The meatus (mee-AY-tus) is the opening in the penis where the urine (pee) comes out. In meatal stenosis (mee-ATE-ul steh-NO-sis), the opening is too small.

Your child's urologist (urinary system specialist) did a meatoplasty (mee-AT-uh-plas-tee) to fix the meatal stenosis. A small cut was made to make the meatus bigger, and stitches were put in to keep the opening bigger as it heals.

Here's how to care for your child at home.

Follow your surgeon's instructions for:

• Giving your child any medicines for pain such as acetaminophen (Tylenol® or a store brand) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®, or a store brand). Follow the directions on the label for how much to give and how often. Don't give ibuprofen to babies under 6 months old.
• Don't give aspirin to your child. It can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome.
• When it's OK to bathe your child and any other special instructions
• Activities and items to avoid, such as swimming, toys like baby jumpers, and for older kids, lifting weights or riding bikes. You should use your child's car seat as usual.
• If the stitches need to be taken out or if they will dissolve on their own
• Scheduling follow-up visits

Caring for the surgery area:

• For the first two weeks: Gently pull the edges of the meatus apart and apply antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly to the tip 3–4 times a day.
• For the next two weeks: Gently pull the edges of the meatus apart and apply antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly once at bedtime.

Eating and drinking:

• On the day of surgery, your child may have some nausea (sick to the stomach) and vomiting (throwing up) from the anesthesia for a few hours after the procedure. Give your child clear fluids (such as apple juice, broth, ice pops, and water). For babies, give an oral electrolyte solution (Pedialyte® or Enfalyte®).
• If your child is taking the clear fluids/electrolyte drinks well, you can slowly start to give them their regular diet.

General information:

• Let your child rest as needed. They may be more tired than usual since they had general anesthesia to make them sleepy for the meatoplasty.
• For the first few days after the surgery, dress your child in loose-fitting underwear. If your child is still in diapers, change the diaper often. Let your child be diaper-free, if possible.
• Encourage your child to use the bathroom. Make sure they are peeing every 2–3 hours, are pooping regularly, and are not constipated (having hard poops or trouble pooping).
• Don't let your child use a rocking horse, seesaw, jungle gym, slide, or swing set; ride a bike; or do other activities that could injure the surgery area until the surgeon tells you it's OK (usually after a week or so).

Your child:

• Has pain or stinging when peeing that lasts more than a day or two
• Has a spraying pee stream that lasts more than about a week
• Is vomiting or has a fever or trouble pooping
• Has yellow or green pus or blood coming from the meatus 
• Seems to be in a lot of pain
• Has worsening swelling or bruising
• Isn't back to their regular diet within a day or so

Your child:

• Can’t pee
• Is bleeding a lot from the meatus
• Isn't drinking at all or has signs of dehydration (not enough water in the body), such as a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, less pee or darker pee than usual, little or no tears when crying, or unusual sleepiness

What causes meatal stenosis? Meatal stenosis can happen when an irritation causes a scar to form at the meatus. This makes the opening for peeing smaller. The irritation may come from rubbing against a diaper, an injury to the penis, or having a catheter (a plastic tube that lets the pee flow out of the body) in place for a long time. Meatal stenosis is more likely to happen in males who are circumcised (had the skin that covers the end of the penis removed).

Can meatal stenosis come back after meatoplasty? If you follow the directions for caring for your child's penis, meatal stenosis will probably not come back. If your child has signs that the meatal stenosis is returning, such as peeing upward, needing to pee a lot, taking a long time to pee, or has pain when peeing, call your healthcare provider.