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Of Bladders and Bedwetting
A Simple Explanation of the Urinary System
By Lyn Mettler
Using the bathroom is an automatic, almost unconscious task; one we take for granted. But urination is actually a complicated process that involves the nerves, muscles, spinal cord and the brain. If everything is not functioning exactly as it is supposed to, problems like incontinence and bedwetting can result, making us realize what an important process it really is.
The urinary system is made up of two kidneys, two ureters, a bladder and a urethra. According to the National Association for Incontinence (NAFC), the kidneys remove waste products from the blood and continuously produce urine. The muscular, tube-like ureters move urine from the kidneys to the bladder, where it is stored until it flows out of the body through the tube-like urethra.
According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), the bladder is made of two types of muscles: the detrusor, which stores urine and squeezes to release urine; and the sphincter, a circular muscle at the bottom of the bladder which contracts to hold urine and relaxes when the detrusor contracts to pass urine into the urethra. The pelvic floor muscles, below the bladder, also help with continence by contracting to keep the urine in the bladder.
When babies are born, their urinary systems are not fully developed. A baby's bladder fills to a set point, then automatically contracts and empties, according to the NKUDIC.
Want to see more?
- The Straight Truth: Drying Up Bedwetting Myths
- Strategies to Maintain Bedwetters' Self-Esteem: Four Helpful Tips for Parents
- Daytime Wetting – Helping Your Child Stay Dry
- Good Mornings: Bedwetting and Your Child
- Wet, but Dry
- The Effects of Divorce on Children – A Potential Cause for Bedwetting
- Oh Brother, I Wet the Bed