How to correctly use a TENS machine during labour (without making the same mistake that so many women make)
So you’ve heard that a TENS machine is useful during labour to help minimise pain?
Well, you are correct, they can be a wonderful natural form of pain relief to try but only if they are used at the correct time during labour and in the correct way.
So many women use a TENS machine wrong and then render it useless…
I hear, time and time again women saying that the TENS machine did ‘absolutely nothing’ for them and was ‘pointless.’
But when I ask them how they used it, the same mistakes keep popping up and I can now predict what happened when someone tells me that a TENS machine did nothing for them when giving birth.
First of all, let’s understand why a TENS machine can offer pain relief and how they work.
We need to understand how a TENS machine works first to fully understand how and when to use it as a natural form of pain relief during Labour. It works in three ways:
1/ A Tens machine interferes with the signal of pain during labour
Whenever you do something that hurts, a signal travels up the spine to your brain to alert you that you are in pain. The same thing happens if you feel pain during labour. A TENS machine is very clever in that it will disrupt this signal of pain that travels up the spine and interpret it before it gets to the brain to alert you that you are in pain, it does this through small little electrical pulses that come from the 4 pads that are placed on your back.
2/ It increases the hormone that is responsible for pain relief
There’s a wonderful hormone in your body that acts as a natural pain killer, they are known as endorphins. This hormone, produces a natural form of pain relief in your body and a Tens machine is able to stimulate Endorphins in the body, in turn producing your own natural pain relief. This is exactly the reason why athletes use Tens machines as they know that the endorphins will help them to heal and manage any pain they are experiencing.
Endorphins = Pain Relief
Tens Machine = More Endorphins = More Pain Relief
3/ It acts as a distraction technique
The sensation that a TENS machine gives off feels very different to anything you will have experienced before so it takes some of your attention away from contractions. In essence, it becomes a positive distraction technique which can be really useful during the early stages of labour, which brings me on nicely to…
What does a Tens machine feel like during labour?
I used one myself during the birth of my second baby, it feels like a tingling, buzzing sensation which I can imagine feels very annoying and strange when you aren’t in labour but when you are giving birth it gives a newer feeling that does really distract you from the contractions.
Top Tip For Labour - Make sure to buy a maternity TENS machine, not a standard one as you will need the boost button to use during contractions.
There is a right and a wrong way to use a TENS machine in childbirth and so many women get it wrong
Make sure to tick off all of the below and you are good to go for using a TENS machine to its full capacity during labour (number 5 is the most important and the biggest mistake that people make)
1/ Make sure your birth partner knows how to apply it
So, you’ve got the Tens machine and you’ve read the instructions which is great but it’s unlikely to be you that will position the pads during labour. You will need someone else to place the electrodes on your back for you, so make sure that your birth partner knows exactly how to do it, send them the link to this blog below and make sure they read the instructions that come with the TENS machine.
www.hypnobirthingwithhannah.co.uk/how-to-use-a-tens-machine-in-labour
2/ Make sure that they electrodes are positioned correctly for labour
It matters where the pads are placed, 2 at the bra line and 2 near the knicker line. Take a look at the image that comes with your TENS machine for where to place them during labour, you can have a trail run, just make sure to place the electrodes back onto the sticky pads before labour.
3/ Start off low and increase over time
With a maternity TENS machine such as an Elle Tens one or the one from Boots, you will be able to control the intensity that is given off by each channel bY using the plus and minus buttons, start off low and increase over time and remember to use the boost button (see point 4)
Read the full blog now on 4 things that your uterus needs to work efficiently during labour - Tap here to read.
4/ Use the boost button
You can buy non maternity TENS machines, however I would always recommend a maternity one as they often have a boost button. During a contraction, press the boost button to give a burst of intensity and then as the contraction subsides, press to unboost. Always try to remember to unboost or else you won’t get that intensity again during the next contraction.
5/ Use it sooner rather than later (the biggest mistake that people make)
This is the biggest mistake that people make, they wait until contractions get really strong and then think that the TENS machine is coming to save them. Now, it will have some benefit, it will be acting as a distraction but unfortunately, if you wait too long, you have missed out on so many pain relieving hormones that could have been building up in your system during early labour. It takes time for endorphins to work, the sooner you put on a TENS machine, the better as you are giving your body a chance to build up this pain relieving hormone ready for the second stage of labour. Ideally, you will want to pop a TENS machine on when you know for certain that you are in labour, so not at that first tingle but when contractions start to form a pattern, become more consistent and frequent, then is the time to put it on.
Questioning if it’s labour = too early
A pattern of contractions is forming = perfect timing
There are some instances where a TENS machine would not be recommended during labour, please always consult with your care team first before using one and read the instructions carefully. This blog is not intended as medical advice.
