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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

How far dilated did you get with just a TENS?

137 replies

BoysBoysBoysAndMe · 28/10/2012 20:34

Got one for ds3.

Not used one before.

Just curious how effective women have found them?

How dilated were you on getting to hospital when you've used one at home?

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ShoeJunkie · 28/10/2012 20:36

I used my TENS until I got to the birth centre - I was 6cm according to the midwife who examined me. Took it off once I got there as I was getting into the pool. I'd highly recommend it.

BumgrapesofWrath · 28/10/2012 20:39

Got to 8cm. To be honest it would have been effective throughtout I think, but had to start the g and a at 8cm as I had the urge to push and it was to stop me. When I finally took the TENS off, after giving birth, my back was completely numb.

PS was induced so didn't have to go to hospital in labour

lovethesun1 · 28/10/2012 20:41

I used mine until hosp,took it off when it started to get in the way of all the monitoring stuff. I was 7cm. I was really worried about peaking too soon & so didn't use it to it's full potential. Won't be making that mistake this time around :)

kefybaby · 28/10/2012 20:43

I was 7cm when examined upon arrival. Made the mistake to take it off to get to the pool at 8-9cm. I found coping far more difficult and wished I had used it all the way.

Snusmumriken · 28/10/2012 20:47

I used mine until I gave birth. I did not have any other pain relief. I ripped it off a few seconds before DS head came out.

user12785 · 28/10/2012 20:47

No idea, as I didn't have any internal examinations, but I used it from 4am to getting in the pool at 2pm. I only had that and then the pool, nothing else. Oh and btw, I hired mine from Tescos pharmacy, went 2 weeks overdue and they didn't charge any extra!

out2lunch · 28/10/2012 20:48

used it till fully dilated - i didn't feel a real benefit tbh

Ellefabulosa · 28/10/2012 20:48

3 with first, 10 with second. Didn't get it on with second until about 8cm (I'm guessing). I just made it to hospital in time to deliver. I don't know if it does anything but feels like its doing a little bit and its good to have a button to press whenever you're in bad pain.

PickleSarnie · 28/10/2012 22:08

Right until the end. Was only pain relief I had. Loved it. Can see why some people dont like them but I found the weird feeling a welcome distraction to the really bloody sore feelng of contractions.

SirBoobAlot · 28/10/2012 22:11

9cm. Took it off then. Was the only pain relief I used in the end (palava with an epidural that didn't have time to even be hooked up) and I would recommend it to anyone.

issimma · 28/10/2012 22:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

iloveholidays · 28/10/2012 22:15

All the way to 10cm, didn't have anything else but as others have said was trying to pace myself and luckily went from 6 to 10 very quickly. I'm not convinced it helps with the pain but fab distraction.

Probably the funniest part of the whole thing was DP taking it off after I'd given birth and we hadn't turned it off... Gave him the shock is his life... Hilarious!! :)

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 28/10/2012 22:16

Not very far at all - I couldn't stand the way it made the muscles in my back twitch, and having it turned low enough so they didn't meant it did nothing at all. I was most disappointed given I'd spent bloody ages hunting down a Boots that had one I could hire.

lottiegarbanzo · 28/10/2012 22:22

To fully dilated. Not by choice, I wanted to go to hospital a couple of hours earlier but they were being very particular about how frequent the contractions needed to be (and I went along with it, instead of saying 'actually, I am coming in now' at the point that I knew I wanted to be getting settled in with the gas and air and perhaps the pool).

Anyway, it was ok and once there I had G+A too (lovely, once it kicked in, luckily, as too late for anything else) and dd appeared 2.5 hours later (could easily have been sooner).

You don't know how effective it is unless you stop using it part way through but my feeling was it was very useful and did dull pain.

SHRIIIEEEKPoolingBearBlood · 28/10/2012 22:24

over 9, then started the G&A. That said I got all the way to 10 for my next one without TENS, so difficult to know. Every birth different I suppose. I did think it helped with the first one

flossy101 · 28/10/2012 22:25

I got to 6 cm with tens and found it really helped.

ReallyTired · 28/10/2012 22:26

I gave birth with nothing but TENS with dd. (homebirth second baby)

With ds (first delivery) I took it off at 6cm dialated because the stupid consultant told me to. I found that I was in absolute agony and needed an epidural. Once you take tens off you can't put it back on. You need to have it on continously from the first twinge of labour.

SHRIIIEEEKPoolingBearBlood · 28/10/2012 22:26

ilove, we did that too after I assured himit was off :o Just shows how strong the contractions are I suppose that ou can't feel it any more :o

Wolfiefan · 28/10/2012 22:28

I got to 5-6 first time round. (DS arrived a couple of hours later.) I took it off to get in the pool.
DD had it on throughout. Had a few whiffs of gas and air but she was born too rapidly to need anything else.
I like the feeling of having something I could do when each contraction came. I found it vv useful.

messykitchen · 28/10/2012 22:30

6-7cm then started on gas and air and it was annoying me so took it off. Then got to 10cm in about 40 mins.

Jellykat · 28/10/2012 22:30

All the way with both labours and was all i had, but didn't use it until the last few cms (DS1 took 38 hours).
As others have said i'm not sure it 'helped' massively with the pain, but it definitely gave me something else to concentrate on which was great.

messykitchen · 28/10/2012 22:33

They are most effective if you get it on as soon as you have first contraction. If you leave it til later I don't think it will work as well (so I was told by midwife)

designerbaby · 28/10/2012 22:34

I had one with DD2... Didn;t think it was doing much, had gotten to 5cms...

Then I took it off to get in the pool, had a couple f comtractions without it, before I got in, and they, oh boy, did I ever realise what it WAS doing.

Water was better though. Really amazing. To the point that I thought my labour was stalled and I wasn't progressing because it didn't hurt enough. Thought that right up until DD2 crowned....

I was dead sceptical about TENS, water and all that stuff being able to actually help in any way, turns out it does, though...

db
xx

aufaniae · 28/10/2012 22:45

I can't say if it really helped or not.

I was induced and asked for an epidural but it didn't work (5 times!).

I took a lot of gas and air, and was really high from that.

I can't really remember if the tens machine worked or not! The gas and air was more effective. (But not nearly effective enough).

aufaniae · 28/10/2012 22:46

I think I thought it did at the time. It probably did help. But not massively.

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