UTIs are common in pregnant women apparently

budzynb · January 2017

Hey ladies. So I really just wanted to get a PSA out there. If you have super uncomfortable pressure on your bladder and can't empty it, go to the ER!
The past 4 mornings I've been waking up at 4am with this intense feeling of needing to pee. I'll sit and slowly breathe for 15 minutes and get NOTHING out. Then I go back to bed (afraid I will wet it) and eventually fall back asleep. Then the same thing happens at 6am, but those times I would start getting ready for my day and 10 minutes later I would be able to go finally. No burning so i thought it was just uterus pressure. My midwife wasn't concerned either when I told her. Today, however, nothing helped! I also went from looking like i had a big burger at lunch to being 30 weeks pregnant! I went to work and every 15 minutes did the potty dance all the way to the bathroom 7 times in 2 hours to only get 3 drops out. Dr office told me to go straight to the ER. While there I go a few oz out but no relief. They did an US and found i had over a liter of urine in my bladder. They took the sample and ran labs on it. While the labs were processing, they brought in the catheter kit box. It literally scared the piss out of me! Over the next hour I was able to get 1.8L out on my own, slowly. It ended up being a UTI and I got to leave catheter-free!! Here's to hoping tomorrow morning is better and the prescription is working already!!

TL:DR: if you feel like you need to pee but literally can't, you could have a UTI even if it doesn't burn.

Just felt the need to share since nobody told me UTIs were totally common for pregnant women until I actually was diagnosed.

hupp0013 · January 2017

That is crazy. I hope you get better soon! Also wanted to say catheters are no fun and I am glad the threat of one helped you pee.

BlackNYellow · January 2017

Wow glad you caught it before you did any permanent damage!

brookeelyse527 · January 2017

Utis are common that is why your urine is tested at every appt. Sometimes there are no symptoms.

tripledaggerWed95976 · January 2017

Thanks for the info but like @brookedeyo said, most OBs test for UTIs at every appointment because they are extremely common in pregnant women. I have one right now and had no symptoms. The only reason I found out I had it is because my urine was routinely tested at my last OB appt.
Hopefully everyone already knows that if you can't empty your bladder then you need to call the doctor

hupp0013 · January 2017

@brookedeyo I have never have my urine checked at every appointment. I would have never guessed that would be standard procedure at some clinics.

brookeelyse527 · January 2017

@hupp0013 huh, that's weird! Yup every time. Pee in a cup! They also dipstick for glucose and proteins which is important to keep an eye out for during pregnancy.

tripledaggerWed95976 · January 2017

@hupp0013 do you give urine specimens when you see your OB? If you do, then it was most likely tested for UTI. Since it is a routine practice, they usually don't notify you that they are testing for it unless it comes up positive.
I have never been to a single prenatal checkup where I wasn't asked for a urine specimen and this is my second child/third OB.

its totally impartitive that OBs collect urine samples because they also are testing for preeclampsia. So while you may not know you are being tested, I can almost guarantee that you are.

hupp0013 · January 2017

@tripledaggerWed95976 and @brookedeyo I have given urine samples for the pregnancy tests, when my doctor runs bloodwork in the beginning (like my first prenatal visit,) as well as tests a little later to see if I was spilling protein when they were checking to see if I was developing preeclampsia. I have had 3 different doctors in 3 different practices for my previous two pregnancies and that hasn't been standard procedure. I do live in a small town, so I am sure procedures are a little bit different than they would be in larger cities.

PinkPrincessPiper · January 2017

I give a urine sample at every visit too. My office also checks glucose level & proteins. It should be standard practice.

Heads up: Yeast Infections are also common during pregnancy.

dmbfan46835 · January 2017

hupp0013 said:

@brookedeyo I have never have my urine checked at every appointment. I would have never guessed that would be standard procedure at some clinics.

Same here. With my last baby I peed once, at my initial appt. that's it. And we live in a decently sized town and it's a very large practice. But my friend who saw a different doctor at the same practice DID pee at each appt. I switched docs due to mine not feeling it necessary to come deliver DS so we will see once I have my first appt next week what the protocol is for him. I actually assumed my friend was the weird one to always be peeing but I guess maybe not.

