Adding a TENS unit to your inducing routine is a great way to see faster results. We reviewed a variety of TENS machines to help you decide on the best TENS units for stimulating lactation.
The more regularly you can stimulate your breasts the quicker your body becomes used to the idea that it should be making milk. This, in turn, will cause your body to ‘wake up’ the milk-making mechanisms in the breast.
Comfort and ease of use are essential things to consider when purchasing a TENS unit. We reviewed a range of units, assessing them on various points, such as, comfort, variety of settings, easily replaceable/available electrodes, and battery life.
PRO TIP: To get more life out of your electrode pads, clean your skin with alcohol before you apply the pads. When they start to lose their stickiness, wet your finger and rub water on the sticky side of the pad – let dry. This will revive the sticky on the pads and you can continue to use them. The best part is you can keep doing this until it just doesn’t revive them anymore. I’ve been able to keep the same set of pads for several months before they stopped being usable.
AccuRelief Mini TENS
I LOVE THIS TENS! I have 2 pairs of these and they are so easy to use.
They are compact and are easily hidden in your bra (need padded bra for best hideability). There are no extra wires that you need to deal with and each unit runs for months on a standard CR2032 button battery. (You can buy the batteries cheap at the dollar store too!)
They use a snap variety of electrode pad, and each one of these little units is a single channel so you will need to buy two, but they are very inexpensive.
If you are visiting from outside the US, the link might not take you to the correct TENS. Use the search bar at the top to search for AccuRelief Wireless – that’s the one you want!
Famidoc TENS and EMS Combo Unit Dual Channel
This little TENS has a rounded design, and is small – measuring about 3.5″ x 1.75″. It is also very light.
I’m also in love with this little unit. I was able to tuck it in the sideband of my bra, and it was extremely easy to hide by tucking it into the waist of my underwear.
It’s dual channel, and has a nice variety of pulse settings.
Rechargable batteries power this little guy and will keep it running for several months of regular use.
It unit uses snap on electrode pads that can be found at most drug stores or online.
How long do you leave the TENS on for?
Most TENS units have an auto-shutoff feature for around 15-20 mins. This is sufficient for a stimulation session.
What is it supposed to feel like? I bought the wireless one and just tried it, it feels like when you lick a 9v battery, but the current is inconsistent, it keeps waning till I can barely feel it, then gets really intense. It kind of hurts, is it supposed to?
Hi Sara. Check the settings on your TENS, it’s likely set to a pulse mode. Many units have different wave formats and there’s probably a setting for a constant pulse. Check the manual for your unit to see what the different settings are. Experiment until you find a setting that suits you. The main goal with using a TENS is stimulation so it doesn’t matter what you have the TENS set to, as long as it’s comfortable.
With the AccuRelief mini pads did you put two on each side of your breast or one on each boob?
You need a single unit for each breast. The units each have a ‘+’ and ‘-‘ electrode. You place the electrodes on each side of the breast. See the electrode positioning diagram here. The only difference is you won’t have two wires going to a main unit, as each mini unit is self contained.
For the AccuRelief tens unit do you have to buy 2 or can you use one of the pads over the nipple?
It looks as though the mini AccuRelief unit has been replaced with a larger unit. The Tech Care Plus unit is an excellent TENS, although it’s not as small as the AccuRelief Mini units.
Would these be helpful in Increasing supply for someone with low supply?
Any additional stimulation you can apply to your breasts will have a positive effect, for sure.
With the wireless unit, can you use on both breasts at the same time? Will they interfere with each other?
The wireless units are very small, and you need one for each breast. Each unit has a ‘+’ (positive) and a ‘-‘ (negative) electrode connected with a short wire (about 2″).