Marydean,

I have only ever catherised men AND women for a c/s with a soft tubing (often latex) . i have honestly never seen one with a metal guidewire. There is no need for a guidewire as the tubing is sufficiently firm to pass through.

Was your last birth natural? From what you have discribed it sounds like an in-out catheter (or intermittent catheter) was used (if it was placed in to drain then removed straight away - done a number of times etc). these are considerably shorter and firmer (often silicone or a pvc) as they are often designed for self-catherisation and it makes it easier to be used by the lay person. It is a possibility they used this type of catheter during a normal labour (no spinal/epidural for c/s) as it eliminates having a longer term catheter in place which may get in the way down there and therefore causes a problem with sterility.

The catheter the mw showed you for your c/s is th correct type and will stay in for a day or 2 until you are mobile and can attend the loo. If you didnt have this in, you could pee during your c/s due to loss of control from the epidural/spinal anaesthetic.



I hope this helps. not sure about the wire you described. Are you sure there was wire in it as this would be a concern as it is possible to damage the tender walls of the urethra (whether male or female). Could you ask the hospital you attend what you were catheterised with? Could it had a line on the tubing that looked like wire?

pm