TENS machine?

[Lemondrop99]

Wasn't going to bother, but have seen you can get them for about £20 on Amazon so now thinking why not.

Any good for the early stages of labour at home?

Does price matter? Will a cheap one be any good or a false economy?

Loved it both times! Made a huge difference for me (just had tens and g&a first time, just tens and water the second time, the tens was way better than the g&a)

As long as it's specific to childbirth would imagine it's fine. I was told you can't use the ones for back pain etc.

Oh do they sell different kinds? I didn't know that. I'll have to research this a bit more

Me too, absolutely wouldn't have been without mine. I got it from ebay for 99p! Don't forget to get several sets of pads in case you're in and out of the bath or birthing pool.

Ooh that's an idea. Might get a second hand one off eBay and just buy new pads.

Thought it was rubbish until the batteries ran out and then realised how great it was

Reading with interest, never heard of this machine before, due my first in November.

Can anyone recommend the one they used?

I used one provided by the hospital,it was great!

Done 2 whole labours with just TENS (not on purpose either time, but still!) they were vaguely annoying both times tbh, but I assume they helped with the pain (nothing to compare to!). If nothing else they provided a good distraction and a focus, and I'd definitely use one again. After I had my second baby I just kept vibrating for a while until someone helped me get the pads off! You can hire them from mothercare and suchlike if you don't want to keep it, don't know how the hire price stacks up against just buying one outright though.

I liked mine first time round and am about to buy new pads for baby due in November. I have the Mama Tens. Easy controls and a boost button. Worked well. Didn't use any other pain relief.

I hired one. Didn't think it worked at all till the pads came off. It did a lot more good than the paracetamol the hospital offered me at that stage!

I've used ElleTens and MamaTens and both were good. Much of a muchness. Make sure it has a boost button for contractions though.

I was like Random and thought it was doing nothing until I took it off to get into the bath.

I used it each time and found it very useful. I suffered from PGP so I used it pre labour which is a good way to get used to it. You can use it from 37 weeks, although I've been given permission form physio to use it now (27 weeks) for back pain.

Difference between maternity TENS and normal TENS seems to be the boost button - you'll definitely want one of those in labour!

I used one for DS2 labour. Found it to be brilliant. Boost button was fab. I had the hormone drip but managed with just TENS and bit of G&A .

Yes to the boost button!!!

Yes I loved mine during early labour. I didn't think it was doing much until I took it off and the pain increased massively! I had back to back labour and it was especially helpful for this.

I'm quite evangelical about my TENS machine. I had a mamatens that I used for both of my labours.

Since I have really long pre- labours it was absolutely the only thing that allowed me to cope (6 days on/off labour with DC1, 3 days with DC2). Amazing machine, worth every penny. For both babies I just used the TENS, pool and gas and air.

I think having the TENS meant I was still feeling quite positive and ok once I got to the business end of proceedings, which put me in a better frame of mind to deal with the serious pain of advanced labour. Pain is subjective, after all - it's a thing your brain creates to make you do something, it's not "real" in an objective sense. So if you feel less pain you have less pain, if that makes sense. And that's what the TENS does.

Mama tens is SO worth getting. I got a free one off a local facebook selling site and bought new pads off ebay for less than a fiver. Was coping well with g&a plus the tens machine for hours and my labour only got really bad when midwife took tens off me because she thought it was interfering with the fetal monitors. Im going to let them monitor babys head this time not my belly, so i can keep my tens on. I genuinely think if i had kept it on i wouldnt have resorted to diamorphine which slowed the labour down and ended with instrumental delivery, sickness after birth and sleepy baby. You can hire one or pick them up cheaply then sell it on afterwards.

I hired a mama tens and used it before going in the pool and when I had to get out and didn't have any other pain relief. I wouldn't be without it in labour

I use mine for back / hip problems and plan to use in labour (this is my first so can't comment on if it helps!) but useful for my chronic back ache. Mine is by a company called med-fit, I got this because it's what my pain clinic loan out.

I hired mine from boots. Never got to use it though as ended up with c Section

I borrowed one from my midwifery team, just had to pay a deposit which I got back when I returned the machine and £2 non refundable for the pads. Worth asking your midwife if they have a similar scheme where you are? I would definitely recommend it for early labour.

I bought my mama tens off eBay. It has 4 pads and a boost button. It got me to 8cm but then needed gas and air so can't recommend it enough! Took it off after midwife fobbed me off said to have a bath and take paracetamol but that was a mistake and realised how much it helped with the pain. Good luck

Yes get one. I had such a bad experience first time round (without), felt like a wimp not being able to cope with the pain from quite early on. Second labour I hired a tens, switched it on in the early stages and it was hugely helpful. I arrived at hospital in a bit of a state but was already fully dilated! Actually think tens made me too relaxed about it all

It must vary massively on the person. My mum said she loved hers; I hired one and just found it incredibly irritating!! Lasted about 2 hours until I ripped it off and switched to G&A which worked much better for me!