Why I used a TENS machine in labour

When I fell pregnant for the first time I had been a midwife for 3.5years and had seen all kinds of birth. Natural, epidural, silent, screaming, waterbirth, forceps, caesareans. People often ask if my midwifery knowledge helped or hindered my mindset for labour and birth, and I took it as a big PLUS! Having seen so many types of birth I knew exactly how I wanted mine to look.

The hospital I worked at when I fell pregnant had a caseload program which was a continuity of midwifery care model. The advantage of being a midwife there meant I could choose this model of care and select my own midwife. Midwifery continuity of care is associated with the best outcomes for mothers and babies, and I felt so lucky to have access to this model.

We were also at the time, one of only two hospitals in Victoria that was running a publicly funded homebirth program. Usually, to plan a homebirth in Australia you employ a private midwife to care for your pregnancy, be at your birth and provide care in the postpartum period which can be upwards of over $5,000. Having a homebirth program attached to a public hospital however meant that women could access homebirth for free. With this program all the same hospital policies and procedures were to be followed to be eligible.  

My ideal birth was a waterbirth. I was desperate for it. We facilitated them at work, and I watched any I could find on the internet- I was OBSESSED! When it came to deciding where I could best achieve this it was a no brainer….home. My husband was on board right away as he doesn’t like hospitals and even the word ‘blood’ makes him feel uncomfortable. I also wanted my Mum, and my sisters present at my birth- there to support me and witness the birth of their granddaughter/niece. I had seen many births where family members were present, and while they can sometimes be a hindrance in the hospital setting- I knew I needed the extra support if I was going to birth at home.

Obviously birthing at home, I would have no access to drugs or medication for pain relief.

As pregnancy progressed, I gathered things needed for my homebirth- towels, birth pool, music playlist, candles and a TENS machine. I had a beautiful midwife friend who had one I could borrow- they weren’t as readily accessible 11 years ago as they are now. While I hadn’t seen many used at work, I wanted to use one in my labour. As a first time Mum I knew the early phases of labour can be long and tiring, and I needed tools and techniques to help me through that and conserve energy.

So, when labour began at midnight on the 21^st June 2012 at 38+3 weeks- I was in denial. I was up and down to the toilet for an hour before it clicked that maybe this was labour starting. I tried to rest as much as I could, being the middle of the night. I even sent my hubby off to work at 6am- before requesting he come home an hour later. I didn’t get that gradual build-up of contractions that I educate women on as a midwife. Mine were less than 10 minutes apart from the get-go, and by 8am I was already needing some relief. Although I was desperate for a waterbirth I knew it wasn’t time to be in the water yet- it was time for the TENS machine.

This is one of the things I LOVE most about the TENS is that you can use it at home. As midwives we try to encourage women to stay home as long as possible in labour because we know when women feel safe and unobserved (at home) labour is more likely to progress. So having something like the TENS is magic to use at home.

Once it was on- it was amazing! It took a little bit of trial and error to get the intensity of the sensations right, but I loved that it provided distraction during my contractions, and it gave me something to do. I pressed the boost button during my contractions and used my breath to stay soft and calm.

 I walked around the house, leaned over the bench, rested on the couch. It came everywhere with me. I had it on for about 6 hours before I felt like I needed something else- while also not wanting to take it off. However, during one contraction one of the little lead wires came out and the impulses stopped for a contraction, so it was at that time I said “take it off and get me in the shower!”. What followed was a few hours in the shower, resting, getting in the birth pool at 5pm and a waterbirth at 9:12pm of our first baby girl.

People will often say to me “how did you birth your baby with no pain relief!?”- this is the biggest misconception about having a homebirth. I didn’t birth my baby “without anything”. I had love, support, gravity, water, touch, and my TENS machine. I couldn’t have had the amazing experience I had without them.