So you've decided that you've opted in for a drug free labour but you’re confused about the best time to purchase or hire an obstetric TENS. This couldn't be any easier at Babycare TENS.

Purchasing an obstetric TENS machine can be done at any point during your pregnancy; however they cannot be used for general pain relief until you’re at week 37 of your pregnancy aka “full term”. Why is this? Because if used before week 37, it could potentially induce your labour and this wouldn't be safe for the baby. You can test the machine out on your arms beforehand so you can get an idea of what it will feel like once placed on your back during labour, so by then you will feel much more comfortable using the machine.

When hiring an obstetric TENS machine, it’s always best to hire it early. Although we hire out our TENS machines for a maximum of 6 weeks, once your order has been placed, we don’t actually send the hired unit out until week 37. So you’ll have the hired unit into the 43rd week of your pregnancy. What week do we suggest you place an order? Around week 24 seems to be early enough but this is just a guide (and being organised). We do ask for your due date when placing an order so you won’t have to worry about calculating your weeks.

If you’re one of those who love to work under pressure and enjoy the rush, we also offer a next day delivery service if you’re worried about going into labour soon. You have to make sure you place your order before 2pm for next day deliveries. This obviously varies for weekends and holidays but all of this information can be found on our website.