Which Tens machine did you use?

[WinterWonderland]

I need to order a Tens machine, have never done this before and am wondering if there's one brand people think is best. Boots seems to be the most common one but a friend has recommended Mothercare too...

It's worth asking your maternity unit if they hire them out. I'm hiring mine from the MLU at £15 for a proper hospital grade one for as long as I need it - that's half the price of Tesco, which was the cheapest I could find on the internet. I pick mine up at my 38 week appointment on Saturday

I rented mine from Boots both times.

Very convenient and I found it vey useful (only had gas and air extra with ds1, nothing extra with ds2)

Iwish do you know what the difference is between the MamaTens and the normal Boots one - they seem to offer two?

The mamaTens one wasn't available when I used them - they only offered the Boots one.

I've just looked and the basic MamaTens one has exactly the same functions as the Boots ones, so maybe they're just replacing their older ones with these?

I have used both Mothercare and Boots in the past. Hard to judge if one was better than the other as the labours each time were just so different.

I had an Elle Tens machine, the purple one. I used it for 51 hours continuously without needing to change batteries (mild contractions every 10 mins for the first 45 hours). So, for battery life, that was good. HOWEVER, the pads came apart and had to be taped back together in order to work, so whenever I leaned back or shifted I'd get a different intensity of stimulation. So, whatever you get, I'd say get an extra set of spare pads.

I was wondering about this too - they're all very similar prices and terms... Mama Tens is available at both Tesco and Boots (but at Tesco you actually have to go in and place order at Pharmacy counter...)

I'm interested in this too, if there's anyone experienced out there who could contribute? There are so many on the market, it's hards to make a choice...

I used the Elle Tens machine too and found it to be excellent. It was strong enough to help me cope with contractions in the later stages of labour. I'm planning to use it again this time round. We bought ours on e-bay. It had never been used - have a look, there are usually lots of people selling them on there.

Sorry to bump but in case you were still considering: my friend who was a MW said that she used the Lloyds Pharmacy one as they cost only slightly more than renting one. She used it and swore by it.

If you get a good discount, rent one. But if like me you are hoping that it isn't going to be your last, perhaps gets one off eBay or check in Lloyds as well - I got mine a few weeks back with 20% off so £2 more than a rental one.