How to Know if Your Baby has a UTI
When my middle daughter was a toddler, we had a run in with a UTI and it was not an experience I’d wish on any mama. But it happens! Let’s talk about it so it doesn’t have to be so taboo and you know what to look out for! First things first, the mom guilt can eat you up on this one. UTIs in children can be hard to detect, and then once you figure it out, it’s easy to think, “Ugh, I should have noticed that sign so she could have been helped sooner!” Even as a nurse, I thought about the things I could’ve and should’ve done better, but truly we’re doing our best and UTIs can be tricky.
If your child is not yet potty trained, trying to figure out if they have a UTI can be difficult. The symptoms mirror what we experience as women- frequency, burning with urination, foul smelling urine, blood in urine, fever, and nausea. These symptoms are hard to detect if you’re not the one experiencing them, you know? When we see our child upset and aren’t directly associating it with them urinating, it can be hard to make the correlation. It’s easy to assume they’re simply tired or hungry. When I suspected my daughter had a UTI, I shared about our experience and got a bunch of questions about how I knew she might have a UTI. It’s a valid question!
In this situation, being a nurse and mom of three, (at the time of this story) both helped and hindered the situation. I try to be relaxed as a nurse and seasoned mom and tend to give other reasons for the symptoms before jumping to the worst case scenario. So one Tuesday morning I noticed my daughter’s urine was super strong smelling when I got her out of her crib (she was in diapers at this time). But she was happy and acting normal, no fever or anything else, so decided to keep my eye on it. Then, Tuesday evening she started getting super clingy and fussy. I thought, “I’m weaning. She probably just wants connection and to be close.” By Wednesday morning, her urine smelled so bad and I knew something was going on. I called the pediatrician and they told me to monitor throughout the day and keep her hydrated since she didn't have a fever, wasn't vomiting, etc. But that evening, I was confident she had a UTI just from how bad her urine smelled and how she was acting “off”. Anything that grows bacteria, smells bad. So that was my sign. Then, thinking back to the last two days, I could see all the other symptoms and make sense of them being directly from the UTI. Hindsight is 20/20, right?
As a nurse, I knew that suspecting a UTI probably meant we were going to have use a catheter to get a urine sample. If a child is not potty trained, sometimes a catch bag can be used, but oftentimes a catheter needs to be used. At the appointment, they said they would try to bag her and hopefully not have to do a catheter. I wasn't super optimistic about it. From working in the NICU, I know the bags aren't very sticky- especially on a toddler who doesn’t sit still. As expected, the bag didn't work and they did end up having to do a catheter in order to complete the urinalysis. The urinalysis tells if there is an infection present, how much blood is present, and helps determine what antibiotic will best treat the infection, so it’s very necessary! However, no one wants to catheterize a baby. I had to do it a few times when I worked at the hospital. It's not fun. But when you’re the parent of a child getting catheterized, it’s gut wrenching. Nightmare material. It was awful, not only for her, but also to have to watch it happen. Your feelings are valid if this is you too! But kids are so resilient and thankfully we were able to figure out what she needed. Once we got my daughter started on the antibiotic she felt better pretty quickly. Thank goodness!
prevention
Some people are just more prone to UTIs, but there are some things you can do to prevent them. One would be frequent diaper changes and not letting baby run around in a wet diaper too long. If your baby gets a UTI, it can be easy to feel guilty about it as a mom. It happens to all of us- me too! Another preventative measure is wiping properly. Talk with your partner and anyone else who cares for your baby! Make sure they know to wipe your baby girl from front to back, not back to front, as that can introduce bacteria into the urethra and start an infection. Staying hydrated is another good preventative measure to remember!
treatment
Hydration can help to flush bacteria out of the urinary tract. Also, of course, antibiotics can be very helpful in getting rid of the bacteria. UTIs can become serious if they are able to go on too long without appropriate treatment. Bacteria can travel up the urinary system to the kidneys, which can also become infected. Many times, the doctor will likely start with a broad spectrum antibiotic that will usually work and take care of the infection, but if the urine culture comes back and the infection isn't reactive to that antibiotic, they’ll call in another prescription to make sure the right antibiotic is being used. That's where the urine culture comes in handy and is necessary- to get the right treatment! I hope you never have to go through this with your little one, but if so, I hope this blog helps you feel better prepared!
