Our Process

From Your Freezer to Freedom — Here's Every Step

Every drop of your milk is handled individually, tracked at every step, and returned to you exactly as it left, just without the water, and without the limits.

You've worked hard for every ounce in your stash. We built our entire process around one principle: your milk deserves to be treated like the irreplaceable thing it is.

Here's exactly what happens from the moment you order to the moment your pouches arrive back at your door.

1. Freeze

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We freeze your milk at below -40°F to prepare it for the vacuum chamber.

2. Vacuum

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A deep vacuum is created inside the freeze-drying chamber, lowering the pressure around your frozen milk.

3. Sublimation (Dry)

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A small amount of heat is introduced. Rather than melting, the ice converts directly to water vapor skipping the thaw step entirely. This is called sublimation, and it's why freeze-drying preserves nutritional quality better than standard dehydration or heat drying.

4. Package

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Your freeze-dried milk is vacuum-sealed into your pouches, protecting it from moisture, oxygen, UV light, and contamination.

Frozen breast milk stored in Medela bag labeled with date and ounces

When we receive your frozen breast milk we weigh it, log the temperature, catalog it into our system, and label each bag – including any notes we'll include on the final label if you choose a bag-for-bag packaging. Each customer's milk is processed individually, and our equipment is thoroughly sanitized between each customer’s and every batch to prevent cross-contamination.

Next, we place your frozen liquid milk in a freeze dryer that removes the water through a process known as sublimation. Sublimation preserves the nutritional quality of your breast milk better than standard dehydration when it's converted into powder.

Milk by Mom freeze-dried breast milk pouch front and back with reconstitution instructions

Once the freeze-drying process is complete, we package your breast milk powder into convenient, resealable pouches. You decide whether to have your milk packaged individually bag-for-bag (4, 5, 6 oz) pouches (or any combination of these sizes).

Clear instructions outlining how to rehydrate your milk to its exact original consistency are printed on your pouches. Your freeze-dried milk has a three-year shelf life with the expiration date printed on every pouch. It should be stored in a cool , dry place at room temperature, with no need for refrigeration. Once you receive your freeze-dried breast milk, use it for bottle preps or incorporate it into solid foods anytime for a nutritional boost

Milk by Mom freeze-dried breast milk pouch with powdered breast milk

We strive to be completely transparent with all the details to make sure you are confident in our services. We carefully follow a sterile process when handling your breast milk. No momma’s milk will ever touch another’s. Our process and facility is compliant with standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).