SouthernMama15 · January 2017

I had one with my first pregnancy and had no symptoms. Then I got a yeast infection from the antibiotics with no symptoms. I pee in a cup every time. There's a little cabinet in the bathroom at the office full of specimen cups and instructions hanging on the wall.

budzynb · January 2017

Odd, I have my pee checked at every visit. I had just gone in Tuesday for my 12wk apt and they said nothing to me. I even told my Midwife I couldn't pee and she said it might just be muscle spasms from me starting Keegels. So I really wonder what they check my pee for because obvious it's not UTIs lol. Thanks for the kind wishes, ladies! I was able to go all night no problems!!

Mango517 · January 2017

That sounds horrible! Thanks for sharing because I had no idea you could have a UTI without all the normal symptoms. Glad you got some relief!

Verstej2 · January 2017

My midwifery team has all the supplies in the bathroom at the office to check for protein. They always ask you to take a sample and dip the test stripe that tells you if you have high levels and report back to them. I have never been tested regularly for UTI's although they have always tested a few times during each pregnancy. But this week I met with the midwife for the first time this pregnancy and she specifically asked about my UTI history. If I had a history they would test me regularly. She did say that if I felt any symptoms at all or suspected for any reason (they can often be symptom free) that I may have one, to page them right away and they would do a sample to check. She mentioned that during pregnancy it is common for them to be symptom free and that they can cause kidney complications more often in pregnancy.

I'm super glad you went in and got treated, and am glad you manged to get it all out on your own!

budzynb · January 2017

@Verstej2 thanks, me too! It's just super odd that I was in on Tuesday and gave a sample and online it shows the sample was negative for anything abnormal. But I started having these symptoms 6 days ago! I've never had a UTI so I had no clue what the signs were anyway. Glad I caught it too, I was more worried about baby than me though lol

lmyrmo · January 2017

Actually, it sounds like an incarcerated uterus. If the uterus essentially gets trapped under the public bone in the first trimester, it causes urinary retention (which can also lead to uti. Utis are more common in pregnancy, but if you continue to have retention despite antibiotics, your ob needs to evaluate further. Some need a catheter or pessary until the uterus grows heavy enough. Just fyi.

caitlyn5454 · January 2017

Yes, they are. Ridiculously common. UTIs, bladder infections, and kidney infections are all highly common during pregnancy. I had two during my last pregnancy, both became kidney infections, and the last one blew up into a blood infection right after I gave birth because of how bad it had gotten. Had no symptoms because of the pressure of LO on my bladder, I couldn't feel anything. The amount of leukocytes (white blood cells) in your urine is what tells your OB whether or not to be concerned, it's usually a scale of 0, +1, +2. At +1, my OB asks if I have any symptoms, and at +2, they automatically do a further urine test and prescribe antibiotics as necessary. Perhaps your OB's office doesn't do the leukocyte test, just protein and glucose.

budzynb · January 2017

@lmyrmo sounds like what's been going on. I know I have a tilted uterus so I've been doing yoga poses to help it flip to a normal position sooner. I had the issue again Saturday and tried a heating pad and also did dishes for a few minutes. The warm water on my hands and/or the heating pad did the trick after waiting for it to naturally happen for 2 hours. SO I'm glad I found a home-remedy so I don't need a catheter...yet. I've also set an alarm for 3am every night to go so I won't be able to accumulate as much urine overnight and cause that pressure. I woke up on my own at midnight and went so I turned off my alarm, but it's there as a safety net. Hoping these things help and don't hinder my problem for now!

@caitlyn5454 yes my OB called Friday afternoon and I asked her and she said they only check for protein and glucose, both which were fine before the UTI showed up Hopefully your doctor is watching you closely this pregnancy for another kidney infection because a blood infection does not sound fun at all!! My white blood cell count at the hospital was a +3 supposedly if that exists lol.

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