Forum : Pregnancy

Natures Gate was who was I used. Very good machine and service. http://www.naturesgate-uk.com/

i hired mine from boots - never had any problems with it. you can also hire them from tesco. definitely make sure you get is on as soon as you feel the first twinges of labour so that it can build up. i used them with both of my labours and i found it to be very effective (only in my first labour though. my second labour was too quick for tens to have any effect!)

Thanks for that advice. Any other other recommendations please as I would like to compare a few options from people who have tried it.

sorry to impose .. should i be thinking about tens machines for labour ? ive never heard of them im 17+4 so maybe its a little early for me to be thinking about them ... any help girls ? .... yes im a first time mum lol xx

hi bambams. you cant hire a tens machine until you are 36 weeks pregnant.
it is up to you whether you want to use one but i'd recommend it for early labour. it works by blocking the pain signals but you need to put it on as soon as you feel the first twinges of labour as they take time to build up your body's own endorphines. they really only work until you are 3-4 cms dilated but that is usually enough and by then you are in hospital and able to have something stronger.
i found mine was very effective in my first labour and i ended up getting to fully dilated with no pain relief other than the tens machine at home! i have no idea how i managed it and was a tad surprised when i got to hospital to find i was already able to start pushing!
it didnt work in my second labour because it was so quick but pressing those buttons was a distraction for a short while!

shoudl have added - as you've said you've never heard of them. you stick four electrodes on your back (2 low down (usually just above your bottom) and 2 just where you bra goes). they then send an electrical pulse which you control on a control pad - it controls the strength and the type of pulse - so either a pulsating one or a continuous one. it gives a kind of tingling feeling which helps to block the pain signals. the only problem with them is that you cant go into the shower/bath with it on given electric and water dont mix but because once you put a tens machine on you need to leave it on to allow the endorphines to build, then taking it on and off to allow you to stand the shower/bath to help relief the pain makes tens less effective
if you do hire one make sure you get loads of batteries - i was in labour with my first baby for 3 days and we went through loads of batteries!

I feel like i have my head in the clouds with this baby stuff you should be a mw Livi's mum !!! Thanks for that really apreciate it

I second everything that Livi's Mummy said except I got to 8cm on it. I cannot tell you anything about hiring as I borrowed from my sister but it was a bought machine from Naturesgate and worked well. She has used it twice and I have used it once. I had no problems with batteries but she did put new ones in for me. I just had to call them and order new pads for a few quid. My little lady was very alert when born and the mw said that was common with Tens use.

hey
i cant comment on tens machines iv never usedone but iv only heard good things. i just wanted to add something that alot ofppl arent aware of, wasnt made aware of this until my second pregnancy. if uv ever had a miscarriage or a termination its advised that you dont use a tens machine. im not sure why.
no one told me this and i wanted to hire one for my first pregnancy. i didnt hire one because ur not sposed to use it if u have SPD either.
just in case, i just wanted to tell you this is what i was told by my obgyn. look it up or ask ur mw. other than that ivheard only good things.

@sweetiemummy I asked my mw today about that and she said she had never heard that before and said she could not see why it would be a problem. I am going to call into town in a mo and will pop into Boots to get a machine as going past and getting into the last 6 weeks so don't want to be caught out or have to go into town next to christmas.