Red diaper syndrome is an infection by Serratia marcescens bacteria that causes a baby's diaper as well as nursing pads and breast pumps to turn pink or red. Absent signs of clinical infection, it is safe to continue breastfeeding.
It's caused by bacteria called Serratia marcescens. When S. marcescens makes its way into an infant's gastrointestinal tract, the result is a pinkish reddish diaper that will probably totally freak you out. Even weirder: The pink coloration might not set in on your diapers, clothing or nursing pads until the next day.
Wet diapers
In the first few days after birth, you may see orange, pinkish, or chalky urine in your baby's diaper (this can be more common in boys). This isn't blood but urate crystals and is completely normal.
Pink-hued baby pee is typically caused by highly concentrated urine, whereas red, orange, or brown colors could indicate the presence of blood.
Reddish urate crystals may indicate excess blood uric acid; may appear for a week in newborns. Urate crystals in newborn diaper may indicate reddish, orange, or pinkish residue in urine, almost similar to brick-red dust or pinkish stain in the diaper.
Urate crystals also can be seen in older babies and children. This often indicates some level of dehydration, which can result from occurrences such as fever, a reduced number of feedings or volume of human milk or formula, or a shift to warmer weather. The issue typically resolves when fluids are increased.
Normal newborns may have a pink or peach color to the urine for a few days. It looks like powder or dust. The color is due to urate crystals, not blood. The problem is made worse by not drinking enough breastmilk or formula.
For example, this can happen if your child doesn't get enough fluids (is dehydrated). Or it can happen if your child takes certain medicines or has a liver problem. Eating foods such as beets, rhubarb, blackberries, or foods with red food colouring can make your child's urine look red or pink.
Red or pink urine
Red urine isn't always a sign of a serious health problem. Red or pink urine can be caused by: Blood. Health problems that can cause blood in the urine include an enlarged prostate, tumors that aren't cancer, and kidney stones and cysts.
If you notice a red or pink color, call your clinic or visit urgent care. Remember, any pain with a pink/red urine usually means an infection (like UTI) or stones. If there's no pain associated with the blood, that might be more serious — as it's a potential sign of cancer.
If your baby's diaper has a little blood in it, it's usually from something temporary, such as: Vaginal discharge. Newborn female babies may have a little bloody vaginal discharge in their diaper due to the withdrawal of maternal hormones after delivery. This usually stops as the hormones return to normal levels.
If your baby is younger than 6 months and produces little to no urine in 4 to 6 hours, or if your toddler produces little to no urine in 6 to 8 hours, they may be dehydrated. Also be on the lookout for urine that is especially dark and concentrated, which can be an early sign of fluid loss.
The first clue is color. Ideally urine should be anywhere from pale yellow to clear like water. The darker the yellow, the less hydrated your child is.
While they can appear alarming to first time parents, urine crystals - sometimes called 'brick dust' 'brick powder' or 'pink diaper syndrome' - are normal and common among newborn babies. These crystals typically appear as a reddish powder in the diapers, and often are mistaken for blood in the urine.
Newborns often look fair at birth with skin that sometimes has a pinkish tone. The pink tint comes from the red blood vessels which show through your newborn's thin skin. Most parents assume that this is their baby's actual skin colour.
Blue diaper syndrome is a rare, autosomal recessive or X linked recessive metabolic disorder characterized in infants by bluish urine-stained diapers. It is also known as Drummond's syndrome, and hypercalcemia. Blue diaper syndrome. Other names. Other Names: Hypercalcemia, familial, with nephrocalcinosis and ...
Then the bacteria multiply in the bladder. UTIs can cause bleeding that makes urine look red, pink or brown. With a UTI , you also may have a strong urge to pee that lasts a long time. You may have pain and burning while peeing.
S. rubidae is a rare organism causing urinary tract infection (UTI). The red pigment produced by S. rubidae could lead to reddish discoloration of urine.
The urine may look pink, red, or the color of tea or cola. Blood in urine can come from anywhere in the urinary tract. Blood may come from the kidneys, the ureters (tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder), the bladder (where urine is stored), or the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the outside of the body).
Hematuria, or blood in urine, can be common in children. The amount can be so small that you cannot see it with the human eye (microscopic hematuria) or it can color the urine pink, red or brown, like the color of tea or soda (gross hematuria).
Light brown, pink or red urine:
Beets, blackberries and food coloring. Hemolytic anemia (when you don't have enough red blood cells) Kidney injury. Medication.
In many cases, no particular cause for hematuria can be found. In such cases, it's called idiopathic hematuria. In other cases, blood in the urine can occur for a variety of reasons, including kidney disease, urinary infection, certain diseases that run in families, and, rarely, tumors or cancer.
Lower urine pH will reduce the solubility of uric acid, promoting the formation of amorphous uric acid crystals, which exhibit a characteristic pink color. At the same time, metabolic acidosis may aggravate this phenomenon. COVID-19 has been reported to invade cells mainly through ACE2 receptors.
UTIs can be dangerous to babies and toddlers, and it's important to call your doctor if you suspect your child has one. Common symptoms include crying while urinating, foul-smelling or cloudy urine, unexplained irritability, vomiting and diarrhea.