Did you use a tens machine?

[MillyStar]

I'm 35+5 and i really need to decide whether i'm going to buy/hire a tens machine!

All my friends are either really saying no you don't need one or at the other end of the scale saying omg i couldn't have coped without one!!

Did you use one and if you didn't did you regret it?

Yes. I borrowed mine off a friend who highly recommended it. And I would highly recommend it too- I used that alone till I got to hospital at 9cm dilated, then continued to use it alongside gas and air. Don't get me wrong it bloody hurt, but I had a great birth and a very positive experience all round, I think the ten helped, that and breathing evenly and slowly and basically not losing it!!! Good luck x

Poor husband spent ten minutes unravelling it / putting it on me and turned it on (I was probs about 7/8cm by that point) only for me to start clawing at my back and screaming 'get it off I don't like it!!'.

I think they can be more effective if you use from early labour. I went from 1 to 6cm in 3hrs and to 10cm in another 2hrs so didn't really have time. In the early part to about 6cm I wanted to be walking around - maybe should have put it on then. I will try it again next time though.

I quite liked mine - I rented for births 1 to 3. It was soothing when I was at home. But I found that once I was in hospital G & A was so fantastic that I didn't get any real benefit from the tens.

For birth no.4 I decided I'd spend the £30 rental fee on something more fun.

I loved mine and used it until I was 4cm, at which point they put me on the evil drip to get contractions going and I howled like a maniac until they gave me an epidural.

I hated mine - practically ripped it off and would have thrown it out of the window if it had been open. However, I was induced and had no breaks between contractions so that could have been why. It might have been more useful in early labour if I hadn't been induced.

I found it useful, but more as a distraction than pain relief - fiddling about with the thing kept my mind of the contractions!!

It's a marmite job, but you won't know till you've tried it! It was all I had for DS2 so was very gratefu, but it's best to get it on in early labour then ramp up the power. Also make sure you have a boost button for contractions. If you're considering more DCs, look into buying rather than hiring. Also check out ebay - I think they have quite a good re-sale value when you've finished with it.

Can you afford to buy/hire a tens machine? Would doing so put you in financial jeopardy? The way I see it - you can hear as many people as you like praising or putting down the TENS machine, that still won't help you work out whether it will be useful to you. The only way you will realise whether or not it's going to help is probably going to be through using it. If you have no financial issues with this then go for it - the worst that will happen is you find out you're one of the women it doesn't work for and you end up leaving it in the corner.

I really liked mine, I used it for my 2nd.

Because I was more in control of it I used less gas and air (for DC1 I was totally high as I overused it). It did become unstuck towards the end due to sweat but by then I didn't care.

It was also incredibly useful for after pains - with my first they (and also pains due to ligaments moving back) were so bad DH had to phone the hospital, they were worse than contractions, but after DC2 I used the tens and it helped me through them.

Well worth the hire charge IMO. Or you could buy and if you want more
DCs keep it, or maybe sell on eBay after?

It's all I had for DS (was offered G&A when pushing but had one puff and threw it at the wall as it made me feel sick). I honestly think the Tens was what kept me sane... And second whoever said to make sure there's a boost button!

With DD, for some reason, the Tens just irritated me so I took it off after 10 mins. G&A on the other hand, made me feel like I just had a couple of shots of Tequila. :D Needless to say, I didn't let go of that until DD was out...

I guess it depends on the birth?

At the antenatal class I went to, the % of people using Tens was actually very low - around 7%, I was really surprised it was so low.

Feedback seemed to be that people didn't get the benefit of them as they left it too late to start using - didn't manage to build up the shocks to the right level before serious contractions kicked in (as citymonkey says, start using it early).

I'm still undecided...just another thing to throw money at right now when we have so much else to spend money on...but as Broodzilla says, if G&A makes you feel sick, it's an alternative. It's my first birth so have no idea whether G&A or Tens are going to suit me until I get a chance to try them!

Sorry, I should say the % I quoted was number of people using Tens at my local hospital...not the number of people in the class that had used Tens!

Only about 1 person there who had even heard a positive story of someone using it and finding it useful.

Agree with much said above - TENS doesn't stand a chance against induction pain, but if your birth is ticking along normally, it's fantastic! (I've had one induced birth, one 'normal' with TENS).

Get one, practice using it and start it early, and turn it up very gradually leaving the extra burst buttons until the very end (when you'll probably have lost sense in your finger from pushing it so much!).

One tip, though - don't do what DH did, and after DS had been safely delivered but before I'd taken off the TENS he accidentally turned it on full, instead of off - giving me a huge shock. I leapt out of my skin, only just managing to keep hold of seconds old DS. I can smile about it now - just.

I tried one and it just got on my nerves - irritating buzzing sensation on my back.
Now, if you're asking about epidurals.... well that was worth it!!

Thanks ladies i think i'll go for it, i'll get my lovely old dad to pay lol

Think i'd rather just toss it to the side for that price if i hate it than regret trying one!

x

Good luck!

I hired one from boots, I hated it