is it SOP to cath a woman before an epidural or even during?
It's definitely not SOP before (though you'd be encouraged to empty your bladder the old fashioned way before the epidural is placed).
That said, it's definitely SOP after the epidural is placed. After the epidural, you can't get up to walk to the bathroom, but you've got IV fluid running at a pretty good clip (to counteract the possible drop in blood pressure associated with epidural placement) so your bladder gets full somewhat quickly, which can interfere with the baby's head dropping down effectively. So usually a woman has her bladder emptied with a catheter every four hours once epidural is placed.
Jen, is it SOP to cath a woman before an epidural or even during?
Aimee, you mean a urine cath, right? I don't think it is. Did you have one? If so, did they already know you were going to be a section if/when they cath-ed you?
Ok, then I am 2 years late in the mad at my nurses. (They were not great nurses. My L&D nurse that actually took me thru delivery was made of 24k AWESOME. as most nurses are.)
I kept saying I had to pee, cause that's what it felt like. I couldn't explain that it was pressure that I was feeling cause, hello? pain. So they cathed me way freaking early. Couplea hours after the cath I felt the pressure go and said, "Oh finally. I peed." and they said, "Nope - that was your water breaking." and thinking about it, I wish that they had asked me what the sensation was I was feeling so that I could explain and maybe not have the cath so early cause I hate them and they suck.
Oh well.
So usually a woman has her bladder emptied with a catheter every four hours once epidural is placed.
Really? I probably didn't have my epi for that long, with Ben. With Julia, I definitely didn't. They had to shut the meds right off, a literal minute after the epi was inserted.
If so, did they already know you were going to be a section if/when they cath-ed you?
No - they cathed me way before my epidural. I think. I might be wrong about the whole thing. The demoral took away a lot of memories.
I had no cath.
But I had a walking one, so I could get up and use the bathroom. And did. At least once.
Yay, Zmaybaby!!!!!
Is it too late for me to enter the time pool? If not, I say 6:30 am tomorrow morning.
I couldn't pee in late labor with Eve. It was kind of a problem, actually. Then I peed ALL OVER the midwife while she was sewing me up. I was like, "sorry!" and she was all, "seen worse."
Fingertip dilated only suggests a long night ahead for the Zmayhems, though. I was a fast laborer, and was 7cm when we got to the hospital with Eve, and more like 9 with Peter.
I had to get a cath 14+ hours
after
the baby. I was almost crying I had to pee so bad but I just couldn't go. So weird!
Yay, Zmaybaby!!!!!
Every time I see a variation on this, I think I missed the announcement in Beep Me.
