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Anyone kept a TENS machine on throughout labour?

9 replies

u32ng · 05/10/2015 10:22

I hired one last time around and it was quite good in the week leading up to labour, for back ache and in the very early labour.

However when I was in actual labour I ended up taking it off at about 4/5cms to go into the birthing pool and it never went back on afterwards as I was in too much pain to remember about it.

I'm in two minds about whether to bother hiring one again unless I think it would be of benefit in actual full on labour. I never got to ratchet up the intensity of it last time before it came off so maybe it would be beneficial? Or would it just be no match for labour pains?

Interested to know if anyone managed to keep one on the whole time and if you felt it helped with the pains?

OP posts:

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Jeffreythegiraffe · 05/10/2015 10:33

I did yes, the whole time. It did help, especially at the earlier stage. By the end I had it on full whack and on boost and I didn't notice! I would use it again. I hired it through kiddicare for £15.

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Shetland · 05/10/2015 10:42

I did. I was in a MLU and they provided it. I found in helpful, especially in the early stages.

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TurquoiseCat · 05/10/2015 11:11

Yep I did. Useful for early stages, but late stages overshadowed the effect somewhat!

In fact, about an hour after giving birth, I wondered my my back was itching. Was actually the tens machine on full whack with boost!

Actually bought ours online - wasn't much more than the rental price.

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AmberLav · 05/10/2015 13:19

Second time round I wore it up to about 2 minutes before DD arrived, as I got into the pool, and her head popped out on the next contraction.

I am a huge fan of TENS, I upped the intensity as labour went on, and it always took the edge of, even on the 5 minute walk across the 20m car park as my contractions were coming so fast and I kept having to stop.

First time round I took it off earlier, as I got into (then out of) the pool earlier on, but I had had it on for about 38 hours by then on-off, so the pads had lost a lot of their stick (I would recommend buying a spare pair of pads just in case you have a very long labour!)

I also bought mine, and as I am pg with No 3 now, I feel I have had good value for money...

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Scattymum101 · 05/10/2015 20:11

I did with first labour as they wouldn't admit me or give me gas and air til I was over 4cm and she was back to back so took ages. Ended up by the time I got gas and air I was about 8cm so all I had was the tens.

The second time I had a home birth and ended up using the tens til I was ready to push as the midwives didn't arrive til 20 mins before baby was born and we only got the pool filled just in time.

I'd say get one as its better to have it just in case than not have one and wish you had.

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Twowrongsdontmakearight · 05/10/2015 20:18

I used tens for both of my births. I can't remember it coming of when I went into the birthing pool first time round (!) but it was my only pain relief 2nd time around. I only had G and A when I was being stitched up.

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TinklyLittleLaugh · 05/10/2015 20:21

Yep I had one for all four of my births and never needed any other form of pain relief.

So I am either well hard or, as I suspect, a tens is really, really good.

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MissTwister · 05/10/2015 20:39

Yes this and gas and air got me through!

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u32ng · 09/10/2015 07:12

Thanks! I think I will hire one again then especially as I don't plan on using the pool this time (certainly not until later stages maybe) as I think it slowed my labour last time.