 |
|
Posts Tagged ‘maternity tens machine’This morning meets Loose Women in Czech… Elle TENS on TV!!Tuesday, January 10th, 2012This just in! Follow the link provided and look at the video from the 6th. The Elle TENS stuff starts at 8 minutes, you can see it on the table, they start picking it up at about 10 or 11 minutes in: http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1148499747-sama-doma/video/ TENS all the way!Thursday, April 22nd, 2010It was going to be our first birth. When we saw those two little lines appear on the pregnancy test we were thrilled as we had been trying for just under a year to conceive, yet it didn’t start to feel real until we saw that little heartbeat on our first scan. Then with the first few kicks things got much more real but it wasn’t until our birth classes that we really felt that the big day was close. In the classes they went through all the things one may experience in the hospital and all the pain relief options that would probably be available. I loved the idea of the birthing pool so decide to investigate a birthing centre as opposed to delivering in an actual hospital. After a bit of research, a few calls and a couple of visits, we were booked in at our local birthing centre. The special day arrived, my contractions seemed to appear out of nowhere. My waters hadn’t broken and I had no show. My contractions at this stage were 6 minutes apart, 30 seconds each and very bearable. I exclaimed to my husband “Gosh if they stay like this for a while I wont need any pain relief for ages!” However, he reminded me that the TENS machine was most effective if you used it from the beginning of labour. So he placed the electrodes of my snazzy looking Elle TENS on my back. It felt very comfortable especially with the unit around my neck. I got into a good rhythm…contraction…BOOST…and relax…contraction…BOOST…and relax. It felt like a warm massage and worked quite well with me bouncing on my yoga ball also. The contractions seemed to be getting stronger but i remained feeling in control. We decided to go to the birthing centre. I continued with the TENS machine in the car which was very helpful as it gave me a focus whilst not being in my favourite position. Once at the birthing centre, they checked me and saw that I was 5cm and said I can go into the birthing pool now. But I didn’t want to. Although the contractions had got more painful, I felt like I was getting great relief from the TENS machine and that I was still very much in control of my pain. Over the next couple of hours I walked and bent on all fours through the contractions starting each one with a BOOST on my TENS machine. The midwife asked me again if I wanted to get in the birthing pool as that was the main part of my birthing plan but I didn’t, I was doing so well with my Elle TENS. Things began to get more intense, the midwife checked me again and I was 81/2 cms. I decided to introduce the Opti Max…WOW what a boost of extra energy! I was amazed! It really did give that bit more required for the end. All of a sudden I felt the urge to squat and push. The midwives presented a birthing stool which abled me to remain upright and in a very encouraging position for the baby to come down quickly. I couldn’t believe that the TENS machine got me all the way to this point. I kept using it throughout the pushing stage. Finally, after a big push the midwives smiled and said “Yes!The head is here!Well done!”…after a few more pushes, my very first, delicious baby flew out in a heap. I couldn’t believe it! I’d done it and TOTALLY naturally! I was over the moon. I think at that stage I was more elated by having a natural birth with just my Elle TENS than having a beautiful little girl! If I have another baby I will definitely use the Elle TENS machine – it was incredible! When to put on the ElectrodesWednesday, April 21st, 2010You and your partner are sitting at the table having dinner. All of a sudden she exclaims “What’s that?”, you answer “What?”, she replies “That trickling of water down my leg?” Her waters have just broken and after 20 minutes her contractions begin. Both of you are excited, nervous and curious of how this labour/childbirth experience is going to pan out. You notice that your wife goes into organisation mode, getting out the yoga ball, CD player and calming CD, ensuring her water and sweets are at hand and that the TENS machine and electrodes are on the table. She suddenly starts bouncing on the yoga ball, you ask her if she’s practising or having an actual contraction…she doesn’t answer, you reason that she’s gone into that inward focus thing you both heard about in the Childbirth classes. Midst all this she hasn’t asked you to put the TENS machine electrodes on her, YET this is the crucial time when to get them in place. Once you are sure that your partner has completed the contraction, demonstrated by a relaxation from bouncing on the yoga ball and a general look of ‘I’m not in pain any more’, suggest you put the electrodes on her straight away. The sooner the TENS machine gets to work the better as it takes a little time for it to stimulate one’s own natural pain killing chemicals and the TENS machine is developed to follow the stages of your labour starting from the beginning. It’s best that you and your partner, prior to labour, have a verbal agreement that you, the husband, are going to suggest early on to put the electrodes on her, therefore if she’s very focussed and you’re getting the feeling she doesn’t want you to interfere then you’ll know THIS was definitely pre-agreed. The Advantage of Buying Spare ElectrodesTuesday, April 20th, 2010If you have already had a child and had the privilege of using a TENS machine then you need not read further. If this is your first time using a TENS machine then you won’t know how it works and how the different options feel. “Many studies have revealed that a sense of control is a major contributing factor to a woman’s birth experience and her subsequent well-being.” PubMed, 2003. It has been discovered that women who feel more in control in labour are calmer, less tense and therefore more comfortable. A TENS machine is a precious unit that can instill a real sense of control and calm yet if one doesn’t know how to use it before labour, some of it’s advantages can be masked. We therefore recommend to try out your TENS machine before use. One must not use it on the back but can try it on the forearm and get a very good feel for the different pulse sensations and an overall satisfying grasp of their TENS. All one needs to do is place the electrodes on their forearm as opposed to their back, read the instructions manual and start getting familiar. We suggest people buy two packs of electrodes, one for practise and one for the big day. If you have done this before and felt this experience or article was helpful, please feel free to comment. The ‘Elle’ TENS – for the digital lady who likes control.Sunday, April 18th, 2010Our Elle TENS machine is for the ‘digital generation’ lady who doesn’t get flustered by options; on the contrary, she likes to be in control. This TENS has many effective options to relieve her pain yet is not complicated and overwhelming. This Elle TENS machine has it all and more. As with the other TENS machine, this one also has two main controls being a ‘burst’ mode for in between contractions and a ‘boost’ mode for during a contraction. When labour commences one is recommended to start with the burst1 and boost 1 option, tailored to those first stage contractions, encouraging your body to produce its’ own natural pain killing chemicals called Endorphins and Encephalitis. When things get more intense one can shift to the burst 2 and boost 2 option. However, unlike the other TENS machine, this Elle TENS machine also has an extra facility called Opti-max which gives extra power for those more difficult times often experienced at the end of labour. Therefore with its greater power range and Opti-max feature, it’s perfect for that first birth which is often more gradual and longer than consecutive births or someone who knows they have a low pain threshold. Another function is the ability to apply more power to one side of the body and not the other. This is a fabulous option as labour pains can often shift around the body. If one has experienced sciatica during pregnancy or any other pain in a specific area, then it’s very possible that this area will require more power than other areas so this feature is great for that. Additional functions are pre-set modes for more easy use, a neck cord for mobility and also a rotating belt clip. This is a fabulous hire or buy! The Lady TENS – simple and no fuss.Wednesday, April 14th, 2010The Lady TENS machine is for the woman who needs absolute simplicity and no fuss. Unlike the other TENS machine there are only two controls and everything else is pre-set. One is a dial controlling the intensity of the ‘constant’ pulses and the other is a booster button pressed at the onset of a contraction. The intensity levels of this machine are a little less than the other units so this may also be good for the lady who has had a couple of births already and knows that labour is not so intense for her (yes they exist!). If you’ve visited the hospital where you’re giving birth and know the gowns have belts, this is ideal as it has a strong belt clip so there’s no need to carry it! It’s also our cheapest hire and buy if you’re strapped for cash. 
|