Your electrodes are the only part of your Elle TENS machine that touches your skin, and everything the machine does, it does through them.

Two pairs go on your back, from the aches of these last weeks through the hours of labour. Then, in the first days with your baby, a pair has one more job.

What comes with your machine

Every Elle TENS machine arrives with a sealed pack of four maternity electrodes — two pairs, which is what both places need.

Your machine may be a rental. The pack in it is new and sealed, yours to open and yours to keep afterwards — and the machine itself is cleaned, checked and retested before it reaches you, on test equipment supplied by Body Clock.

Either way, that is a full set. Whether you want a second pack depends on how much you use it — starting from 37 weeks.

From 37 weeks, what changes

These last weeks can be easier with your Elle TENS® than without. Backache can ease, 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.

The readiness comes free. By the time labour starts the settings are second nature. You will already know what the boost feels like, and how it feels as you turn it up and down, because you found out weeks ago.

Who will be placing the pads for you? This is a good time to work that out together — putting them on, and taking them off again afterwards. Do it enough times from 37 weeks and neither of you will be thinking about it on the day. 

None of it is new by then.

The day itself

Your body has its own pain relief — endorphins — and your Elle TENS® is there to prompt them.

Start when you sense contractions beginning, so your body has time to build. It takes about an hour to get going — which is why early labour at home, while contractions are still spread out, is the moment to switch on. 

By the time contractions get strong, the endorphins are already building.

A fresh pack is the best way to start. A pad in full contact spreads the pulses across its whole surface, so what you feel is the same broad and even sensation you got used to at 37 weeks.

You are free to move, and use the positions and the exercises to help your labour along. Your pads go with you through all of it.

The pads come off and go back on when you go in and out of the shower or use the pool. Checking them is a good job for the person who is not in labour.

Hours, not minutes — and all the while, the endorphins keep building.

And when it is over, they are not finished.

A pair for 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 contractions — or stay where they are on your back, if that is what feels better.

Same machine, same endorphins, three jobs. Which is a fair amount to ask of four pads.

How many will you want ready?

Three things shape the answer, and you know all three better than we do.

  • How much you use it. From 37 weeks, backache and Braxton Hicks add up quickly.
  • How often the pads come off and go back on. Every cycle is another moment the gel meets air — a pad is built for it, and it still counts.
  • Whether you would rather start the day itself on a fresh pack, or have a spare in the bag for a long day.

Weigh those however you like. Some mums order one and add another later. Some keep a sealed pack aside from the start. Some open the one they have and never think about it again.

And you can change your mind — another pack is only a few days away.

How you know yours is genuine

Yours arrive sealed and original, direct from Body Clock through Elle TENS Singapore, the sole authorised distributor here. 

That is where the assurance comes from, not from anything you have to check. 

Though if you like knowing what you are holding: the maker's name is on the front, and CM40100 is on the back — the same model that has been on these pads for years.

Your machine was tested with these pads on it, and registered with the Health Sciences Authority together with them, as one system. 

There is more on why the pairing matters in Can I use any TENS pads with my Elle TENS machine?

Looking after the pack you have

Four pads, going on and coming off for weeks, however you start the day itself.

One idea covers all of it: the gel grips for as long as it holds its moisture. Look after that and the pads look after the rest.

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

Frequently asked questions

How many packs will I want?
One pack covers the day itself. A second is worth considering if you plan to use your machine from 37 weeks, would like to start labour on an unopened pack, or want a spare in the bag for a long day. Either way, and you can always add one later.

Can I use it after the birth?
Yes. Afterbirth contractions are often most noticeable while you are feeding, and a pair can move to your lower abdomen when you are ready — or stay on your back, if that suits you better.

Is a replacement pack the same?
Yes — there is only one kind. The same pack comes with every machine, goes out with every rental, and arrives when you order more.

Can I reuse my electrodes?
Yes — they are yours to use again and again, with a little care between uses. For the day itself, a fresh pack is worth having.

Are these registered in Singapore?
Yes. They are registered here with the Health Sciences Authority together with your Elle TENS machine, as one system, and listed in the EU's public device database as Babycare TENS Electrodes 40 x 100mm.

My pack says Babycare TENS® — is that right?
Yes. Babycare TENS® and Elle TENS® are sibling brands from the same UK manufacturer, Body Clock Health Care. What identifies the pad is CM40100, 40 x 100mm, sealed in its original pouch. These are the ones your machine was tested with.