Most people asking this have pads in a drawer already, or are looking at the price of a spare pack. Both are fair reasons to ask.

What the right pads do on the day

You cover the ground that matters. At 40×100mm, the maternity electrodes are made to span the nerve pathways either side of your spine — the route labour pain travels on its way to your brain. Two pairs, four pads, and you have covered the route.

You feel it evenly. Every part of the pad carries the same share of the stimulation, rather than letting it gather in one place — which is one of the things these pads are made and tested to do. What reaches your skin is broad and steady, wherever you set it.

Hours go by and you forget they are there. Skin can be more reactive in late pregnancy, and these are on your skin for hours at a time — which is why the gel is hypoallergenic, and why it has been through biocompatibility testing.

You can move as much as you like. Walk, lean, rock, get onto all fours — the tingling stays exactly where you put the pads.

So what would you notice?

On your back, not at the plug — that part is a standard 2mm pin. A smaller pad spans less of that pathway, so less of the tingling reaches where it works: you turn it up and it is still not enough. And a pad not made for hours of movement lets go sooner. One comes away, and someone has to put it back.

None of that is visible in the packet. It is why the pairing is specified rather than left open — Body Clock assessed the device and its electrodes together, through its notified body, SGS. The pads that came with your machine have been through all of it. 

That is the difference. And what you feel is only part of it.

What else it protects

The warranty holds. Body Clock guarantees the machine on the condition that its own accessories are used with it. Keep to them, and the guarantee keeps to you.

The registration holds. In Singapore, the Elle TENS range and its maternity electrodes are registered with the Health Sciences Authority together, as one system. One entry covers the whole range, and the electrodes were part of that submission. Pads on your back, machine in your hand — both inside the same entry.

The cover holds, twice over. Keeping the device inside its certification is what keeps Body Clock's product liability cover applying to it, and ours alongside it.

None of that asks anything of you.

What one pack covers

Open the box and the pack is already there, sealed — model CM40100, with the lot number and expiry date on the back.

One pack has a lot to do:

  • From 37 weeks, for backache and Braxton Hicks, so you and your partner both know the machine before you need it
  • Through labour, whether you want Elle TENS® support in early labour or steady pain relief right through delivery
  • Afterwards, for the afterbirth contractions, and through the early aches of breastfeeding and lower backache

That last one is worth knowing. Afterbirth contractions are often most noticeable while you are feeding, and a pair can move to your lower abdomen for those when you are ready.

The pads themselves will tell you when one is finished. How many you want ready depends on how much you use it from 37 weeks, and if you would rather the day started on a fresh pack, that is a fair reason to have a second.

And one is fine to start with. Those weeks of practice are exactly what a pack is for.

Placing them is a good job for your partner, from the first practice onwards. He puts them on, you turn it up. And by the time it matters, neither of you is reading anything.

Frequently asked questions

If generic pads fit, why not use them?
Fit is the easy part. What is not matched is whether every part of the pad carries the same share, how much of the placement area you cover, and how long they keep holding. Nor what is touching your skin: hypoallergenic, and biocompatibility tested. Known for the genuine packs, unknown for the rest.

Do rental machines come with genuine electrodes?
Always — a new sealed pack with every one. We are the sole authorised distributor in Singapore, and both the machine and its electrodes are on HSA's register under our licence.

Should I get a spare pack?
It depends on how much you use it from 37 weeks. There is a fuller answer in Your electrodes, from 37 weeks to the first days with baby.

Where do I buy genuine replacement electrodes?
Directly from us. Sealed, fresh, and the right size for the machine, every time.