Q for Alan or any other medical profs about catheter

[AnyDream]

Hello, ever since I attended my CS info session last week something has been bugging me.

During the session, they showed us the catheter they insert prior to surgery, soft and rubbery (with a long tube & a collection bag attached). However, during my first labour I was catherised several times (due to overful bladder - another story) and I distinctly remember a short rubbery tube with a long hard wire/stick on the inside to hold it straight. I asked the CS session midwife about it and she said no, on women they use a soft floppy tube as it's fairly easy to feed in.

Does this mean they have used a 'male' type catheter on me? Are there any circumstances which would necessitate having the stick inside the catheter to insert it for a woman? Is it possible my memory is correct because this may have been standard procedure in the past? Have I remembered this incorrectly or is this *yet another* example of horrendously bad/outdated practice that I experienced during that labour?