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E. coli In urine
Has anyone's baby ever been diagnosed with e. coli in urine? Can it come from diapers? Any connection to washing machine?
My little one has and I'm not sure how she got it. Please help if you have experienced.
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Re: E. coli In urine
My dd had a uti at 6 weeks with antibiotic resistant e coli. This was before we used cloth diapers and we think it's just because newborn poops are so explosive that fecal bacteria moved into her bladder. We were also using a little bowl of water and cloth wipes at the time so it may have gotten contaminated but I doubt it.
Urine should be sterile though and not contain any bacteria.
It was a terrible experience because a 104 fever in a newborn is a crisis situation involving spinal taps and blood draws and general awfulness so my perspective is a little skewed. Sorry.
It cleared with the right antibiotics. They also sent her for a test to make sure it wasn't a physical issue, and did a urine collection every couple weeks for 6 months.
Make sure your wiping front to back, rinse with fresh water with no other additives because soaps and fragrances can irritate the urethra and allow bacteria to enter, and frequent baths with no additives like bubble bath.
If your diapers are really clean it shouldn't be an issue but you can bleach or sun periodically to make sure. And make sure they are really really dry.
Run a 1/4-1/2 cup of bleach through your washer (empty) just in case.
E Coli is a very common cause of urinary tract infections. Urine is normally sterile, it only has bacteria in it if there is an infection aka UTI or bladder infection.
It's highly unlikely that it has anything to do with your cloth diapers or anything else that you did. As long as you are wiping front to back and changing poopy diapers within a reasonable time frame you are fine. The trace amount bacteria (if any) that manages to survive the wash and either the heat of the dryer or the bacteria destroying UV rays of the sun is minuscule compared to what comes rocketing out of the baby when he/she poops. Bleaching won't hurt as long as your baby doesn't have sensitive skin, but it is probably not necessary.
Hope your baby is feeling better.
We have no fever and no signs of "sickness". We just fail the urine collection. Do you know which antibiotic your daughter was on?
Thank you for sharing your story.
This! I'm an RN, and if LO isn't sick with a fever, I would guess the sample is contaminated.
Im a pediatric RN and UTIs are really quite common with babies. They can be really serious, but if detected early enough they are usually treated pretty easily with antibiotics.
E. coli is not supposed to be in the urine. It is in stool though, which is why it's a common bug with urinary Tract infections, which are pretty common in little ones.If the sample was done by catheter, there is little chance of contamination, but if it was done by a bag or a cup, then it very well could be contaminated.
Watch closely for fever, fussiness outside of her/his norm, or lack of appetite. Also, if the specimen was not done by catheter, I recommend getting a straight cath done to be sure.
Your diapers/wash routine isn't probably what would introduce the bacteria (not so long as you do it properly) and unless your baby sits in poopie pants for a long time, I would chalk a UTI up to contamination when wiping (which is common). be sure (as PP have said) to always wipe front to back. Never use a wipe that has stool anywhere near the vagina and Be sure also to really clean out the vagina, making sure no tiny poop particles are hiding in the labia.