Advice on buying a TENS - looking for a good model

[meimango]

Hoping for some advice on buying a TENS. I'm now 30 weeks and expecting baby number 1 - and in an ideal world plan on having a few more; so buying a tens machine makes more sense than hiring one. There seem to be so many different brands on the market and at such a wide range of prices. I want to invest in a model that will be useful up to 5cm dil and want to avoid buying a machine that offers very limited pain relief. What are your experiences with the models you have hired and purchased? Thanks!

Ask at your delivery suite if possible as I was told the ones available on the high street aren't a patch on the Hospital ones. (as I struggled along with my Boots rental one!).

It did keep me distracted but by the time I was 3cm it was not helping and I was so pissed off with it I refused the Hospital one in a huff . I wish I had taken it now but there you go!

I bought mine from Bump2three. It was expensive but more than worth it and I sold it on after and got a few quid back.

I rented this one and it was fantastic and saw me through to transition (when I got in a pool). It was easy (for DH) to apply and easy to use.

Retrospectively I wish I'd bought one - like you we're hoping to have at least one more, and I now think it would help me with period pain as well.

the one I used was mamatens

got it from boots the first time and tesco the second time

loved it!

i liked the boost function and the fact that it was small and light so could go in dressing gown pocket or round my neck

i don't think there's any guarentee that it'll do you to 5cm dil, but i had it on for the duration with dd and until at least 7cm with ds.

Thanks Callme, Nab, Tangle and Tass! Will follow up your suggestions and have a look at the products and talk to midwives at the birth centre too. x

I hired Elle TENS recommended by NCT. The one with the boost. Initially sceptical but it got me to 9cm when I got in the pool, so I am a convert. Wish I hadn't sent it back so soon as it would have been nice on my back during early days of breast feeding.

If you have a friendly physio/osteo/chiro you could ask them too.

hi Meimango, I've got leaflets and a unit to display from MamaTENS but I haven't had any clients use one yet. Last client ended up scared into a elCS

Anyway, their prices seem reasonable and you can choose to hire or buy. If you do decide on one of their units you might like to quote this code: JC646

Good luck with your decision. I wouldn't labour without a TENS! Used one for both my labours and believe it got me through a long part of labour. My cmw had some which they lent out or I would have bought one.....

The trick is to turn the dial till you barely feel a tingling sensation. Any stronger and it's too high and will annoy you! As labour continues you will become aware that you can't feel the tingle, so you just turn it up a smidge until you can. The boost button is a God send in later stages!

You will need a birth partner to put it on you.

Thanks Blue and GuyKLAW. That's two for Elle TENS. If all goes to plan, i'm hoping to use a birth pool also - so glad to hear Tens and pool go together so well. Thanks for the MamaTENS link and tips on use GuyKLAW. DH is finally going to have to do some reading of instruction manuals!

Another vote for the Elle TENS - I found it really useful up to a point, then I pulled it off when I couldn't feel it, not realising that it was on boost continuously! Really good for initial pains though, and def worth investing in.

I rented one and was very glad I did too- I laboured so fast, I never had a chance to get it out of the box -

You don't use TENS and pool at the same time though! Might be stating the obvious but wanted to make sure!

Once your TENS arrives, do a practice run with dh so that you feel confident about getting it placed when labour does actually start.

What I liked about the MamaTENS is that it comes with a neck cord too. Sounds handy cos when I was labouring the one I had didn't and it meant someone (ie me) having to hold the unit and the boost button, which got complicated when i also started the G&A, and wanted to change positions.....

Good luck with getting dh to read the destructions, my dp rarely does (cos he knows everything of course! )

Not knocking the MamaTENS at all (never seen it or used it), but the ElleTENS I rented had a neck cord as well - and it was very useful.

Other thing worth doing is having spare batteries around - had a friend that did so many practice runs the batteries went flat when she was in labour!

That's good to know Tangle, helps when trying to give people options

I bought this and my neighbour borrowed it too. We both found it really easy to use and it definitely helps with the pain. I think you can hire these from LLoyds pharmacies (and various places on the net). Good luck.

Many thanks to y'all! Finally got my TENS just need to get a carseat and pack bags and starting mat leave tomorrow! x