It can be challenging trying to find the best breast pump when there are so many available to buy on the market.
Offering both the practicality of an electric breast pump and the flexibility and discretion of a manual pump, the MAM 2-in-1 Double Pump allows mums to individually adjust the expression settings for each breast. With different modes for left or right-only pumping; dual expression; and alternating pumping, switching between left and right in 30-second cycles. There are 9 different suction strengths to choose from, in both stimulation and expression phases. It features a key-lock, alarm, and timer. The pump converts to a manual in two simple steps and is compatible with MAM's Easy-Start bottles and milk storage pots.
How did this product make your life easier?
Bethan: I really love the fact I can change the suction strength on each breast, this is a game changer for me. I can express quickly, easily (and comfortably!). This helps me as a breastfeeding mum as it means I can have a morning out with my eldest child and leave the baby with dad and a bottle. The elephant design on the bottle is lovely and means my toddler takes an interest in feeding baby. The pump can be cleaned and sterilised quickly too.
Jennifer: I have been exclusively pumping for 5 months and been using a hospital-grade pump that I hired. This is portable and I have found that it is efficient at getting the milk off in a quick time. The fact that there is a manual action also means that I can fully empty each breast. It is portable and fits easily in a bag for when out and about. It is also very easy to clean and I do love the fact that the bottles are self-sterilising as this has also made being a busy mum a little easier.
Helen: It makes life so much easier by being both an electric breast pump and a manual pump, it also charges so no need to sit in one place to pump you can carry it about the house and garden, even pump in the car, on the bus or on a train, would be a god send for working mums on the go, wanting to breastfeed and work.
Would you recommend this to other parents?
Jemma: This pump is a fantastic product for us mums who choose to either exclusively breastfeed or combination feed. I combination-fed both my daughters and this product definitely helped me to breastfeed for longer before moving exclusively to formula. I would absolutely recommend to anyone who wishes to express. It includes both electric and manual breast pumps, giving you complete flexibility in how you choose to pump. I haven't used the manual pump as I find the electric one is so much quicker and easier to use. It is a big purchase but definitely worth every penny and I would thoroughly recommend it.
Yasmine: MAM is a well-recognised brand, and I feel this company listens to new mums. The storage cups were brilliant, because I can express and then store the milk in these, freeing up the bottles to use for feeding. The pump is stylish and compact, and so can take this to work discreetly in my work bag. I love its sleek, modern design.
Alexandra: I would recommend this product to a friend and/or a fellow mum as it was easy to set up and very user-friendly. I liked that it could easily switch between a manual pump and an electric pump. It is nicely designed, fairly quiet and is far less expensive than its main competitors. it is also very comfortable for a breast pump which is a massive bonus. Having twins I would recommend anything that saves time!
Would you choose this product above all others on the market?
Yasmine: I would choose this product over others on the market because it is a double pump and so cuts down pumping time, which is important when having to express during my short break times at work. It's also a very trusted brand, and as a fan of their other products (soothers and bottles), I knew straight away I would like the pump. I also think it's great value and works just as well as hospital-grade pumps but without the hefty price tag.
Caity: Absolutely it should win. Double breast pump with the versatility to be manual. Given me a bit of freedom back as i don’t have a baby attached to my breast 24/7. The self-sterilising bottles are great, not having to mess around with sterilising fluid is a bonus. Very impressed, and MAM is such a great brand with amazing products. They really do put a lot of thought into their products.
Jennifer: I would. This is the 5th pump that I have used and it really is efficient at getting every last drop of milk. I found it was about 10 minutes faster at emptying my breasts- and the fact that I could switch to the manual version meant that I could be sure that I emptied my breasts fully. I have had no issues at all- and no further episodes of mastitis which I do think is down to this pump emptying so well.
What changes would you make to this product?
Alexandra: The product is quite chunky and there is a lot of tubing which makes it a little difficult to take out and about with you. It is also quite tricky to use with my toddler around and/or if I needed to quickly do something with my twins as I had to turn it off and remove it to dash across the room to see to someone! This is not a massive deal as it is really easy to turn on and off but a portable on would be slightly easier!
Bethan: I’m not a breast pump novice but I did struggle to get this started at first. It turns out I hadn’t inserted a tiny part (the valve membrane) correctly and that seemed to affect the suction. Even with the instructions I had to dismantle and put it together again a couple of times to get it working. This was user error of course and not MAM’s fault, but when recommending this pump I would advise a friend to take their time in setting it up correctly. Otherwise, I absolutely love this pump.
Yasmine: If I could change one thing about the pump, I probably would wish for the storage cups to fit directly on to the pump, so that I don't have to transfer the milk from the bottle to the storage cups. I very nearly spilled the milk doing this and so by cutting out this step, it would allow me to use the bottles for feeding instead.