Womens Health

Maternity Tens Machine

Our Mum’s to be Tens Machine has become a very firm favourite amongst those who are looking for pain relief during childbirth and labour.

The Maternity TENS comes with a number of programs available for use during labour or childbirth that can certainly help relieve you of certain pains.

What is a Maternity Tens Machine?

A specifically designed maternity TENS uses the latest technology to provide users with an alternative for pain relief, giving you a drug-free pain relief for women in their early stages of labour.

These types of Tens Machines come with a mixture of different programs that are designed for use during labour, and to assist with early-stage contractions and pain relief.

The programs can also be used after childbirth for muscle toning and pelvic floor stimulation.

What is a TENS machine?

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation is in short known as TENS.
Electrical nerve stimulation is exactly what the machines focus on to relieve you of your pain – the machine sends electrical impulses that reduce pain signals to the brain which as a result relieves pain, relaxes muscles and the brain in return releases endorphins which are the body’s natural painkiller.

What is the difference between a TENS machine and a Maternity Tens Machine?

The biggest difference between our Tens Machines and our Maternity Tens Machine is the boost button. The boost button is incredibly helpful for contractions, labour pains and final stages of labour.

• Boost 1 – This is a simple press of a button on the right-hand side of the Tens Device. This will automatically increase the power by 20% and increases the frequency of treatment. Boost 1 is fantastic for early stages of contractions and labour pains.
• Boost 2 – To turn the booster settings up, there is no need to click the booster button on the side again, you can in fact now turn up the booster on the main pad. This will again increase the power and the frequency of the treatment – Boost 2 is usually used in the final stages of labour.

When you’ve finished with the boosts and the contractions have passed, simply press on the booster button to switch it back off. This will take the Tens device back to the original burst settings.

Where do you put TENS pads when pregnant?

Placement of your electrodes will be crucial to help with your pain relief and relaxation – we recommend your birthing partner place the pads on your back and follow the instructions in the user manual.

You can find this below – turn to page 9 and you will see a section on the positioning of the electrodes.

Med-Fit Maternity Tens Machine Users Guide.

Is TENS unit Safe to use during pregnancy?

Tens devices can be used safely during pregnancy and they come without any side effects to your baby or your body. Maternity Tens Machines should not be used over specific areas of the body which may induce labour contractions.

You can begin using Tens Machines when you’re getting early contractions or backaches, as the machine will work better at relieving your backache usually than other types of pains – this is usually due to the placement of the electrodes on your back.

If you’re unsure about using Tens Machines, we recommend speaking to a midwife.

Your midwife will likely not recommend a Maternity Tens Machine if you’re already in the later stages of labour, as it will not be advisable to start treatment around this time, unless you used a Tens Machine earlier in your pregnancy. As mentioned, if you have started using Tens Machines early on and wanted to carry on using it – it’s doubtful that the midwife would disagree.

We recommend removing the electrodes from your body when your baby’s heart is being monitored, otherwise it may effect the equipment being used.