steps:
Additional Considerations
Shipping breast milk can be expensive. Instead of shipping only a few containers of breast milk at a time, you may want to wait until you have a larger quantity of breast milk to ship. The amount of dry ice that you will need depends on the size of your cooler, and how long your package will be in transit. For more information about the amount of dry ice you will need, contact a dry ice supplier. To find a dry ice supplier near you, use a dry ice directory. When you are shipping breast milk to a hospital, especially a NICU, the staff may provide you with specific instructions. If you are shipping your breast milk to a donor milk bank, carefully follow any handling, storage, and shipping guidelines for that particular milk bank.
