Urate crystals in your newborn’s urine can leave a pink or red-orange stain in their diaper. This can be alarming for parents, who sometimes mistake the stain for blood. But unlike blood, urate crystals dry to a powder, and they’re not as red in color. Urate crystals are normal in the immediate period after birth – they’re usually no cause for concern and will go away on their own.
What causes urate crystals?
Commonly called “brick stain” by doctors, urate crystals are made of uric acid, a waste product found in the blood and excreted in urine. Urate crystals develop because newborn babies’ urine is concentrated until they start taking in more fluids.
Any baby can produce urate crystals, but because they occur when urine becomes more concentrated, they’re more likely when a baby is dehydrated. They’re most common in the first few weeks of life, especially if your baby is breastfeeding and you haven’t yet developed a good milk supply.
What to do if you see urate crystals in your baby’s diaper
If you notice urate crystals after the first few days of life, talk to your baby’s doctor. They may ask you about feedings and weight gain, your milk supply if you’re nursing, and signs of dehydration in your baby – such as decreased saliva, dry lips, going six hours without a wet diaper, and lethargy. And they may suggest increasing feedings.
If you’re breastfeeding, your newborn may nurse as often as eight to 12 times every 24 hours. In the first couple of days, they may take less than half an ounce at each feeding. Then they’ll increase to 1 or 2 ounces per feeding over time.
If you’re formula feeding, offer your newborn formula every 2 or 3 hours for the first few days. At first, newborns may only take a half ounce of formula at a time. After the first few days, offer your newborn 2 to 3 ounces of formula every 3 to 4 hours.
Other unusual things you may see in your baby’s diaper
Normal baby poop has a lot of different shades – including green – and consistencies. Your baby’s first few poops will be meconium, a greenish-black, tarry, sticky substance. When your baby is 2 to 4 days old, their poop will become lighter in color and less sticky.
Exclusively breastfed babies’ poop tends to be yellow or slightly green with a mushy (even runny) or creamy consistency. Formula-fed babies’ poop tends to be pasty with a peanut butter-like consistency on the brown color spectrum: tan-brown, yellow-brown, or green-brown.
You also might see a little bit of blood in your newborn’s diaper. This is typically nothing to be alarmed about. Your baby may have swallowed blood from a cracked nipple during breastfeeding, which won’t hurt them. Also, a newborn girl may have a little bloody vaginal discharge in her diaper, usually during the first week, due to the withdrawal of maternal hormones after delivery.
If your baby is older and has blood in their diaper, talk to their doctor. The cause could be as simple as a diaper rash sore or a scratch or crack in the skin of your baby’s rectum from dry, hard, or large bowel movements. Seek immediate medical attention if the bleeding is heavy or accompanied by other symptoms such as abdominal pain, poor feeding, vomiting, fever, or bleeding in other areas.
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