While putting in a catheter isn't terribly painful, it is uncomfortable, particularly when you're also having contractions. If someone asks to do the catheter before you get an epidural, ask them if there is a reason that it can't wait until after the epidural is in and working. This is usually not a problem.
Planned C-section
You'll also have a catheter (a thin tube) put into place to keep your bladder empty during the surgery. Most women who have planned C-sections get local anesthesia, either an epidural or a spinal block. This will numb you from the waist down, so you won't feel any pain.
A thin, flexible tube called a catheter will be inserted into your bladder to empty it while you're under the anaesthetic, and a small area of pubic hair will be trimmed if necessary. You'll be given the anaesthetic in the operating room.
Inserting either type of catheter can be uncomfortable, so anaesthetic gel may be used on the area to reduce any pain. You may also experience some discomfort while the catheter is in place, but most people with a long-term catheter get used to this over time.
The midwife will take out your catheter about 12 hours after your operation, as long as you've been able to get out of bed. This feels uncomfortable but it isn't painful.
Urinary retention was rarely encountered postoperatively, and the patients ambulated within hours of the surgery. Patients undergoing cesarean delivery (elective/repeat, urgent, or emergent) can safely avoid the use of an indwelling urinary catheter.
As you exhale, your provider will gently pull on the catheter to remove it. You may feel some discomfort as the catheter is removed.
At first, you may feel like you have to urinate. You may have a burning feeling around your urethra. Sometimes you may feel a sudden pain and have the need to urinate. You may also feel urine come out around the catheter.
If a catheter is inserted before you leave surgery, when you're still asleep, you won't be able to feel it being placed. If it is inserted when you're awake, the insertion may feel uncomfortable. While you're wearing a catheter, you may feel as if your bladder is full and you need to urinate.
Urinating after a cesarean section
If you're having difficulties urinating, then you might like to try some ways of triggering the urge – such as turning on a tap, hopping in a warm shower, or pouring a small amount of warm water over the area. If the difficulty persists, then the catheter might need to be reinserted.
The catheter is usually removed immediately after surgery or 12-24 hours or more post- surgery. This practice has been associated with urinary tract infections [10,11].
You'll feel relaxed during the procedure, but you'll be awake and able to follow instructions. A nurse will also clean and shave the area where the catheter will be inserted (usually the wrist, groin or neck) and use a local anesthetic to numb the area.
A patient who's been anesthetized with general anesthesia isn't able to control their urination. Because of this, the surgical team will usually place a Foley catheter before performing the procedure. This ensures that the bladder stays empty and the operation is clean and sterile.
Whether you're self-cathing forever or only for a certain amount of time, choosing not to self-catheterize means you're leaving urine in your bladder for a long period of time, which can lead to a distended bladder or a urinary tract infection.
Bladder spasms, which feel like stomach cramps, are quite common when you have a catheter in your bladder. The pain is caused by the bladder trying to squeeze out the balloon. You may need medicine to reduce the frequency and intensity of the spasms.
A Foley catheter (another type of small plastic tube) may be placed in your bladder to drain urine since you won't be able to get up and go to the bathroom. The Foley catheter is placed after the epidural and is usually not uncomfortable.
To put in the catheter, your medical team probably won't put you to sleep, but they will give you medicine to relax you and make you sleepy. And they'll numb the area where they'll put the catheter in.
Although it is common practice in some jurisdictions to use local anesthesia to relieve pain during urinary catheterization, there has been a limited quantity of mixed evidence regarding the extent to which it reduces pain.
Lubricating the catheter with KY jelly helps reduce discomfort. Removing the catheter in the shower with warm water running on you makes it much less uncomfortable (and it make less of a mess). If you do this, we suggest doing it seated to avoid falling or injury.
Catheters are inserted into the bladder to drain urine, which can irritate the bladder and causes bladder spasms. Bladder spasms happen when the detrusor muscle of the bladder contracts spontaneously and intensely, which feel akin to stomach cramps and menstrual cramps.
What to expect? In the first few hours and days after having the catheter removed you may feel that you have no control over your bladder. It is difficult to predict exactly how you will be affected. Some men will leak small amounts of urine and some will leak or 'gush' large amounts like these men below.
Having a catheter in place should not affect an erection or ejaculation.
The catheter allows urine to drain from the bladder into a bag. Two types of drainage bags may be used with a urinary catheter. A bedside bag is a large bag that you can hang on the side of your bed or on a chair. You can use it overnight or anytime you will be sitting or lying down for a long time.