How we do it: Shipping Breast Milk

I have a large over supply of breast milk and since I pump all of Lulu's bottles, it's easy to see how much milk we have.  I make more than double what Lulu needs.  So, I started accumulating a huge amount of extra milk in the freezer (like hundreds of ounces!) and needed to do something about it!  Sure, I could decrease the amount I make but I really don't think that I am pumping all that much.  I pump 4-5 (usually 5) times per day for 10 minutes.  Since I have a well set schedule, I only have one pumping session in which the girls are up and around for and that one occcurs while hubby is home so he can tend to them.  All the other times the girls are either sleeping or in independent play.  Anyway, I found a friend of mine in Cali who needs the breast milk for her baby so every few weeks I send her a shipment of milk.  Here is how I do it:

1.  Set up a package pick up through FedEx
2.  Purchase all the items needed.  To ship breast milk you will need:
     -Styrophome coolers (sold at the grocery store)
     -Large box to hold coolers
     -Newspapers (I get these from my grandpa- old people always have newspapers :)
     -Dry ice (I get 16 pounds)
     -Dry ice sticker (from FedEx office)
     -Address sticker (also from FedEx office)
     -Large ZipZock bags
     -Packaging tape

3. Label the box "Human Breast Milk"

4.  Put all the breast milk into large Ziploc bags.

4.  Break up the dry ice using a hammer.  The dry ice comes in large cubes and needs to be broken into smaller pieces to fit into the cooler.

 This is the dry ice in cubes.  It comes in bags.

 Hit it with a hammer.

5.  Pour one bag of dry ice (one fourth of the total amount of dry ice) into the bottom of one of the coolers.

It's difficult to see, but this is the cooler with the dry ice on the bottom.

6.  Cover with newspaper.

7.  Place the large bags of breast milk into the cooler on top of the newspaper.  Make sure that none of the dry ice is touching the plastic bags.  It can go through the plastic and ruin breast milk.

8.  Put a layer of newspaper on top of the frozen milk and pour another bag of dry ice on the newspaper.  Again, make sure none of the dry ice is touching the milk.

9.  Put the lid on the cooler and tape with packing tape.

10.  Put the coolers into the large box.

11.  Tape up box and put the dry ice sticker on along with the address sticker.  Make sure all parts are filled out and the weight of the dry ice is accurate (they freak out about this).

12.  Place on porch for FedEx person to pick up.  It's usually really heavy so I have to be careful.

Then they just come a get it and it's off!  I check in with my friend the next day to make sure that she got it and that everything went fine.