How far dilated did you get with just a TENS?

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

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?

I got to 8cm with Tens.

7cm with DD1, then 10cm with DD2.

I cranked it up quite quickly both times and I do think the distraction of fiddling with it was beneficial.

I got to ten cm with the tens machine. My best purchase to date.

Oh, you will know on the day which level feels right. Just keeping working your way up the levels as you need to. Good luck.

From beginning to end. I had it on full from a couple of hours into labour, so no fiddling about during, was too carried away by the pain that I didn't notice the TENS but they wouldn't give me an epidural Turns out I was 9 cm when they finally let me come in, constant contractions, then no baby for 8 hours... The minute dd arrived I yanked it off - it felt like agony/needles stabbing in my back!

I found it great in the early stages of labour. I only used it to about 3cm dilated as baby stoped moving so ended up going to hospitall to be monitored. DS has never stopped moving since!

Until transition with DC2 and DC3. With DC2 that meant until arriving at hospital at nearly 10cm; with DC3 arrived at apparentky 2cm but she was born within half an hour so I count it as transition . Start off on the lowest setting and gradually increase as contractions become more intense - IME once I got to maximum on TENS it was time to go in and get some gas and air for the last bit.

I gave birth 10 days ago. I slapped my TENS machine on at the first sign of labour and kept it on until the actual delivery. I only ever had it on a low setting throughout, which felt like a small rabbit kicking me quickly in the back, and I found the higher settings too powerful and thumpy. My machine had a 'boost' button for the contractions which was brilliant, and DH could push it for me when it got to the later contractions and I was tired. I was a bit sceptical so turned off my machine quickly after 7 hours of labour - and swore like a sailor. It was turned back on again bloody quickly! This was my only pain relief as there's no gas and air in South Korea, and I'm now a total convert. Good luck xxx

Used one through the night from about 10pm to 5am, then at hospital until I got into a bath...and forgot to take it off. I didn't like the feeling AT ALL, it was like insects digging into my back BUT it was a good distraction, and got me to 4cm. Sitting in the bath was the best - if I ever do it again, I'll try for a water birth.

(I should point out that I also had G&A which had zero effect on pain for me, pethidine = ditto. The only thing that worked was an epidural, which I had when fully dilated, and was too tired to cope any more. I'm not sure what that all says about my pain threshold - but at least you have some context!)

I loved my TENS. Used it and nothing else for all three of mine. With the first it was great, I don't know what I would have done without it; I think I had it up quite high but it's easy to play around with until it's at the level that you want. DD1 was born within 30 mins of getting to hospital so must have been quite effective! With my second and third it wasn't quite so distracting - maybe it had lost that novelty value - but still would highly recommend it.

Induced labour with DS1, used it for quite a few hours before having to take it off due to monitoring.

Found it really helped in the earlier stages, a good distraction from the pain of contractions. Would have liked to have used it for longer.

I loved the boost function.

With DC1 I used it until I had an epidural (I was being induced with syntocin and needed all the help I could get), so about 4 or 5cm.

With DC2 it was the only pain relief I had.

From the beginning until about 4cm with DS1. Took it off to have an epidural.

From almost the beginning until I gave birth with DS2. I put it on after finding that water was no good. It almost convinced me that I wasn't in labour because water is supposed to help and I wondered if the reason it didn't work was because I wasn't in labour so it wasn't for me and the TENS was better.

The TENS definitely helped but I am not sure on what level. It might have cut the pain but I didn't turn it off to find out. Alternatively, it might have been a good distraction - something to think about when going through a contraction. The boost button was also great for pressing like mad when the contraction was at its worse. Better than gripping DH's hand - the poor man would have a mangled hand if he was in the room which he wasn't much of the time. I turned it up when I no longer registered the fact that I had it on and was surprised how high it was by the end. I couldn't have stood it that high from the start which perhaps says something about the effect it was having.

