Urinary disturbances in newborns are often rare and less talked of. However, there are various factors which lead to some common and other, quite serious urinary disorders in infants. Mentioned here are some of the urinary ailments seen in newborns.

Newborns do not have the usual urinary tract problems as toddlers or grown up kids have. However, they may have their own set of urinary disturbances owing to various factors which might in one way or the other block the flow of urine or cause discomfort. Some of these factors are -

Blockages –
Generally in newborns, urinary disturbances spring up from birth defects blocking the urine’s flow causing organs to swell.

The urinary tract comprises of the Urethra, the urinary bladder, the ureters and the kidneys. Often due to blockage in the urinary tract, the urine begins to flow backwards in the infant, causing the organs of the tract to swell.

• Hydronephrosis –
Swelling in the kidneys, caused by the back flow of urine into them. This may cause severe damage to the new born’s kidneys and also make them more susceptible to infections.
• Hydroureter –
Swelling in the ureter.
• Obstruction in the bladder (BOO) -
Caused when the opening of the bladder is blocked by a growth of tissue. Can result in the swelling of the whole urinary tract.
• Ureterocele –
Many a times an abnormally developed ureter bulges and forms a ureterocele, causing obstruction in the kidney or the bladder.

Nerve diseases –
The process of urination is governed by coordinated nerve signals between the brain and the bladder as well as the spinal cord. It may happen that in some cases the nerve signals may be interrupted by the spinal cord causing either urine retention or incontinence. One such defect is – Spina Bifidia.

Genetic syndromes –
Often some genetic syndromes present in the baby results in situations causing urinary disturbances. Some such conditions or disorders are-

• Prune belly syndrome- causes the urinary tract to swell, leading to hypernephrosis.
• Esophageal atresia - causes some or the other problem with the urinary tract/system of newborns.
• Congenital heart defects – newborns with heart defects are seen to have higher chances of urinary disturbances than others.

Some other urinary troubles –
Other than the above mentioned serious urinary disturbances, a few more common ones are also seen in new borns. These are –
• Blood streaked urine – often newborns pass urine which is streaked with blood or is pink in color for the first few days. This is absolutely normal and happens due to the presence of crystals in the urine. Often girl babies show vaginal bleeding in the first few days, which again is normal.
• Urinary tract infection – UTI in infants or new borns can be a problem in itself or a symptom of a greater underlying one. UTI is characterized by, fever, irritability, dark colored urine, foul smell and at times painful urination.

Often these birth defects causing urinary troubles in new borns can be detected before birth by techniques like ultrasounds, chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis.

Incase the baby is not urinating normally after birth, the problem can be detected using techniques like –nuclear scans, ultrasounds, physical examination and Voiding CystoUrethroGram.

Urinary defects/disorders should never be taken lightly in newborns and warrant immediate attention from the doctor. Often these defects can be corrected using antibiotics, surgery, prenatal shunts or catheterization. But quick and timely action is the key in this case.