You do not need to know why that works to use them. It is just easier to trust something once you can see the thinking behind it.

Three things were decided before you knew to ask.

Why your back

Every contraction sends its message travelling from the front of you to the back, up the nerves to your spine.

The pads are already there, waiting for it.

Not one place, either. Two.

You wear one pair at around bra-strap level, either side of your spine, and the other just below your waist, at your panty line.

Two pairs, two controls. Turn the lower pair up and the upper pair stays exactly as it was. One part of your back at a time, whenever you need it.

Why a rectangle, not a square

Because you are covering a stretch of your back, not a point on it.

Ten centimetres long, four across — the length those pathways run.

And the area is doing as much work as the length. Across the whole face of each pad, every part carries the same share of the stimulation — so what reaches your skin is broad and even, over ten centimetres of you rather than one small patch.

Even spread is one of the things these pads are made and tested to do, not something that happens to be true of them.

That is what lets you turn it up. Whatever setting you choose, it stays something you can settle into.

If you have used a TENS pad before, it was a small square for a shoulder or a knee. One spot, one ache.

All of it resting on the only layer that touches you.

What the gel has to do

Because if it is doing its job, you will never once think about it.

It holds the pad to your skin from the moment it goes on until it comes off, and carries the stimulation across every second the machine is on.

Two jobs, one substance, both at the same time.

It holds while you move. Through hours of labour, through leaning, swaying, and wherever your body takes you next. Once they are on, they stay on. You are the one who moves.

Skin can be more reactive in late pregnancy than you are used to, and these are worn for hours at a time. Which is why the gel has to be medical-grade and hypoallergenic, and why it has been through biocompatibility testing for skin contact.

Tested on its own, and tested with your machine — which is why the pairing matters.

Who puts them on

Your partner can put all four on for you — hands on your back, doing something that genuinely helps, at the moment most partners are wondering what on earth they can do.

Place a pad, lift it off, put it back down. As many times as it takes to sit right.

From 37 weeks you can practise together, until none of it feels new. He places, you decide. The sensation is yours, and nobody else can feel a thing.

And when the pads come off, that is not the end of what they are for. There are afterbirth contractions, and the aches that come with feeding.

Frequently asked questions

Are maternity electrodes different from ordinary TENS pads?
 Yes — in size, shape and gel. A physio pad is a small square for a shoulder or a knee. A maternity electrode is a long rectangle, made for the stretch of back that labour pain travels through, with a gel meant to hold for hours. Nothing to work out, either: the pads that come with your machine are the ones it was tested with.

What size are maternity TENS electrodes?
 40 x 100mm each. Ten centimetres long, four across, and four to a pack. If you ever want to check a pack, model CM40100 is printed on the back, alongside the lot number, expiry date and barcode.

Do I need to do anything to my skin first?
 Clean and dry, and that is the whole of it. Nothing to apply, nothing to buy, no need to shave. The one thing worth remembering: no body lotion or oil where the pads will sit, since the gel grips skin rather better than it grips moisturiser.

Are Elle TENS electrodes suitable for sensitive skin?
 They are made for skin that will be wearing them for hours: a medical-grade hypoallergenic gel, latex free, and biocompatibility tested. Using them from 37 weeks means you will know how your skin gets on with them long before the day itself. If your skin flares easily, or adhesive dressings do not agree with it, that is a quick thing to mention at an antenatal appointment.

What makes them medical grade?
It is not a phrase we chose — it is a set of records. In Singapore, the Elle TENS range and its maternity electrodes are registered with HSA together, as one system. The gel has passed ISO 10993 testing for skin contact. And these pads are listed in EUDAMED, the EU's public medical device database, as Babycare TENS Electrodes 40 x 100mm — Class I devices under EU regulation 2017/745, passive and non-sterile. Anyone can look up that listing.

How long does a pad last?
 They are made to come away and go back on again, many times over. Yours will tell you when they are finished — and when the day comes, start on a fresh pack.

One thing keeps your electrodes sticky, and they tell you when they are done →