It can be difficult to distinguish when something is wrong with your baby when all they can do to communicate is cry when they are in pain. A cranky infant may have a number of health problems, from having rashes to colds, but some medical problems are harder to identify than others. In many cases, parents may not know that babies can get infected in their urinary tract.
UTIs or urinary tract infections are usually caused by bacteria in the kidneys, ureters – the tubes that carry urine, or the bladder. Sometimes, the body can get rid of this kind of bacteria on its own, but when it cannot, the bacteria can build up and cause an infection. Bacteria and many other infection-causing microbes may enter the urinary tract when an infant has a dirty diaper or when their bottoms are wiped from back to front.
What are the Signs of UTI?
Your baby may have a urinary tract infection if any of the following symptoms occur:
- Have an unexplained fever
- Irritable and cry a lot
- Vomiting
- Cloudy, foul smelling and/or bloody urine
- Be unusually drowsy
- Refuses to eat
- Have poor weight gain
If your child is exhibiting these symptoms and you suspect your baby to have UTI, call your child’s pediatrician immediately or you may contact online doctor Canada. If your child has a very high and unexplained fever or is generally unwell, go to the nearest hospital emergency department right away.
Who Gets UTIs?
UTIs are more common in girls because their urethra is shorter and closer to the anus. For boys, those that are younger than 1 year old and uncircumcised have a slightly higher risk for a UTI. Other risk factors of UTI include:
- problem in the urinary tract, like a malformed kidney or a blockage somewhere along the tract of the normal urine flow
- an abnormal backward flow (reflux) of urine from the bladder up to the ureters and the kidneys, also called the vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). Many kids with UTI are found to have this
- family history of UTIs
- poor hygiene and toilet habits
UTIs can be treated easily, but it is important to catch them early. When a UTI is untreated or undiagnosed, it can lead to kidney damage.
How to Get Diagnosed with UTI?
In order to get a UTI diagnosis, a health care physician will first interview and ask questions about what is going on, then do a physical exam, and take a sample of pee for testing.
How a urine sample is taken will depend on the age of the child. For older kids, they might simply need to pee into a sterile cup. For younger children in diapers, a catheter is usually used. A catheter is a thin tube that is inserted into the urethra up to the bladder to get a clean urine sample. The sample taken will then be used for urinalysis – a test that microscopically checks the urine for germs or pus, or a urine culture – attempts to grow and identify bacteria in a laboratory. Know what bacteria are causing the infection will help your doctor choose the best treatment for you.
For some children, particularly boys less than three months of age and children that are very unwell with their UTI, need an ultrasound in order to make sure that there are no problems in their urinary trats. If a problem is identified, your child will be referred to a pediatrician, urologists, or a renal physician – a doctor who specializes in kidney problems.
Possible treatments for babies with UTI
For babies under three months, they usually need to have antibiotics directly into a vein through a drip to treat a urinary tract infection (UTI). This means that they need to be brought to the hospital to receive treatment.
For babies older than three months, they can sometimes receive treatment at home with antibiotics by mouth.
After treatment, your doctor will check your child’s urine again to make sure the infection has cleared up.
If you have more concerns about how your child’s urinary tract is working, your doctor might refer your child to a specialist for further advice and treatment. For more inquiries, you can contact online doctor Canada.
How to Prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in babies and toddlers cannot be prevented. It can be quite upsetting this especially if your baby needs hospital treatment for a UTI. However, it might be helpful to know that babies and toddlers get over UTIs quickly and don’t need ongoing treatment.
On the other hand, practicing good hygiene can help improve their condition. And frequent diaper changes can help spread the bacteria that cause UTIs.
When to call a doctorImmediately call your doctor if your child has an unexplained fever with shaking chills, especially when there is pain when peeing as well as back pain. If your baby or infant has a fever, feeds poorly, vomits repeatedly, or seems unusually irritable, contact a medical professional right away. For more inquiries about your child’s health, online doctor BC is available to acter for all your needs.
