Everything you need to know about freeze-dried breast milk

As a mom who exclusively breastfed both of my babies with a generous oversupply, I understand wholeheartedly how fortunate I was. My personal experience helped shape the foundation for Leche, the direct-to-mom breast milk freeze-drying service I co-founded. Leche endeavors to support mothers by enhancing the preservation and longevity of breast milk, converting it into a shelf-stable powder, offering moms more  flexibility on their breastfeeding journey. 

The seed for Leche was sown three years ago during a ‘moms night out’ with my co-founder, Trish. As new mothers, our conversation naturally veered towards the challenges of managing breastfeeding schedules post-maternity leave and going back to work while still in the trenches of adjusting to motherhood and taking care of our new little ones. 

We knew we couldn’t have been the only ones questioning how to sustain breastfeeding without adding more pressure during the 4th trimester, and we imagined that many mothers ask themselves: “How can I continue breastfeeding for as long as I want without causing too much extra stress in my life?” 

So we began exploring ideas for storing breast milk. Moms work overtime trying to stockpile a stash of breast milk for their babies and unfortunately, those frozen bags expire way too fast and freezers fill up way too quickly, and the last thing we ever want for our hard-earned breast milk is have it go to waste. 

This casual conversation led to the birth of Leche, envisioning a solution to extend the shelf life of this ‘liquid gold’, make it more versatile, and simplify its reconstitution—a powder that makes feeding breast milk easier and allows breast milk to last for years to come!

What is freeze-dried breast milk?

Freeze-dried breast milk is achieved by a specialized process called lyophilization that involves removing the water content of breast milk through a process of  first freezing the milk, then lowering the pressure and using a vacuum procedure. Unlike dehydrating breast milk, which uses heat and depletes nutrients, freeze-drying maintains the nutritional integrity of the breast milk. 

This method, long trusted in food and pharmaceutical industries, ensures your breast milk remains shelf-stable for up to three years.

While the most mainstream way to store breast milk is in the freezer, we’re offering a modern, space-saving and nutritionally sound alternative to the table, preserving the good stuff—and leading to less waste of this precious resource. 

Why freeze dry your breast milk? 

Leche’s unique freeze-drying process brings formula-like convenience to breast milk and breastfeeding like never before. 

Simple storage

The freeze-dried powder is not only easy to store and transport but also quick to reconstitute, making it ideal for various settings including daycare, travel, or returning to work or school, thanks to our Leche Premier on-the-go sachets. 

Longer shelf life

Freeze-dried breast milk can be stored for up to three years at room temperature, whereas fresh milk can only be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, and frozen milk for up to 6 months, before it nutritionally begins to decline. 

Ready instantly

When it’s time to use your Leche, it’s easy to reconstitute by adding purified or distilled water—no more thawing frozen milk or warming up refrigerated milk—just add purified water and it’s ready to go, which makes it amazing for daycare settings and caregiver or partner feedings, and especially for those 2 a.m. wake-up calls. 

Plus, you have the flexibility to add your freeze-dried breast milk into your baby’s: 

• First foods 
• Smoothies 
• Purees 
• Snacks 
• Bathtime + skincare

Is freeze drying breast milk safe?

Freeze-drying breast milk is completely safe if done so in a facility such as ours that practices food-safe handling. The safety of freeze-drying breast milk is paramount at Leche. Although mother’s milk isn’t regulated by the FDA, we adhere to stringent food safety protocols. We take extra steps to ensure every batch of milk is tested for harmful bacteria from contaminated pump parts before processing, ensuring the absolute safety of your child.

Preserving your nutrients

Leche uses a proprietary freeze-drying process to ensure that each mother’s milk is processed separately, efficiently and safely. Leche uses a unique serial number and barcode system applied to each step of our ordering and freeze drying process. We label, tag and track every single step of the process from start to finish so that no milks can ever be crossed. 

How do I freeze-dry my breast milk?

Leche offers two services: Leche Premier (for travel and on the go feedings) and Everyday Leche (for at home bottle prep or adding to baby’s first foods). We include everything you need to get started with the freeze drying process in each kit. 

Whether you need to preserve a larger stash (we’ve had mamas send over 3,000 ounces at a time!) or want to have more flexibility with spontaneous feedings, we have options for you. You can even bundle up for savings. 

At Leche, we understand that being a mom is hard work. That’s why we provide a safe and reliable way to store your breast milk and why we take every step possible to ensure that your milk is safe, secure, and healthy for your little one. 

We’ve given hundreds of moms and parents more peace of mind and flexibility, whether they were worried about a power outage and their stash spoiling or knowing they could have their breast milk at the ready in a travel delay. If the formula crisis taught us one thing, it’s that we need more options when it comes to feeding our babies. Not only are we modernizing breast milk, we’re liberating parents from the tough and limited choices they have in our current infant feeding system, offering more flexibility for sustained nutrition for years to come.

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