Did you bother with a TENS machine second time round?

[Pidge]

Virtually everyone I know used a TENS machine for some part of their first labour ... but second time round no-one seems to talk about it any more. Did anyone bother with hiring one other than for their first labour. And if so - did you find it useful?

I did find mine fairly useful during my 2 days of pre-labour first time round - i.e. the bit when I was having contractions every 5-10 minutes but they kept telling me I wasn't in labour yet because I wasn't 3cm. But I think I could have managed without it, and once labour proper started with full-on contractions every 2 minutes the TENS machine was utterly useless.

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to bother for my next baby - due in March.

i borrowed one from my midwife and forgot the flipping thing at home when the time came- the hospital said they had one i could borrow but i didn't bother- preferred the gas and air much much more.

SmokedSamN - yup I'll have to take it off to go in the pool. If it's like my first labour with 2 days of contractions before I even get to 3 cm dilation then a TENS would be handy, because I wouldn't get in the pool till later in labour. But I am rather hoping with a second labour to avoid the 3-day marathon, and want to get into the pool as soon as poss, if only to get my money's worth!

I think I've more or less decided not to bother with the TENS, which probably means I'll have another 2-day pre-labour during which time I'll be heard cursing that I haven't got one, or sending dp out to Boots to get one for me!