Moisture. That is what keeps them gripping — and why they are far more forgiving than they look. A pad that stops sticking is usually not finished at all.

Once you see that, looking after them stops being a list.

What keeps the grip

You will feel it before you see it. A pad that starts lifting also starts feeling weaker, because the same gel does both jobs: it holds on to you, and it carries the stimulation through.

Grip and sensation rise and fall together. One cause, two symptoms.

So most of what feels like it is not working as well is really just the gel, and two things get at it long before a pad is finished.

Air is the first. Uncovered gel starts drying immediately, which is why the film and the pouch are not packaging — they are part of the product.

Your skin is the second, and it works differently: oils transfer onto the gel and blunt the tack even on a perfectly moist pad. So wash and dry first — and the gel meets skin instead of skin oil.

Four habits, one surface to protect.

  • Come to them with clean, dry skin. Water and a towel is all it takes: no lotion, no oil, nothing between the gel and you. Anywhere irritated or broken, go around it.
  • Put it back on its film, then seal the pouch. Leave the gel uncovered and it starts drying while you are still putting things away.
  • Keep the film and the pouch clean. Whatever they pick up, you will be wearing next time.
  • Store the pack cool, dry and out of the sun. A drawer or a bedside cupboard is plenty. Not a car, not a windowsill, not a steamy bathroom shelf.

Do that much and they stay sticky for you. The other half of a pad's life is what happens next.

Coming off, and going back on

Of everything you will do with these pads, this is the part you will do most often. Every practice session from 37 weeks ends the same way, so by the time it matters you will have done it more times than you can count.

It comes away rather than tears. That is what makes it a pad you use again, and it is why this part asks so little of you.

It does not have to be you, either. You switch the machine off; whoever placed the pads can lift them away. The same job in reverse.

  • Machine off first. A pad coming away with the current still on can give a small jolt.
  • Peel each pad from one edge, slowly. Skin first, gel second, and neither of them hurried.
  • Straight back onto its film, centre first. Covered, the gel holds its moisture between sessions — and comes away cleanly next time. Left out to dry, a pad can leave your skin tender.
  • Unclip the wire once the pad is down, holding the plug rather than the cable at the machine end.

Done that way, the only thing wearing a pad down is being used. And when one does start to fade, it is not finished.

How to bring a pad back

Most pads that stop sticking have only dried out. And what dried them is exactly what brings them back.

You put a small drop of water on the adhesive side, spread it with a fingertip, give it a moment. The tack comes back. Body Clock expects this to happen, which is why the instruction is on the pouch.

Hours in, this is the one to know. A pad goes quiet, and your first thought is that something has gone wrong. It has not. Feel the pad as it comes off — dry, and a drop of water brings it straight back:

Switch off. Unclip. A drop on each. Back on.

And you will have done it before, on an ordinary afternoon at home.

A drop, though — never a wash. Soaking, soap, alcohol and scrubbing take the gel apart, and that is the one thing no amount of water will fix.

Slippery is the other one, and it is sweat rather than drying. That pad has too much moisture, not too little — it comes back on its own, adhesive-side up somewhere cool, but not quickly. So reach for a spare, and dry your back while it is off so the fresh one goes onto skin it can hold.

Better still, get ahead of it. Checking them is a job for whoever is not in labour — your partner can look whenever there is a lull. A pad caught early is usually a pad a drop of water fixes.

Which covers almost every pad, almost every time. The rest is knowing the one that will not come back — and it tells you.

When to replace your electrodes

You will know.

You put a pad on clean, dry skin and it does not stay — not slippery, just done. You try a drop of water and it still does not stay. That is the test, and it is the only one worth remembering.

The sensation goes at the same time, thinner and patchier than it was, because grip and feeling have always been the same thing.

You will see it too — gel gone dry or lifting, edges curling. But none of that asks you to keep count or watch a calendar. A pad makes itself obvious, and by then it has given you everything it had.

So reach for a spare. That is what they are there for.

And when the day comes, start on a pack nobody has opened. Full grip, even contact, for as long as it takes — and one less thing to think about while it is happening.

Your electrodes, from 37 weeks to the first days with baby →

Frequently asked questions

How do I make my TENS pads sticky again?
A small drop of water on the adhesive side, rubbed gently across the surface, and the grip comes back — usually before you have finished wondering whether it will.

What if a pad dries out during labour?
You are four moves from where you were: machine off, unclip, a drop on each, back on. Checking the pads is a job for whoever is not in labour — caught early, a dry pad usually comes straight back.

Can I wash TENS electrodes?
No. Rinsing, soap, alcohol and scrubbing all break the gel down, and once it has gone there is no bringing it back. A drop of water is the only thing it ever needs.

Why does a pad feel slippery instead of sticky?
Too much moisture rather than too little — a drop too many at home, or sweat during labour. It comes back on its own, adhesive-side up somewhere cool, but not quickly. So use a spare if you are mid-session, and dry your skin before the fresh one goes on. 

How should I store TENS electrodes?
On their film, sealed in the pouch, somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. A drawer does it. Heat and sunlight are what dry a pack out before you have opened it.

How do I know when a pad needs replacing?
It will not hold on clean, dry skin, and a drop of water will not bring it back. The gel feels dry or feels like nothing at all — not slippery, which is the opposite problem. That is the whole test: nothing to count, and no calendar to watch. 

Can I use the same electrodes for a second labour?
Start the day on a fresh pack. The pouch carries an expiry date next to the lot number, worth a look if a pack has been waiting a while — and a pad at full grip is what you want on the day it matters most.