Catheders

Lesleyjking · January 2012

Why do drs put a catheder in some people after an epidural? How do we avoid this, if we can? Sounds painful...

AlabamaMamma224 · January 2012

they put a catheter in because you won't necessarily be able to feel when you have to pee. If they wait until you have the epidural you won't feel it. Honestly it isn't a big deal, and you won't even be thinking about it at the time.

skibunny59 · January 2012

Not 100% sure but I think it's because when you get an epidural you are basically numb from the waist down so you can't feel when you have to pee. I don't really think there's a way to avoid it if you definitely want an epidural.

salt78 · January 2012

When you are in labor, a catheter is going to be the least of your worries.

I've heard that you don't even feel it.

llc730 · January 2012

The catheter is for two reasons. First you probably won't be able to tell that you have to urinate. Second, after the epidural you are essentially paralyzed from the waist down so it is generally not safe to get out of bed.

They will put it in after your epidural and you probably not feel it at all. Anything you do feel will be minor in comparison to your contractions.

greengirl0909 · January 2012

The epidural blocks your feeling from the waist down, so you don't know when your bladder is full. Some nurses choose to put a catheter in and leave it there so your bladder drains constantly, others choose to insert a catheter to drain your bladder periodically throughout labor, then remove it each time. By that point, I'm guessing you won't care!

katcarls · January 2012

You can't really avoid it if you want the epi. Most people who get an epidural will have a catheter at some point, it's not a rare thing. It's not painful for the exact reason that you need it, you're numb and can't feel that you need to go to the bathroom. A full bladder makes it harder for the baby to come down and it can prolong things, so they need to empty it. They don't always leave it in the whole time. A nurse may put it in, empty the bladder, and then take it back out, repeating as often as necessary depending on how long your labor lasts.

HopingForOne · January 2012

I agree with the other ladies - you'll have had the epi, you won't feel it, and you won't care. Honestly, please don't worry about this.

However, a PSA - before my sister had her C-Section, the jerk of a nurse insisted on putting her cath in BEFORE she'd had her spinal block. THAT was painful - if any nurse tries to do this, please refuse

It was NOT an emergency Section, and there was no reason other than impatience for her to do it ahead of time.

Oh, and she put it in wrong, and didn't believe my sister, so my sister peed on her to prove she was right

mommygrams0730 · January 2012

i had an epi with my first and had the catheter and didn't feel a thing. it's exactly what pp say, you can't feel anything from the waist down so they need to be able to help you go to the bathroom without making a mess. i'm pretty sure i had mine in all the time, but i don't remember for sure. it didn't hurt when it was in or after.

JosF21 · January 2012

You won't be able to tell when you have to go to the bathroom and you won't be able to get up and walk after you have an epidural. You aren't supposed to be able to feel it, I did at first, but my epi didn't work the first time so they had to take the catheder out and redo it after they got my epi to work. Typically though, you won't feel it as long as the epi works...and its necessary if you don't want to lay in a puddle of your own urine.

Lisa9926 · January 2012

They put it in because you can't get out of bed and walk to the bathroom to pee. The nurse did me really quickly right after I had the baby before they transitioned me to my post-pardum room so I would be comfortable (my legs still weren't too strong and she just left it in for a few minutes). I truthfully didn't feel it at all, so don't worry about it. It's actually going to be the least of your worries.

Ivana_Stolichnaya · January 2012

They're dumping so many bags of fluids into you through the IV, you will need to use the bathroom. While you have an epidural you can't feel your bladder and whether it's full or not. Trust me, the catheter is the least of your worries and there really no reason to try to avoid it unless you want to pee all over yourself.

When I was hooked up to mine the nurse made a comment that I had a lot of pee draining out and honestly I had no idea, I had no feeling whatsoever about how full my bladder was at that point.

britglenn9 · January 2012

they dont hurt at all, they just feel awkward going in, not painful though. and theyre super important b/c of what PP's have said but also keep in mind that if you have one that stays in it keeps your bladder empty at all times- if your bladder was full or partially full it can slow down labor progression, at least thats what they told us in my childbirth class at the hospital, so theyre a good thing i promise!

TKx2 · January 2012

Well, my water broke about 5 minutes after I got my epi, and and I dilated to 10 about 5 minutes after that, so I didn't have to have one. However, if you aren't ready to push right away, you will probably need one since you won't be able to feel the urge to go and you can't get up. I had one in the ER at the beginning of my pregnancy and while it wasn't the best feeling in the world, it wasn't that bad. And if you get it after the epi, you won't really be able to feel it since you'll be numb.

kris2131 · January 2012

HopingForOne:
I agree with the other ladies - you'll have had the epi, you won't feel it, and you won't care. Honestly, please don't worry about this.

