Which Elle TENS machine is yours?
Three machines. In labour, all three do the same thing.
Same relief, same control, same pads on your back. What changes is how much your machine shows you on the day, and what it does for you in the weeks after.
HSA-registered maternity TENS, direct from Body Clock in the UK through Elle TENS Singapore, the sole authorised distributor here.
Pick the one that sounds like you
All three see you through labour, and all three keep working afterwards. One control for each pair of pads, a Boost button you press through the contractions.
Opti-Max comes on all of them, a control unique to Elle TENS machines that changes how the sensation feels rather than how strong it is, for extra relief.
The difference is what you want beside you on the day.
Elle TENS
You want it simple, and nothing on it you won't use.
As you feel a contraction coming you press Boost once, and it stays on, so your hand is free.
Press it again when the contraction passes and you are back to Burst, with your body's own pain-relieving hormones building all the while.
Elle TENS 2
You would rather see what your body is doing.
The same Boost, and the same press-once. But the moment you press it, your machine starts timing the contraction. And when you press again, it starts timing the gap.
It keeps the last five of each, so when someone asks how far apart they are, the answer is on the screen rather than in your head.
The screen lights itself, which matters more than it sounds at two in the morning. And if a pad stops making proper contact, your machine stops the current and shows you on the screen, so you are never left wondering why the sensation changed.
Elle TENS Plus
You want more than one job out of it.
Everything the Elle TENS 2 does on the day, backlit screen and contraction timer included, and two more modes.
One for everyday pain including backache, shoulder, sciatica and period pain.
One for pelvic floor recovery, at any age, and from twelve weeks after a birth.
All three machines help with backache from 37 weeks, with the afterbirth contractions, and with the aches that come after. This is the one with a preset for each.
The Elle TENS and Elle TENS 2 are available to buy, or to rent for six weeks.
The Elle TENS Plus is available to buy — it is the one built to keep.
Worth checking before you order
Most mums can use an Elle TENS® from 37 weeks. Four things are worth a look first, and a quick word at an antenatal appointment settles any of them.
The full list of contraindications, warnings and cautions is in the instructions for use for your machine — Elle TENS (PDF, opens in a new tab), Elle TENS 2 (PDF, opens in a new tab) and Elle TENS Plus (PDF, opens in a new tab).
Anything you are unsure about, ask us or ask at your next appointment. We would far rather you checked.
From 37 weeks, the day itself, and afterwards
These last weeks can be easier with your Elle TENS® than without.
Backache eases. Braxton Hicks become something to ride out rather than wait out. And you get to use it on an ordinary afternoon when nothing depends on it.
That is the point of starting early. By the time labour begins, the settings are familiar — you already know what Burst feels like, what changes when you press Boost, and how far up you like it, because you found out weeks ago.
You can try it out first, too. Two pads on one leadwire, placed on your forearm, and you can feel each of the sensations without putting anything on your back.
Your machine arrives with a sealed pack of four pads. That one pack covers the practice weeks, the day itself, and the days after — though some mums keep a spare so the day starts on a fresh set.
Someone can put them on
One pair at bra-strap level, one just below your waist at your panty line, either side of your spine.
That is where the nerve pathways carrying labour pain run, and covering them is what makes the difference between something you can feel and something that helps.
Four pads, across two bands of your back. Somebody else is better placed to do this than you are.
Whoever is with you can place all four. Place a pad, lift it off, put it back down, as many times as it takes to sit right. Do that a few times from 37 weeks and neither of you will be thinking about it on the day.
They place. You decide. The sensation is yours, and nobody else can feel a thing.
The day itself
Start when you first sense contractions beginning.
Two things are happening. Boost interrupts the pain signals on their way to your brain. Burst prompts your body's own pain-relieving hormones, endorphins and encephalins, which build over about an hour.
That is why early matters. Switch on at home while contractions are still spread out, and by the time they get strong the build is already well underway.
Then move however you want to. Walk, lean, rock, get onto all fours, rest in between. Your pads go with you.
Pads come off for a shower or the pool, and back on again after. Checking them is a good job for the person who is not in labour.
And afterwards
Your uterus keeps contracting as it returns to size.
These afterbirth contractions are strongest in the first three days, and often most noticeable while you are feeding. They tend to be mild with a first baby and stronger with each one after.
Your Elle TENS® is already there. When you are ready, a pair can move to your lower abdomen for those. Or stay where they are on your back, if that is what feels better.
It is there for the shoulder and back aches that come with feeding, too. One pair or two, wherever the ache is.
What differs
All three see you through labour. What each one has that the others don't.
| Elle TENS | Elle TENS 2 | Elle TENS Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backlit screen | — | Yes | Yes |
| Contraction timer | — | Yes | Yes |
| Pad contact cut-out | — | Yes | Yes |
| Everyday pain mode | — | — | Yes |
| Pelvic floor mode | — | — | Yes, from 12 weeks after a birth |
| Rental | 6 weeks | 6 weeks | Buy only |
Frequently Asked Questions
Still deciding?
The Elle TENS and Elle TENS 2 can be hired for six weeks, a way to have one for the birth without owning it afterwards.
