Strong smelling urine in my breastfed baby ... is this a symptom of anything?

[BorgLady]

My DS is now 9 weeks old and has been exclusively breastfed since birth. (Still can't believe I've managed it, !)

He's big and seems healthy (was 13lbs 1oz at last clinic visit) but has had a few problems with colic for which I have been giving him Infacol.

Over the weekend, I have noticed his nappies have been really smelly. He hasn't been pooing much (though I understand this is quite normal in breastfed babies) usually once a day, which is the usual yellow, grainy poo that looks fine.

He wees a lot, and it's his wee that is concerning me, as it smells really strong. It's still clear, though.

I have my post natal check up tomorrow, just wondering if this is worth mentioning or if it's normal.

TIA!

I would mention it. It may be totally normal but strong smelling urine can be sign of urine infection.

I'm interested in this, as DS wee smells very strong lately. Didn't want to post again after boring you with tmi on his poo.
Wee nappies didn't use to smell at all.

xx

Not sure if this applies in babies, but with an active child/adult with smelly wee they would be told to drink more water.
Would this be possible?

I had this with my exclusively bf ds1, (who also didn't poo much at all.) (Make the most of it, though. DS2 was also excl bf, and pooed for England. Several times a day!) I mentioned the smally wee to our GP who was very reassuring, though can't remember exactly what he said. However, it did clear up, shortly afterwards.

So do mention it to put your mind at rest . . .

Oops. Smelly wee

Thanks for your responses, it seems as though there's quite a bit of variation in poo and wee of breastfed babies then, phew!

Thinking about what CherryChapstick said, obviously I can't give DS water, but do you think it could be a sign that I might need to drink more myself?

BorgLady - your own intake of water will not affect your baby's hydration levels in any way at all, so the answer to your question is 'no'

If your baby does need more fluid (and it really does not sound as if he does...), then he would get it by breastfeeding more often.

That's what I thought, just checking!

I'll mention it to my doc tomorrow and see what he says. Thanks all for your help.

Why can't you give him water?
I gave mine water. Boiled, cooled water. It is fine.

Cherry - water not needed for any babies below 6 mths, and it's not recommended for various reasons.

Prob will do no harm to the majority, it's true. But it's a hassle, not necessary, and there are some risks.

breastfed babies don't need water - they get all their hydration needs from the breast.

Hmm, this may sound wierd but can you describe what it smells like? If it just smells like wee, but stronger, I wouldn't worry too much. However, if it smells strong, but different it's probably worth mentioning. It's much less common in boys, but my DD had this - god knows why, but we sort of ignored it because it was on and off for a couple of day - the next thing we knew she had a fit (febrile convulsion) and was hospitalized for a severe urine infection. I guess the moral is, these things are always worth checking out.

Well this morning I thought something was burning and described the smell to DH as wee on toast.
Then my eyes were burning when I took the nappy off! He'd been changed in the night as well. Will mention to HV I think (after swearing to avoid them after last week!)

xx

Well, in that case, please keep an eye on it because it could be a urine infection, and they are really uncomfortable and painful for babes - keep and eye on his temperature too. It will need properly treating if it is. You will also need to try and get a urine sample. I think it was Psycho who posted a great tip for this on a thread recently if your DS is still in nappies. You stand them in a bath of cold water and it makes them wee. Good luck!