Natural Pain Relief. T.E.N.S???

[shiremum]

I have 8 weeks to go until i am induced (yipes) due to medical complications in a high risk pregnancy due to type 1 diabtes.
After giving birth rather ignorantly & extremely uneducated 13years ago i have embarked on self education this time round.

I have started to look into Hypnobirthing, Bradley Method etc...very interesting indeed. I am fascinated & excited by the possibility of an empowering, natural & fairly pain free birth with both my 13yo son & my amazing partner as support.
My first birth was a harrowing experience where a very unaware (slight of stature) 19yo girl gave birth to a huge 9lb 8oz baby. 14hrs, no support, Gas, Pethidine, Epidural x2, screaming like a banshee but still not a tear or stitch in sight. Thank god for the midwife who had me up & squatting on that bed.
I know now even with the size of my babies (this ones big too) that my birth experience does not have to be like the previous one & even though the doctors are telling me that they will 'most likely' have to do a C section, i am convinced that if i could do it last time i can do it again...only this time better

So on my eternal search for birth information I have since come across information in our local hospital about TENS. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimualtion. Essentially it looks like a form of accupuncture??? where electrical pads are placed on the lower back & electrical currents are pumped through them which dulls the pain during first stage of labour.
"The TENS sends a signal to the brain via nerves to block out the pain in the uterus"
I do not know of anyone who has used this device before & was wondering if anyone here may have?

If not has anyone had a high risk natural birth in a public hospital with little or no interference? Im not sure why but even the sound of that question makes me feel uneasy.

[shiremum]

ooo the website:

Labour TENS Hire and Purchase

[Kesh]

I'll be interested in hearing people's replies to your question as well... I have been reading over the material I was given about hiring a TENS. I've done a search on here a while ago and there are some pretty good old topics about them, I'll see if I can find them again for you

[Gypsygirl]

I had a TENS machine during my labour with DS. I found it great in the early stages of labour, but DS was posterier and the pain was pretty intense () from early on, and it just didnt provide enough "interference" for me, and I was beyond turning it on/up/off etc at the right time.

I am the biggest wuss when it comes to pain, but I went 25 hours with DS posterier (feels like you are being ripped in two through your back) without pain relief. We used essential oils, homeopathics, rescue remedy and the shower. I have heard amazing things about hypnobirthing. I remember reading somewhere that when you get scared or panic or lose it during labour, your adrenaline kicks in and this amplifies the pain. I know when I totally lost it and screamed during contractions the pain intensified signigicantly. But if I stayed as calm as I could and hummed (apparently I was wailing/keening as well!!) I could control the pain.

Sorry, rambling, I have been reflecting on DS's birth a bit lately, and am keen to hear about mums going back for their second bubs and how they want different births this time round (DS was em c/s and I'm determined for a VBAC when/if we have #2).

Wishing you a labour and birth that is everything you want it to be!

Jane

[Kesh]

Here Lots of pages to read through

[Avalon]

I had intended on using one when I went into labour as well. My waters broke spontaneously with no warning though immediately wafter which I went into HARD FAST contractions and sent Mark to the chemist to hire one (just ring around) but didnt even use it, I was too far into labour for it to make an inch of difference. I was in a very hot bath when he got back. Ive had TENS for other pain relief though, just general back ache. Its an interesting feeling! Having had it for other pain, I would say it would only be useful in early early labour, and of course you cant use it if you want to labour in water.

Do try it (ooh Dilmah ) though, it'll be worth the minimal cost just for the experience.

[shiremum]

my gosh so much to read...but all of it seeming fairly positive so far. interesting to note that it is not recommened use prior to due date as it may bring on early induction...reeeally? veeery interesting for someone who would rather not be induced by drugs. thats a question for another thread though.

[suzee]

A very good friend of mine used hypnobirthing for her second baby, with fantastic results. Her first baby was birth from hell, everything went wrong, she was totally hysterical the whole time, masses of intervention, forceps, tearing blah blah blah, then followed by a c section. Hers is actually one of the worse birth stories I have heard, I won't go into details.

She was terrified the second time around, then decided to go down the hypnobirthing path. I'm not sure how long her classes were for. She had a fantastic natural second birth with I think a minimum of pain and no intervention, and she found it very empowering after the first experience.

TENS was recommended by the midwives at my birthing centre.

All the best with whatever you do! The only bit of advice I can give is don't hold back too long on the gas if the pain is getting too much, I resisted gas for too long with my second baby after a drug free first baby, and I reckon things would have been way better if I hadn't seen the gas as a sign of weakness but instead a way to help me birth my baby better and concentrate on what I had to do.

[smurray]

Hi there Shiremum,

I had DD without pain relief after an induction in a hospital. I used hypnobirthing and hot water. DD's birth was a highlight of my life! The shower was incredible, just that constant pressure of hot water on my back was better than any drug I could imagine. That and the breathing, got me through.

I was told at the time that I was the first natural birth they had seen in a long time after induction. Many (all?) drs want to continuously monitor you after induction, severely limiting how much you can move around, get to the bath/shower etc. I believe this is the reason why most women who are induced end up having epidurals, and then go on to need cesarians etc etc - if I had been stuck on the bed, on my back, without access to the bath or shower there is no way I could have done it.

What saved me was DH being a really strong advocate for me, and making sure the hospy found extension cords etc, and holding up the belt around my middle, so that I could be monitored while under the shower.

If you know now you are going to be induced, you can plan and have the best chance to have the birth you want. I believe I was lucky, because apart from the hypnobirhting prep, Dh and I had no idea about hospital policies and never really knew what it would mean to be induced.

Good luck!

[Amanda.R]

I used the TENSE machine 2nd time round and would never do a labour without it again! It really helped (1st birth was a nightmare!) you need to put it on from the very start of contractions for the best results, I took it of toward the end as I wanted a water birth and as soon as I took it off to hop in the bath the pain kicked in BIG time.
I would look into hypnobirthing if I was to have another as I listened to a hypnobirthing c.d I downloaded from Itunes every day for 2 weeks and feel it really helped me be calm and focus on the upcomming labour in a more positive way as I was pretty terrified after my 1st experience. 2nd baby was bigger 9 pound 6 (1st 8pound 13 1/2) but definately much better. Also used homeopathics.