Urine in a baby
Many parents believe that a baby’s urine should always be normal. After all, with the birth of a baby, as an already formed organism, all excretory functions work tirelessly. Paying attention to the number of urinations, their intensity, and concentration is practically not accepted. And only responsible mothers try to track all the parameters and record the slightest changes occurring in the baby’s genitourinary system. Rarely does anyone continue this habit after leaving their parental home. Few people know that urine may not appear in an infant until the second or even third day. Although, for most healthy babies born naturally, urination on the first day of life should occur no later than 12 hours after birth. During the first day of life, a healthy child can go to the toilet up to 10 times. Monitoring the correct functioning of the entire genitourinary system of a baby is a very responsible task. Thus, in the early stages, many diseases can be prevented, which are indicated by external signs of urine: color, smell, volume, frequency.
Color of urine in infants
We can talk for a long time about the color of a baby’s urine. The color palette varies from light yellow to dark amber. In the first days of life, it should have a light color. If the volume of secretions is scanty, then the saturation can be very high. In this case, you need to take into account the concentration. It not only affects the color of urine, but can also irritate the child’s genitals. As a result of a constant increased amount of salt, the surface of the dermis can be severely irritated.
Sometimes the color of a baby's urine has a pronounced rich yellow color for a long period of time. In some cases, this color indicates kidney and liver diseases. If there are problems with the biliary system, then bilirubin will be present in the urine. This is clearly evidenced by the rich yellow color and characteristic smell.
If new foods are gradually introduced into the baby’s diet, the urine may become colored. Beets, carrots and some other products of plant origin have a significant effect on the color of a baby's urine, despite the fact that he prefers breast milk as the main food product.
It is important not only the color of a baby’s urine, but also its transparency. The presence of turbidity, mucus and other elements in the urine can be caused by cellular formations. Often, it is the appearance of urine that can clearly indicate the presence of various infectious diseases spreading through the urinary tract.
Smell of urine in babies
You should also not ignore the smell of urine in a baby. Quite often, it is a change in smell that may indicate the development of various diseases or growing problems in a fragile body.
The norm is a weak odor with no characteristic specific trails. If there is a normal color and no turbidity, we can talk about quite good urine, which is not a harbinger of any troubles.
When the smell of urine in a baby takes on the specific smell of rotten apples, this is indirect evidence that the acetone has risen greatly. Immediate testing and establishment of an appropriate diagnosis is required. Initially, excess acetone originates in the liver, which means that it is at this moment that it is subject to the greatest irritation and is very sensitive to all kinds of aggressive influences.
Ketone bodies, which are the root cause of excessive acetone formation, do not appear on their own. Their abundant formation is facilitated by:
- constipation;
- strong physical activity;
- toxicity;
- gastritis;
- changing the diet and introducing new foods that are poorly absorbed by the body;
- hypothermia;
- acute infection occurring in the body;
- constant fatigue;
- overexcitement.
When there is an odor of ammonia in a baby's urine, cystitis is present. Bacteria contribute to the decomposition of urine even inside the bladder. As a result, severe inflammation develops in the urinary system, which must be removed with quick and proper drug treatment. As soon as the smell of urine in a baby has undergone significant changes and has become very pronounced, you should consult a doctor to restore normality.
When a urine test is necessary for an infant, there is no need to delay collecting the appropriate material. It is precisely due to the level of various substances that predominate or, on the contrary, are absent in its composition, that an appropriate diagnosis can be made and the right actions taken. In most cases, an infectious disease occurs in the baby’s body that contributes to the suppression of immunity. Therefore, as soon as the pediatrician has prescribed a general urine test or the amount of protein, it is necessary to take the tests to the laboratory as quickly as possible. Based on them, an appropriate diagnosis will be made and treatment will be prescribed. A urine test in an infant is a sure way to improve the health of an organism exposed to aggressive influences.
How to collect urine from a baby
For most young parents, the question is: “How to collect urine from a baby?” becomes a stumbling block. After all, the baby does not yet go to the potty on his own, and you can wait for hours for the cheerful creature to decide to empty his genitourinary system. Moreover, even with a successful combination of circumstances, it is possible to collect the wrong portion of urine and the results will not only be distorted, but can also lead to an incorrect diagnosis.
Before you begin collecting urine, you should carry out water procedures so that the baby’s urine is transferred to the laboratory without foreign impurities arising from the external environment. You need to wash the groin area either with your usual children's cosmetics or with soap intended for little ones. As you know, laboratories take most tests in the morning. Therefore, after waking up and water procedures, you should begin collecting urine. To help parents who don’t know how to get the coveted drops of liquid from their child, special bags have been developed for collecting tests. You just need to stick them in the right place and collecting analyzes will not be difficult. Girls and boys have their own bags, which can be freely purchased in pharmacies.
