Hi ladies,

Did anyone use TENS during labour to relieve pain? If so did it help you?

I am considering arranging a loan for my delivery but I don't know whether its just a gimic. I'm not aiming at a natural birth, just hoping to use gas/air tho as I don't want an epidural.

I am considering TENS as pain relief during the earlier stage of labour. This is my first baby so I really don't know what to expect.

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks x

Hiya,

I think TENS only really work if you use it as soon as you are in labour. Literally, the minute you start!!!

I didn't know this last time, and tried to use it. In hindsight, it did nothing for me - in fact I didn't even realise I had one on till I went to hospital and they went to put the band thing on my tummy to measure lo's heartbeat, and it was in the way on my back.

I stayed at home as long as possible, and when I got to hospital I was nearly 8cm dilated!!!! Lo was born 3 hours later and all I had was half a shot of pethadine, and gas and air.

And he was a whopping 9lb 5 oz!!!!

This time I won't bother with anything except gas and air. I'm not trying to be brave or anything, I just think that nothing worked for me last time.

But let's just say I'm hoping this one won't be as big!!!

It is all down to your personal choice.

Good luck,

marnie

It doesn't help everyone but it did work well for me. I got a cheap machine from ebay, for about the same as it would cost to hire one. I put it on when I first got regular contractions, they were about 10 minutes apart and I kept it on for about the next 12 hours! It's kind of hard to tell how much it is helping, but at one point I took the tens off to try and get some sleep in between contractions. And wow, the difference was huge!! I was trying for a homebirth and by the time the midwife arrived I was 7-8 cm dilated just using the tens.

Hope that helps!

Hiya

I found that TENs really helped during my labour and got me through the whole thing with no other pain relief and when i got to hospital i was 9cms
I hired one from Mothercare for £30 i think, which was for 6 weeks.

It really took the edge off my contractions and I would definately recommend getting one. Even if you just use it to ease the contractions before you go to hospital and in the car on the way there it will be worth it.

Hope this helps

I hope you have a great birth

[Modified by: Dani+Macie on October 28, 2008 04:08 PM]

To be honest i didnt find it that useful with my first. It was a fairly painful induction and i was panicking a bit too much to use it properly.

With the second we thought of forgot about it but i think it did help a bit.

With the third (the only time i went into labour naturally), it really helped. Whether the lovely buzzing ssensation just gave my mind something to focus on, or whether it actually blocked some pain, i don't know. It is a great job to give to your birthing partner too- my hubby had control of the boost button and was grateful for something to do.

It definitely helped having something on the trip to hospital-made me feel more in control.
I have just ordered mine for this time around.

I agree about giving your birth partner something useful to do. Start using it as soon as contractions start. When we got to the hospital and i was in no fit state to be messing around with buttons, my husband pressed the buttons for me and turned it up occasionally. i bought one for about £30 (be careful to buy one that says suitable for use during labour as they arnt all suitable). I will definatly use it again next time (hopefully there will be a next time). i found it useful as something to focus on during contractions. Put it this way - its not going to do any harm, your not putting any chemicals into you or the baby and it is something to take you and your partners mind off the pain for a while. I had a great birth (gas & air - useless, one shot of pethadine - made me sleep and my TENS machine). All the best for yours.

hi huni i hav 4 boys and i used a tens wiv my 1st and i thought i woz rubbish if im honest!didnt seem 2 do much at all! i used gas and air wiv the others! good luck!hope this helps u.
luv clarex.

I found that the tens helped me alot. I got one with a boost button. I think it helped to distract me, more than anything. I bought a new one for £56 on Ebay and sold it on Ebay for £40 so, that worked out cheaper than hiring!

I'd definately use 1 again. I think it did take the edge off contractions, especially when using the boost button.
I got to 7-8cm using just that.
Ihired mine from Mothercare for £30.
xx

yeah i bought a tens and it was a massive help in my never-ending labour! sold it on too so there wasn't really a huge cost.

I'm hoping just to use gas & air & TENS too (though am not ruling out other pain relief if I feel I need it).

My midwife said that the things about TENS is you don't ever get "proof" of how beneficial it can be because its effects aren't immediate and obvious, and because you only get one labour per baby (thank god!) you don't get to directly compare your labour experience with and without TENS. Because the effects are cumulative and gradual, she seems to think that people just don't realise what an effect it's actually having.

Marnb, do you think the reason you managed to get to 8cm before you went to hosp (huuuuge respect for that by the way!) was anything to do with having the TENS on, but you just didn't realise it was helping? My midwife seems to think this kind of scenario is evidence that TENS can be effective.

34+5

I used one whilst in labour with my first and it drove me insane. I found the contractions bad enough without this horrible thing vibrating down my back all the time, it just intensified the contractions and it drove me mad. They reccomended it for me when i was around 5cms as i was having bad bad pain due to baby being back 2 back. However i think many women have found it very helpful in early labour but once contractions are strong and labour is established i dont think it would be benificial x

LOL!,
judging by most of you're replies i must have used mine wrong??
I borrowed it from the hopital and used it from the first contractions but to no avail. By the time i got to the hospital & fully dialated i had forgotten i even had it attached & had actually had it on "boost" for the last several hrs!! When the nurse removed it the pain was no worse.
I don't see any harm in using one though. I think a lot of it is psycological & if anything makes you feel better in that situation then it is worth it.
Good Luck.

I used one with both of my previous labours & I'd say they work up to a point, after a while (a long while mind) I just found it annoying - bit when it was working it was great!

I am planning on using one again this time around

Sarah
xxx

I used one during my first labour, but I have decided not to bother with one this time. I think it was more of a distraction for me than anything else, and didn't help the pain at all. I'm not totally convinced that hubby had put it on properly though and I didn't start using it until the contractions were 6 minutes or so apart, so maybe it wasn't as effective as it could have been.

I found it helped me a lot during the early stages of labour at home. I also think that trying to work out how to use it helped as a distraction! I would definitely use it next time.
xx

[Modified by: swizzle on November 05, 2008 12:03 PM]

I used one with my second, and would def use it again! You have to put it on from the start and build up th intensity. It gave me something to focus on instead of the pain, i only used gas and air aswell. My midwife told me to take it off when I started on the gas and air, and I shouted at her to leave it on, and there it was until after my sproglet popped out. Everyone is different, try it and if it isn't for you just take it off!! Good luck!

Hi, I used a TENS in during my 2nd labour & would definitely use one again, I thought it was fantastic & kept it on until I'd given birth. I rented mine from Boots for £30 (earnt some bonus Advantage Card points too!). I accidentally turned mine off 3 times during the last hour of labour & felt the difference! For the last half hour I kept it on permanent 'ramping'.
I wish I'd had it for my first!
xxx