Buying a TENS machine

[crazymuseummumtobe]

I'm thinking about buying (rather than hiring) a TENS machine - is it worth it? We're a maternity specific one in Boots for £40 which has the requisite boost function. It's only £10 more than hiring one, and de this is DC1, I would hope it would be of use in the future... Does anyone have any experience of the Boots one, and was it any good? Don't want to waste £40 on meeting not very good.

Thanks.

I've hired one from a website called baby tens for less than 20 quid. It seems better than buying one.

With dc1 I hired but I hindsight I wish I’d bought as dc2 was late so by the time I’d added up the two hires plus extension and the hassle of it all I wish I’d bought. Plus it would’ve been handy for pp pains.

They work better for some than for others. When I had my daughter fifteen years ago, I didn't think mine was doing much but I definitely noticed the difference when I took it off. I kept it one until I got to the hospital where I discovered I was fully dilated, so it'd obviously been doing something! The one I used then wasn't even a maternity one but it did the trick.

This time I've hired a decent maternity one - it made no sense to hire one because I'm definitely not having more children after this one.

You don't yet know how effective it'll be for you, but I guess if it doesn't suit you it can always be sold on so you don't have a lot to lose.

Made more sense, not no sense.

The one I've hired they've given me for 6 weeks so it doesn't need to go back until the 30th January. My baby is due the 9th so even if I go to 42 weeks I wouldn't realistically need an extension on it.

Also, an epidural is effective pain relief but it can be ineffective in other ways ie reducing the urge to push resulting in assisted delivery. I'd say for 20 pounds it's worth starting on the lowest form of pain relief and working your way up if needed, that's my plan anyway.

I bought mine secondhand on Facebook marketplace.

I'm not sure about how effective it is so didn't want to spend a lot of money, thought about hiring one but on the off chance did a search on FB and got a Babycare Elle Tens for £10, the woman said she hadn't used it but I bought more pads anyway (£4.99). There were also some on eBay for much less than hiring x

We bought one, and I used it for both labours. They're bloody fantastic IME. My first labour was a drip induction and I used the TENS all the way through as the only pain relief. It was so helpful combined with breathing techniques to manage contractions.

Mine is an Elle/Ella TENS one so no advice on the boots one, sorry. They all do the same thing though (but you do need a labour specific one with larger pads and a boost button).

I've also leant my TENS machine to several pregnant friends, so it's definitely been worth the money!

Leant?! Lent!

Buy one on eBay, they are much cheaper than £40 second hand.