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UTI and collecting water sample from 6mo DD

5 replies

CBear6 · 07/04/2012 23:30

DD was in hospital this last week with what was eventually diagnosed as a UTI. There was a worry it could be meningitis as her temperature went very high and she had what they think was a febrile convulsion so she had to have a lumbar puncture but it was the water samples that grew a veritable forest of bacteria in the lab, so UTI. She was in for three days on IV antibiotics and has another seven days of oral antibiotics to take at home.

She's got her first follow-up appointment on Friday and they want a 'clean catch' urine sample (straight into a container rather than a pad, etc). It took me 14 ... yes, fourteen ... flipping hours in the hospital to get a clean catch. 14 hours of DD lying on the bed on an ecopad with no nappy on and my holding a titchy little cup of completely the wrong size and shape under her hoping and praying that I could somehow catch enough wee in it for them to test. The doctor was in and out asking, the nurse kept saying everyone else gets it on the second attempt, and DD was getting more and more upset while I was getting more and more peed off at that stupid little cup.

My idea for Friday is to obtain a sealable cup from the chemist in the village and do the sample at home that morning, hopefully it'll be good enough for them and saves DD from 14 hours of me hovering over her with a cup.

What's the best way to do it? My idea was to sit her in a shower cap (bought specially for the occasion, of course), wait until she pees in it and then pour it into the beaker. DH's idea is to buy a large funnel, sit her on one of our laps with funnel strategically placed and let her pee straight into the beaker.

I'm guessing there's an easier way?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
workshy · 07/04/2012 23:35

did they not give you a stick on bag that you just pun inside her nappy?

workshy · 07/04/2012 23:37

sorry I know it's supposed to be clean catch but hosp did it with my dd and jsut used sterile wipes on her first

threekidsfourcats · 07/04/2012 23:42

you can usually ask for a urine collection bag, we did for our dd, ask at your gp reception or health visitor xx

leftmysociallifeatthedoor · 07/04/2012 23:42

Yes what workshy said. Surely itd be as clean as using any container?

Fwiw I think the funnel would fill up and overspill before it went down the tube and the showercap would flatten out and apill everywhere (sorry),

Whenever I've had to get samples from ds or dd as babies I've used sterile cotton wool in the nappy or a stick on bag. With ds it was easier obv and if I timed it right he peed straight into the tube. Dd was harder shall we say!

Good luck.

CBear6 · 07/04/2012 23:45

I'll see the Health Visitor about a bag on Tuesday, thanks for the replies. Honestly this cup was the size and shape of a yoghurt pot and rigid so couldn't even be squashed to a more accommodating shape.

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