I had a mama tens machine which I'm going to get again this time round. Had it on for 3 days non-stop (except for showers obv :) ). Got to 9.5cm and then no time to take it off before having my baby. Can't imagine what it would have been like without it to be honest.

Ps boysboys you just go with what's comfy at the time, when you try a higher number and don't like it you go back to a lower one. I didn't have mine on any of the higher settings as I found the lower ones to be strong enough for me.

I gave birth using mine! Absolutely fantastic. Put it on early (first twinge) and turn up gradually as contractions get more intense. Stay active and walk around - anything but on your back. Gives you a funny feeling in your back so distracts you from contraction. I also listened to music through headphones really loud. I found that I had a contraction each song, and that once it was over I could enjoy the rest of the song. Really helped while away the time. I also visualised waves and a nice calm sea inbetween the contractions. Really helped too.

Good luck

PS - don't wear it in the bath or shower!!

I didn't have one for my first, thinking it a bit of hocus potus really. But I decided to try it out for number 2. I'm a bit of a scientist, so when I was trying it out at home to get used to it, I saw that I could stand the "tingle" up to about number 8. I then distracted myself during proper labour by comparing my experiences before and then during labour. I was quite intrigued and amused to find that my TENS went up to 30 on each stage! It certainly made a difference and between that and a bit of gas and air, I gave birth with its help.

I swore by mine for DD and swore at it for DS - ending up throwing it across the floor as the sensors kept coming off and giving me electric shocks where I should be getting them!

Think it totally depends on your birth experience - I think it worked well with my DS as I was in much less of a panic

All the way with DS. I had G&A as well but not much as I kept wandering around and then it made my asthma bad.
I loved it but when I tried it with DD it didnt work as good due to being induced, monitored and stuck on a bed

I put it on at home where it helped a bit, was only 2 cm when I got to hospital. It didn't seem to help much after that, but that might have been because I couldn't remember how to turn it up to the next level! (I had pethidine as well but that did nothing for the pain and just made me sick.) Anyway, I had the TENS on until the mw said I had to take it off so they could give me an epidural to stop me pushing because it was too soon. Once the epidural was in she examined me and found I was fully dilated (less than two hours after coming in!). So I kind of got from 2 to 10 very quickly on TENS, but like I said it wasn't doing much.

Only about 3cm (and then had to have crash c-section) but it was absolutely brilliant for pain relief. Was so unbothered by pain (and I was being induced so I think that's supposed to be extra painful?) that I was playing cards with dh when crisis happened.

I would thoroughly recommend TENS.

I had mine on the lowest setting for ages. I got up to the third level of the first setting (I can't remember what the levels etc are all called). I turned it off when I started pushing because it was distracting me. I also had G&A from 7-10cm.
The TENS was really helpful. I'm not sure if it was a pain relief as such but it was maybe a distraction or something to focus on during contractions. I've ordered one for this pregnancy too as I found it so helpful.

I used one this weekend for birth of DC1! It was awesome for the pains I was having due to prostin gel. But when my waters broke I suddenly got very very very bad contractions very close together. Then it did fuck all and I was screaming for an epidural.

I think maybe it's because my labour was so fast (went from 1cm dilated to delivery in about 3 hours). But for early pain/labour it really zapped the worst out of the contractions. Would totally use one again if I ever overcome the trauma of the past week and have sex again

Clicked on this as I saw TENS, didn't realise it was a use in Labour one.

I use one to manage chronic back pain, was told by pain management clinic that for some people the nerves need to be 'trained' and you need to use it a few times. Don't know if that helps

Used until fully dilated with DS1 and 8cms with DS2. Found it very helpful and would highly recommend it. Had to have epidural (planned) with DS2 as had major back problem during pregnancy and consultant recommended this as TENS wouldn't provide me with enough pain relief in latter stages which I was happy to agree to. As it happens, the epidural failed and owing to sudden drop in DS2's heart rate I had to push him out quickly without pain relief (gas & air makes me v sick).