I was passing one of my six local chemists today (and that's another story) when I noticed this sandwich board outside.
What, in the name of all that's holy, is a TENS Maternity Machine? I know we count in tens rather than twos, unless you're a geek, that is. And I have dealt with TENS in work where they were pretty big, Trans European Networks, and covered miles and miles of road or rail, or whatever, and right across country borders too. Neither of these sounded like they had anything to do with giving birth.
So I went inside but the lady at the counter was from a different part of the shop and she was not familiar with them. She ventured that it might be to bring on labour where it was overdue.
"You mean like castor oil" said I. Don't think that registered. She was very young.
So off to another part of the shop where all was explained. It helped the labour once it had started and also eased the pain.
"So it's for home births then?"
"No, you can take it with you into hospital too."
"Less risky than an epidural then?"
"Quite."
On the basis of past experience with maternity wards (in the latter half of the last century, to be sure) I'm not sure the Ward Sister would be amused to have you rush in trailing wires.
Anyway, intrigued, I looked it up when I went home and I am now sharing the fruits of my research with you.
A friend lent me a TENS machine to use in labour with my second child, but it had sticky pads that you were supposed to stick to yourself and they had stuck to each other. Generally it was in a dreadful tangle, and since I've heard that they're not much use really I didn't bother to untangle it. I stuck with clutching the sofa and bad language.
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