For older people who can go to the toilet on their own, the issue is much simpler. The only thing worth remembering is that the pot must be perfectly clean before collecting the material. Many parents know how to collect urine from a baby in this case. You just need to pour the clean tests collected in the morning into a special sterile jar and take it to the laboratory.
Taking material from diapers and nappies is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, the results will be distorted and the baby will be given an incorrect diagnosis.
Protein in the urine of a baby
Quite often, the strong activity of the child leads to the fact that protein in the urine of the baby is formed very quickly. Orthostatic proteinuria is one of the diagnoses indicated by protein in the urine of an infant. In some diseases, the presence of protein in the urine can only be detected by re-sampling the material in the afternoon.
Most diseases indicated by protein in the urine can be eliminated quite quickly. Even a simple change in diet (elimination of salt) can lead to a sharp decrease in the amount of protein and stabilization of test results.
Salts in the urine of a baby
Often, salts in a baby’s urine clearly indicate dietary errors. The risk of an abundance of salt in the urine occurs when complementary foods are introduced. Meat broths, fatty meats and fish, eggs and many other animal products can lead to a sharp jump in the amount of salt in the collected material.
Various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, gastric ulcers, gastritis, insufficient fermentation, unstable kidney function and disruptions in the functioning of the biliary tract. It is the salts in the urine of infants that lead to urolithiasis. Therefore, as soon as the amount of salt significantly exceeds the norm, you should urgently contact your pediatrician.
Among the most common diseases that result from excess salt in the urine are:
- intoxication;
- diathesis;
- leukemia;
- fever;
- gout;
- ulcerative colitis;
- pyelonephritis;
- Fanconi syndrome;
- cystitis;
- hyperparathyoresis.
Salts in the urine of an infant should be reduced as soon as the correct diagnosis is made, so as not to contribute to the intensification of the disease.
Leukocytes in the urine of an infant
When a baby’s urinary system is affected, leukocytes in the baby’s urine are observed in a very large volume.
With an increased level of leukocytes in the urine, a clear change in the composition of the material may be observed, which can be quite easily determined visually. White cells in the blood are much higher than normal, which leads to changes in urine.
When leukocytes in the urine of a baby are suspicious, it is worth repeating the analysis, since their elevated levels are usually detected by chance.
In order for parents to independently protect themselves and determine the level of leukocytes (not accurately), they need to conduct a visual analysis. In addition, the olfactory organs will come to the rescue. Thus, elevated leukocytes in the urine of a baby can be determined by a very unpleasant odor, the formation of flakes in a fairly large volume, as well as the cloudy consistency of the collected material. In this case, the color scheme can be either transparent or have a rich yellow color. Often the baby has yellow urine, as the root cause may be kidney disease. Often, diseases of the urinary system lead to a sharp increase in the level of leukocytes in the urine. It is very important for a child to promptly identify the main symptoms of a developing disease, so that over time it does not develop into a pathology that cannot be treated.
When the genital organs are infected, leukocytes can also give inflated results. They often end up in urine accidentally. Often, poor cleansing of the genitourinary system leads to distorted analyzes. In this case, a repeat urine test with proper collection of material is necessary.
Red blood cells in the urine of an infant
Most of the inflammatory processes occurring in the baby’s body are due to the fact that the red blood cells in the urine of the baby are clearly overestimated. It is very important to establish their correct level and determine what was the root cause of their active formation. Most diseases of the kidneys, biliary system and urinary tract can be accompanied by elevated levels. In addition, various viral infections, tumor diseases, injuries, purulent diseases, sepsis, and osteomyelitis can lead to an increased level of red blood cells.
Red blood cells do not appear in a baby’s urine for no reason, and their elevated levels should be taken very seriously.
Bacteria in the urine of a baby
When bacteria are detected in the urine of a baby, it indicates an infection or an active viral disease. It is worth considering that bacteria in a baby’s urine can be a prerequisite for an infectious disease that can adversely affect the child’s fragile body. Although, in most cases they are detected already while in the infectious diseases department of the hospital. If a child begins to have diarrhea, vomiting, fever, increased fatigue and irritability, then the cause of such ailment is bacteria in the baby’s urine. A visit to the hospital or calling a pediatrician at home in the coming hours is vital.
Urine analysis for infants - decoding
Every parent should remember that as soon as a urine test is received from an infant, the interpretation should be carried out by a pediatrician immediately. In most cases, there is no cause for concern. But, it is better to prevent the disease than to pay for its consequences.
Urine in a baby is normal
Every self-respecting pediatrician knows what the norm is for certain urine test indicators. Don’t bother yourself with studying the results on your own. The easiest way is to contact a specialist who can quickly and correctly decipher all the results and make an appropriate diagnosis.
Urine in an infant seems to be a rather minor problem until a diagnosis is made based on tests carried out based on the correct collection of material. You should constantly monitor any changes in your baby’s condition and then he will delight his parents with a cheerful smile and consistently excellent health.
