Those wet nappies are the best way to keep a close watch of your baby’s health condition. It is always handy to check the soiled nappies before disposing them because they will show you if your baby is fine and taking in sufficient food.
It is always the mother’s instincts which will guide her to detect any trouble maker at an early stage because she knows how the baby’s system will react if something was not just right.
How often will my baby urinate?
This depends on how old your baby is, and how often your baby drinks milk. Within her first 24 hours, she will only wet herself once and her urine will be a reddish-orange as the urine concentration is high. This will increase later depending on the amount of milk your baby consumes.
However, on average a healthy baby will start urinating eight to ten times after her sixth day, again, depending on how often you give her milk
Let us see how her urine output gradually increases:
- On the second day your baby will wet twice and her urine will be a paler shade of orange
- The third day’s nappy changing will increase as she wets herself thrice on this day and the colour will drop to a bright yellowish-orange
- On her fourth day the urine will be a lemon-yellow and she will wet herself four to five times
- From the fifth week onwards, you can expect eight to ten nappy changes while the urine is a lighter yellow. Also remember that some babies may urinate six to eight times which is normal
How do I know my baby urinates enough?
This question bothers most newly mothers and mothers-to-be. Keeping track of her urination pattern is simple. Watching your baby’s nappies and keeping count of the times she wets herself will be the best mirror to stay tuned with this.
In the meantime, you should remember that disposable nappies are good absorbents and makes it harder to detect wetness while cloth nappies are the entire opposite. However if you do prefer disposable nappies pour two teaspoons of water on to a fresh disposable nappy and see how it absorbs water. Then when your baby wets herself, you will know how much liquid she has passed out.
By tearing, the used disposable nappy apart and observing its layers you will be able to see if she urinated. If the inside layer is warm, wet and small of urine then there is no problem.
Also another way to detect wetness in a disposable nappy is by placing a piece of clean and soft tissue in it. This way the tissue will absorb the wetness and help you observe her urination process easily.
My baby’s urine changes colour, is this normal?
Of course, it is, and there is no need to panic if the colour changes are as we explained above. Her first urine will be orange and may seem like blood but this is because her urine contains nitrates and the concentration is very think.
The other thing you should note is that baby girls may have urine which can be blood tinged during her early days. This is known as pseudo-menstruation, and also known as false menstruation, which is normal and takes place because of the hormonal changes in your baby’s body.
In addition if your baby went through a circumcision you will see blood in his nappy during the first few hours of the process but expect small drops of blood for as long as twenty four hours.
How do I know if something is wrong?
It is always important to note when something is wrong. Is your baby urinating normal? Is she sick and you don’t realize? How can I know if something is wrong?
First, remember that the presence of blood other than of pseudo-menstruation and circumcision is never normal. This shows that something is wrong.
Sometimes that scary bloodstain in her nappy will be a cause of a nappy rash but you cannot be too sure because it also could be a sign of something more severe.
If your baby show signs of pain when urinating it is time for you to consult your doctor because urination is easy and never painful for a baby. This pain could be caused by an infection or abdominal pain.
Also the other times you should rush to your doctor is if your baby urinates less than six times within day after her fifth day and if your baby is producing only a small amount of dark yellow urine after day four. This may be a cause of less milk consumption and problems in her digestive system, which is still very vulnerable.
Is it normal if my baby’s urine smells?
If your baby’s urine puts out a strong odour, it is always handy to consult your doctor as this may happen for a number of reasons. However, this also could be a result of something different your baby consumed but to be in the safe side pay a visit to tour doctor. We advise you to keep track of what you feed your baby, best to write it down before going to your doctor.
When your baby cries while urinating strange smelling urine and shows signs of fever then that could mean she has attracted a urinary tract infection, which should be showed to a doctor immediately before any delay. Early detection and medication will be always healthy as your baby’s immunity system is very fragile.
Also, remember that if you dint change your baby’s nappy overnight it is normal for it to give out an odour.
It is important to note that if your baby is very thirsty and hungry more frequent, urinates more than usual, she seems tired most of the time, loses weight in an alarming weight and nappy rashes seem to be permanent it is a must to consult your doctor immediately.
As your baby’s amount of urination is the mirror to her health keep a good watch out for the times and amount she urinates.