TENS Machines

[BumpNGrind]

Hi, I'm looking for advice and guidance on TENS machines please. More specifically if anyone has recommendations on one's that do actually make a difference, and whether you recommend renting or buying please?

Thanks

I will give a vote for TENS. I had one in labour with DD and will get one again with this one. I wouldn't buy one though, I hired one for about 20 quid or so and they gave me 7 weeks on the rental which more than covered that period. It was good for the first stage when you're labouring at home. I wouldn't say it necessarily takes the pain away, it just distracts you from it. So as soon as you start having contractions you pop it on and when you have a contraction you press the boost button. It didn't help a whole lot later on when things became more progressed but it definitely did in the early stages which for me was many hours in the latent stage.

I agree it helps at the beginning of labour.

I was provided with one in hospital, but that was 10 years ago now.

Thank you, I think I would like to get one. I don't know where to go though, there seems to be a different brand in each place. Does it matter which brand you use? LittlePink where did you hire your tens machine from?

I've ordered mine from tensmachines.co.uk, it's also 7 weeks for around £20 so cheaper than boots. The midwives at ante natal classes as well as a few friends recommended them so we'll see how we get on!

Found it total rubbish. But then nothing touched the pain except the epidural I finally got after 10 hrs. This time I'm going to try again to go without pain relief so would give it a go again if I had one for free but otherwise couldn't be bothered with it.

I hired a Mama tens from the hospital, it was £20 which was refunded minus £4 for the pads which are disposable.

Must admit it was useless, very irritating in fact, it's like a buzzing electric shock and I found it more painful than the contractions in the early stages, I remember bouncing on a ball at 1am when I was around 4cm and in a huge amount of pain when I accidentally pressed the boost button and nearly fell off the ball.

I ripped it off in a temper zapping my fingertips in the process and burst into tears!

Good for the earlier stages of labour. I used it up till about 7cm then went to gas and air/pool. It's nice having something to "do" when a contraction comes (same for gas and air).

I rented mine from ebay for about 20 quid, they send it out at 37 weeks and you return it after.

Don't think it matters which brand but make sure it is one specifically for labour with a "boost" button (cause they have TENS machines for back pain etc as well). I think the brands are all the same.

I liked having the TENS for the early stages and hired one from Boots last time. I had a long labour and I think I used it until I was about 6cm (about 8 hours maybe) before I needed something stronger. Took the edge off.

Luckily I have a friend who bought one and has passed it down to me for this time. I think they are all much of a muchness, you either get one with them or you don't.

I loved mine. Used it up until baby unexpectedly crowned, but it was my second labour and I did need gas and air after about six cm. I had an Elle tens as there's not much point without the boost button IMO. You really need to get it on straight away once you're in labour too.

I thought it was brilliant. Get one with the pulse mode. The pulse is good between contractions and then the steady/boost mode for the contractions. You need to start using it early enough though and keep upping the strength as the contractions become stronger. Gas and air is also good.

Mixed reviews here but I still really want to try it if I can. Thefuture, which one did you use?

I don't think the brand matters, you just need to make sure you get one with a boost button - some of the normal/non-pregnancy ones don't have this function but you need it for when you're actually having a contraction.

I had one and found it useful for early on before I could get into a pool. I bought mine rather than hiring it because it only cost slightly more than hiring and I figured I could then get most of my money back by selling it on when I no longer need it (if you look on ebay you will see that second-hand ones sell for not much less than brand new ones so you'll not lose much and I think they're fine to re-use as long as you get new pads).

At the end of the day they are good for some people and not for others - I would rather have one and find it crap so take it off than not have one and wish in those early stages that I had the option of trying it.

I utterly loved mine. I hired an Elles Tens. But, as others have said, just make sure you get one with a boost button. It gives you something to distract yourself during contractions. In fact, I think that's how it works - distraction. It's a really annoying feeling. I can totally see why some people hate them but I found the annoying feeling distracted me from the pain of contractions. Used nothing but TENS to squeeze my mahoosive headed child out. I loved it. Utterly loved it.

I loved mine. I had a very long (5 days) latent phase where I was contracting irregularly but painfully and the TENS with boost button got me through it. I tried a bath to see if it eased the pain but it was so much worse without the TENS so I got out and got back on the TENS. It was an absolute godsend for me.