I don't know much about them but my midwife mentioned them at our first antenatal class last week and I think we get to 'play' with one at the next class on Wednesday. As I understand it, there are two/four sensor pads and they get placed on two/four spots on your back. You can set them to an intensity that you are comfortable with and they give out little pulses of electrical energy - which apparently help in labour. They seem pretty popular over here! Found this link which may be of interest to you.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a542581/tens

I'd be interested in anyone who has actually used one in labour and what your experience is? I'm hoping to avoid going for the full epidural during labour and am interested in anything else which will help me achieve this.

You have to get a maternity TENS. If you're in England you can hire them from Boots, not sure in the US. I hired one with my first, then bought one from a friend which I used with my 2nd and 3rd.

Basically you electrocute yourself lol. You just attach the electrodes to your back. I found it helped. I spent most of my labour at home with my first, and arrived at hospital 10cm dilated. I got a bit of gas and air for pushing.

I was induced with my 2nd (overdue) with a pessary, and I got to 8cm dilated before getting gas and air.

I used one with my third when I got out of the birthing pool. She was back to back and it definitely helped.

So, 3 babies, TENS machine and gas and air. No epidurals, no pethidine....and no stitches.

So a little new to some of this terminology being thrown around, but what do you all mean when you say "gas and air"? Is it the same as receiving oxygen to ensure mom & baby are getting enough during labor?

Its medical name is entonox. You just breathe it in with a little mouthpiece and it numbs pain a bit. It has no lasting effects, wears off immediately, and doesn't affect your baby.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a542569/entonox-gas-and-air

Now I'm jealous! Especially since it sounds like it doesn't limit movement if you have to use it unlike epidurals.

I used a TENS machine during my labour this week, and would absolutely use it again. It's like Dawnie said, you need to get a maternity machine (I borrowed one from my midwife clinic), and there are 4 pads placed on your lower back. You need to start using it as soon as you think you're really in labour so your body can adjust to it, and you can increase the intensity as needed. Between contractions you feel this clicking/buzzing on your back, and during the contractions you press a boost button that gives a more intense and almost numbing like feeling. You still feel everything that's going on, but it takes the edge off. I put mine on around noon, when my contractions had been regular/close together for just over an hour and were starting to become uncomfortable (I had a shower, and was planning to use the birthing tub and didn't want to stick on the pads too soon because they're re-useable but do lose their stickiness). Arrived at my birthing centre just after 1pm and was 5-6cm dialated, and baby arrived at 3:15pm. Because I progressed so quickly at the end I was very glad to have the TENS maching because I didn't really have time for much else (my contractions went from being manageable to suddenly needing to push within minutes - caught my midwives off guard and had everyone scrambling!) I felt all of the pushes, unlike my first baby where I had an epidural and was so numb I needed the nurse to keep touching my vagina so I knew what to do. I did end up tearing during this delivery, but it was because my baby came so fast, and the midwife who stitched me up was asking a lot of questions about my previous tear/delivery/recovery and in the end revealed that my last tear was poorly repaired and didn't heal very well. :sad: I used the nitrous oxide during the stitching. I was numbed with some injections, but the gas helped when the midwife was stitching around old scar tissue (I could still feel some of the pokes/pulling), and gave me a little buzz to keep me going through it.

Strange that you ladies in the US don't seem to have the TENS or laughing gas option. Here in Canada they're standard both with OB/GYN and midwives, although the OBs and hospitals still talk about epidurals as their #1 choice for pain relief.

Now I'm jealous! Especially since it sounds like it doesn't limit movement if you have to use it unlike epidurals.

It also means you can feel to push. I didn't need stitches after any of my babies, and I'm sure the minimal pain relief I had is why.

It doesn't stop the pain though, just dulls it, whereas an epidural totally numbs you, right?

Depends on how much of an epidural you get. Mine was almost like a walking epidural because I could still stand/move with the one I had first labor but a little too much in that they had to tell me when the contractions were going to push because I couldn't feel that.

For the TENS/gas, I'll have to ask my midwife on Wed when I have my next appt. Maybe I'll be surprised and it is available if only upon request. Would be nice. Otherwise I'll ask my doula about the TENS and see if she's got one, or maybe just bite the bullet and get one on amazon. Hopefully they'll have the birthing tubs available this go around (the hospital had just received them and they weren't set up/available for use) - that would help with pain relief too.

Definitely ask. I used a birthing pool with my third and it helped....she was back to back. I didn't give birth in the pool though as I had to have my waters broken, so I got out for that. I went to a midwife lead unit, which means there are no doctors, no epidurals etc.