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Dublin: 11 °C Monday 20 May, 2013

The impact of bed-wetting on Irish mothers

Over two thirds said they were sad their child has to cope with bed-wetting, while 68 per cent were stressed by changing bed sheets.

Image: Ilike via Shutterstock

WORRY, STRESS AND frustration are how mothers of children who wet the bed describe how they feel with over two thirds admitting that they were sad their child has to cope with the condition and 68 per cent said they were stressed by repeatedly changing bed sheets.

In a study launched by the ’No More Nappies’ campaign and Bedwetting.ie, 44 per cent of parents waited up to six months to a year before seeking medical advice because they did not know the early signs of bed-wetting, with almost half saying they thought it was because their child was not yet potty trained.

According to mothers, the three main causes of bed-wetting in children over the age of five, was either laziness or not wanting to wake up, followed by a medical condition or a small bladder.

However, bed-wetting usually occurs when children produce a large amount of fluid at night; this is caused by low night time levels of the vasopressin hormone. Most children who wet the bed have a normal bladder, but some have a smaller capacity to retain urine. Children who wet the bed do not wake to the signals the bladder sends when it is full.

Dr Nick Van Der Spek, Consultant Pediatrician, Cavan General Hospital said bet-wetting is a treatable condition:

Bed-wetting can be a distressing condition for many parents, and in my experience, general awareness of bed-wetting as a treatable condition is quite low. Any mums who are worried or stressed should seek immediate advice from their GP, consult Bedwetting.ie or join me at 7pm on Mon, November 19 on EU Mom’s Facebook page, where I would be happy to answer any questions parents might have on the condition.

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Comments (23 Comments)

  • My son went through this too, when I’d put him back in pull ups he’d be dry most of the week and when I took them off he’d wet every night.
    So one night I decided to put two pairs of pants on ( tight ones ) and he’s been dry ever since.
    Maybe this might work for somebody else too : )

    Reply
    • Mjhint 12/11/12 #

      Joanna both my childrens mother & I have made a plan to deal with my sons issue. Im being told he is being lazy but Im worried as he has gone through a marriage break up. However by sticking to a plan like you we are starting to have results & he is getting better all the time with the odd hiccup. Encouragement & wall charts are good as well.

      Reply
    • Its common enough, especially when kids have to deal with upsets. I found that you can teach a child to self-alert if you calm them before sleep and tell them to talk to themselves and tell themselves to wake up if they need to go.
      I learned this myself in a different set of circumstances where I had to get up for work but had no alarm clock.
      I found I could make myself wake up at the right time. Test it out. Self-hypnosis by simple auto-suggestion. The thing is to teach them to do it for themselves, not to try and hypnotise them. The corresponding feeling of self-empowerment clicks in to create a positive feedback loop.

      Also, keep CALM. Kids are hypersenstive to their parents anxieties. You stay calm, they will, even through major traumas. You panic, they freak.

      Reply
    • …and tell them its an experiment with no guarantees and may take a while to click in but it usually works, but if it takes a while you’ll clean the mess and its not a problem. Reassure them its common, it helps with the inadequacy and culpability anxieties. Its a phase, it can be shortened. First take control, then hand over control. Thats all they need.

      Send the consultation fees to account 49875662 Zurich, Switzerland, c/o Mr B Ahernia.

      Reply
    • Well hohoho…

      I obviously have a secret friend somewhere..now who would downthumb a simple suggestion that might or might not work?And instanter.

      A child-tranquiliser salesman?

      Reply
    • The very feeling that they are trying something positive lowers the anxt and focuses them on something other than their embarrassing helplessness.
      Good luck.

      Reply
  • Surely it impacts on parents not just mothers?

    Reply
  • Ohhh god the memories! My son wet the bed for years. Some times twice a night, tried to get to the bottom of it, tried everything bar the medical route. He was just a heavy sleeper. We could change, wash him and the bed clothes and he would sleep through it!! We just resigned to the fact that some children do it, thankfully he grew out of it but I’m just a dad what do I know

    Reply
  • Just affects mother’s is it? Not father’s too?

    Reply
    • The study by the ’No More Nappies’ campaign and Bedwetting.ie just mentioned mothers in their results. It obviously affects all of the family but we cannot make up the results.

      Reply
    • Usual bias when it comes to baby product companies. Father’s don’t get a look in, in their advertising or “studies”. They’re missing a trick though as this is not the 1950s anymore and there are a lot of hands on/ single dad’s.

      Reply
    • There’s some company (I think it was P&G) who have their advertising tagline as “Proud Sponsor of Mums”. It’s absolutely sickening the attitudes that these companies still have.

      Reply
  • Mjhint 12/11/12 #

    This also affects us single fathers as well. My 4 year old is going through his stage of it.

    Reply
  • Cos you know, father’s are clueless and oblivious? Annoying headline.

    Reply
  • You think that’s bias….. God help you if you (as a father) ever have to seek justice, access rights etc. in our district courts.

    Reply
    • I’m extremely aware of our draconian laws regarding father’s rights in this country. I was just making a point about the current issue at hand.

      Reply
    • Mjhint 12/11/12 #

      Ok Graham we as fathers have made our mark on this thread. Lets stay on topic. I know all about the courts but thats a whole other thread.

      Reply
    • Graham, we know the gig..but it ain’t all about daddy.

      This one is the kids. Get the priorities right, if you are a parent.
      Swallow the shit and get on with keeping them the main focus. Write an article if you want a different thread. Otherwise people might think you are not being adult, and get us fathers a bad name.

      Reply

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