Sudden terrible smelling urine.

Has anyone had this happen with their child? I'm not sure if it is related to the little bit of thrush Aurelia had recently, but it is still going on and I am concerned. Last Thursday we took her to our GP, who suggested a mixture of sigmacort and canasten cream to help clear up the thrush and nappy rash. We've been using Simmons Pawpaw salve, too.

We noticed on Friday morning when she woke that there was an absolute foul smell emanating from her wet nappy. I spoke to the MCH line, and they said that it was most likely teething if it was redolent of ammonia...but this is not the smell. If you'll forgive me, it actually smells closer to rotting meat. It's really intense, and only happens with the overnight nappy (we use cloth), and I just don't understand how a smell that bad could be simply related to teething.

I became worried that it was a UTI, so my daughter went to the children's hospital, to be safe. A urine sample was taken, and a test done there (just a stick in the urine), but it came up clean. The doctor who saw us said that since nothing came up on the preliminary test, and that there were no other signs of illness, and no fever, that there wasn't any point sending off the sample for further testing.

Since then, we finished our five day course of canasten/sigmacort and the thrush has all cleared up. We thought we would wait to see if the smell stopped once we finished that, as it is the only thing that has changed, but this morning she woke up with the same smell. It's so strong that it makes our entire bedroom smell, her sleeping bag, and even the sheets in her hammock. I just don't understand how a smell like that could not be an indicator of something being wrong. Is the urine test definitive? Is there any way that there could be something wrong and it couldn't have picked it up? Has anyone had anything similar happen? I'd really appreciate any advice.

Could she be dehydrated at all? Or just not drinking enough water?
Maybe try upping her water intake & see what happens.
Could she just be weeing more overnight? Sounds like an odd smell. DS gets a strong ammonia smell sometimes, but not like that.

Hi bjrose,

She's almost seven months old, so we've only just begun offering her water over the past few weeks. She seems to take in quite a lot of water, and has been doing so for the past few weeks, I would say, but the amount of urine overnight has been constant. The number of wet nappies each day hasn't varied, it's just the really bad smell to the overnight nappies has suddenly started happening...

Could it be a UTI ?

That's why we took her to the RCH, to have a urine test. But it came back clean, so according to that test, no. But as I mentioned in my original post, what I'm wondering is whether the preliminary, stick-in-urine tests can actually pick up all forms of bacteria? As in, how conclusive are those initial test results?

No idea babe. I can't really think of any other reason for smelly urine. Maybe take her back or even take her to a gp and get them to test again?

You're right - I should take her to our regular GP, just to be safe. I really should have just insisted they send it out to be tested instead! Grr! Why didn't I do that?!

generally the initial dip stick is the best indicator of uti. If she doesn't have any other symptoms I would say she's clear. Though if it really worries you I'd take her to the GP too.
Sometimes new/different foods make their wee smell, though FWIW Nate's night time nappies are rank!

I was going to ask if you have introduced any new foods - foods like cabbage, asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower can make urine smell hideous.

Well, we've been introducing new foods slowly, but she doesn't have the same thing every day, so there's nothing that would be consistently causing the same smell over the course of a week, if you know what I mean? It really doesn't make any sense...and I'm not sure how many different variations on the same thing I can keep googling! I suppose if there aren't any other symptoms present, we could just write it off as an anomaly...but then, I start thinking about the physiology involved in going to the toilet, and the potential organs involved, and I start to worry...I think I'm just going to keep worrying until something changes (i.e. the smell goes away, or other symptoms reveal themselves). Thanks for all your responses! Bodies are such a mystery sometimes, aren't they?

At the end of the day follow your gut - if you feel something isn't right go back to the doctor or even another 2 to get a second opinion. GL x

yes hun they are, and when we have to worry about someone else's body who can't talk to us - it's even worse :hug: hope you figure it out soon.

When diagnosing illness using urine the colour and clarity is an important indicator. Do you think you could somehow get a sample? If you are fast enough try to catch her weeing... or you could remove her nappy then pop her in a plastic tub... run a bath and see if the sound of water makes her pee... allow it to collect in the tub then pour a sample into a clear plastic (disposable) container. Healthy urinary tract systems produce pale and clear urine. Any cloudiness, darkness of colour could mean a problem.... darkness also indicates dehydration. Infection usually manifests as cloudiness. Is she bottle or breastfed?

Hi Bathsheba,

When we did the clean catch over the weekend, the sample was pale and clear, and her nappies haven't been dark at all. She feeds every three to four hours during the day (and sometimes once during the night, if she doesn't sleep through), and we've been offering water now that she has started on solids, too, as her poos were a little firm. I'm breastfeeding with a supply line, so she is getting breastmilk and formula, though I have been doing this since she was two weeks old, using the same formula, and nothing has changed there. Would formula cause a variation in urination?

I was thinking maybe you either had eaten something (if she was breast feeding) or that you had changed her formula. I recall a little girl having very foul urine at a child care centre where I worked when her mother changed her formula... she ended up having a dairy intolerance.

I BF for 2 years with my youngest child.... if I ate lots of curries or had a bit of a sugar binge it would go through into my BM and I would notice a subtle change in the child's urine.

If you fear infection... keep her away from added sugar... it's the worst for UTIs.

also: does her skin smell of the same thing or is it just her nappy? when the kidneys clean the blood toxins come out in the urine and skin as sweat... often if the urine is strong the skin will smell strongly. Maybe her body is reacting to something she is absorbing through her skin... not just by mouth (if it's an external source, not infection).

It's definitely just her overnight urine - her skin smells as sweet and baby-fresh as it always does. I'll have a think about what I have been eating...my diet is fairly consistent, so I'm not sure if there's a connection there, but I will definitely look into it. Thanks so much for your suggestions!