TENS machine

[Ginger]

hello, i've just hired a TENS machine to help with pain relief for this labour, on the advice of my OB.
has anyone used a TENS machine and can tell me a bit about it?
any success stories would be great
tia

[Junglemum]

i used one Rainy and i found it great. Although, as you know, my cicumstances didnt allow for me to use it all the way through labour, it did how ever get me to 5cm with minimal discomfort. Certainly doesn't take the pain away but is a great distraction. No harm in having one, f it doesn't work for you then you can turf it. You can hire them from a place in cheltenham that i know..... let me know if you want the details.
Down side is that you can't bath or shower with it on.

[jackrose]

In my life pre-baby I worked in health and often used them on patients for pain relief with great success, I even lent mine to a client who's wife was due to have a baby and he brought it back with a great success story saying that it had been fantastic for his wife. It was a no-brainer therefore for me to use one.

I found it was really helpful in my extended labour - (30 hours in hospital not counting the labouring at home before hand!) I started with it at home and used it all the time except when I used the shower for pain relief.

I did find that the midwives were a bit unsupportive in my case - they pretty much suggested that it was a placebo - but I didn't care and I don't think that my experience is indicative of normal attitude of midwives.

They basically work on the principal of pain gating which is an effective and natural pain management approach. The most important thing is to get it on in early labour at a low level and amp it up as necessary. If you miss the early window, the pain relief is said to be less effective.

I think it is a great opportunity to arm yourself with a safe, easy and effective pain relief technique to help hold off the need for more invasive pain management and possibly interventions as labour progresses.
Good luck!

Edit: I should add that I made it to the 35 hour mark in my labour with only the Tens for pain relief then resorted to the gas...

[Ginger]

thank you so much ladies!

falguni- i'm getting one posted out from brighton- maybe it's the same place you're thinking of?

jackrose- thanks for your very positive reply, that's great that you made it to 35hrs. i am really hoping to just use the tens and gas this time, depending on the circumstances.

[Mumma2three]

I used one but my labour was very very short, so I would say it's better for longer labours. Saying that, it certainly kept me occupied on the trip to hospital.. also it's very cheap to hire, so I'd say go for it and it doesn't matter if it's not your cup of tea. Also I hired it about a month earlier to test it and get used to it and learn how to use it. Well worth doing. xo

[~Raven~]

I've used one all 4 times and found it to be a help!

[Gabi]

I used one for my labour. I don't have anything to compare it to, so I'm not sure if it would have been better or worse had I not used it. BUT I can say that although I was induced, I didn't have an epidural (which was something I really wanted to avoid) and perhaps the tens machine helped with that. I took mine off when I wanted to go in the shower (the bath was out for me because they broke my waters at the start of my labour), and I found it better to be labouring with the machine than with the water.

The physio who ran our birth classes said that you need to start using the machine right from the start of labour because the pain can build. So, unlike pain killers, you don't want to wait until the labour gets really intense before you opt for them. You press a button every time you feel the contraction coming and you'll feel a buzzing on your back. It has adjustable settings, so you put it up as high as you need it and increase it as the intensity of your contractions increases. Actually, I'm not sure how high/low you're meant to have it in general though and I remember feeling unsure about that during my labour.

Good luck Rainforest! Good on you for looking out for something new to help during labour

[Ginger]

thanks ladies-
one more question- can i use the tens at the same time as the gas, or will it get too confusing! iykwim? with all these things to press/suck etc.

[Junglemum]

I'd say you're talented enough to do both! My guess though, is that if you are wanting gas, you may have lost inteerest in the TENS...... dunno, just guessing!

[jackrose]

thanks ladies-
one more question- can i use the tens at the same time as the gas, or will it get too confusing! iykwim? with all these things to press/suck etc.

You should be fine with both, but I used a TENS which was automatic so didn't have to do anything with it during contractions. It was on all the time at the same rate and I could turn a dial to turn it up rather than press a button at each contraction (It was a sports med one rather than a maternity one - same basic unit.)

I ended up using the gas and my TENS remained on during that time. It could be difficult to managed both the gas and the TENS but honestly, by that stage, you will do what you need to do and I imagine, wont be too worried about both.. exactly as Falguni said...!

[feeb]

I tryed both didnt work Lol Pressing and holding and inhaling and exhaling all to confusing Lol

Good luck