However, a PSA - before my sister had her C-Section, the jerk of a nurse insisted on putting her cath in BEFORE she'd had her spinal block. THAT was painful - if any nurse tries to do this, please refuse It was NOT an emergency Section, and there was no reason other than impatience for her to do it ahead of time.

Oh, and she put it in wrong, and didn't believe my sister, so my sister peed on her to prove she was right

That is awesome. Love it.

llc730 · January 2012

kris2131:

HopingForOne:
I agree with the other ladies - you'll have had the epi, you won't feel it, and you won't care. Honestly, please don't worry about this.

However, a PSA - before my sister had her C-Section, the jerk of a nurse insisted on putting her cath in BEFORE she'd had her spinal block. THAT was painful - if any nurse tries to do this, please refuse It was NOT an emergency Section, and there was no reason other than impatience for her to do it ahead of time.

Oh, and she put it in wrong, and didn't believe my sister, so my sister peed on her to prove she was right

That is awesome. Love it.

I am a nurse and I still think that is funny. Serves her right for not putting the patient first! BTW I would side-eye a nurse who doesn't know right away that she put a catheter in wrong. From experience I can tell you it is easy to do (female caths are MUCH harder than male), but you should know right away because you don't get any urine to come out.

RaeJ004 · January 2012

salt78:

When you are in labor, a catheter is going to be the least of your worries.

I've heard that you don't even feel it.

This. Plus I spend so much time walking to and from the bathroom as it is, I'd take one now if they let me!

AprilAngie · January 2012

AlabamaMamma224:
they put a catheter in because you won't necessarily be able to feel when you have to pee. If they wait until you have the epidural you won't feel it.

I don't care putting it in - its after taking it out I hate.

I try to avoid it if possible.

HopingForOne · January 2012

AprilAngie:

AlabamaMamma224:
they put a catheter in because you won't necessarily be able to feel when you have to pee. If they wait until you have the epidural you won't feel it.

I don't care putting it in - its after taking it out I hate.

I try to avoid it if possible.

You can't feel it when they take it out either...at least I didn't...

tqsbride · January 2012

Once you get that epi, you become a huge fall risk. You can't feel anything from the waist down (including the urge to urinate). A bedpan is out of the question, since you can't shift your hips for the nurse to slide it under and you can't get out of bed to use a bedside commode. If you didn't get an indwelling catheter, you'd soak the sheets considering how much IV fluid the facility gives you during the entire laboring process to avoid dehydration. On the plus side, you'll hopefully get the catheter after you've had your epi, so you won't even feel it.

Sascha3 · January 2012

I am very sensitive to things like catheters and phobic of them. Mine was put in after my epi had taken effect so I didn't feel a thing and I didn't feel them remove it. I had no pain there after. I would just make sure it is done after you have the epi and not before. At first I was completely numb everwhere except my vagina...for some reason that went numb after 20 minutes. So they waited until it did.

SoxGirl0205 · January 2012

HopingForOne:
I agree with the other ladies - you'll have had the epi, you won't feel it, and you won't care. Honestly, please don't worry about this.

However, a PSA - before my sister had her C-Section, the jerk of a nurse insisted on putting her cath in BEFORE she'd had her spinal block. THAT was painful - if any nurse tries to do this, please refuse It was NOT an emergency Section, and there was no reason other than impatience for her to do it ahead of time.

Oh, and she put it in wrong, and didn't believe my sister, so my sister peed on her to prove she was right

FWIW: If it was a scheduled c-section then she would have been prepped in triage and pre-op, most {but not all} hospitals start the IV and insert the foley in the pre-op area before entering the sterile enviroment of the OR. It may have been that hospitals policy to do it that way, I have had a foley done on myself with no block or epidural and I realize how painful it is but sometimes that is policy.

And think about it like this, had your sister already received her block she wouldn't have been able to tell that the cath was inserted improperly and that could have cause a serious infection.

mhubbar5 · January 2012

I know I had one, but i couldn't tell you when they put it in or when it was they took it out. Never felt a thing!!!!

[Deleted User] · January 2012

Catheters were one of the reasons that I went med-free. The idea of something going in my urethra really freaked me out. However, my placenta wouldn't deliver and they needed me to empty my bladder to give it more room. My muscles were so tensed that I couldn't pee, so I got a catheter anyway. Even without the epidural it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be. Awkward, but not painful. I would rate it on par with a pap smear.

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