Urinary or Bladder Infections

Tiny microbes from outside the body can crawl up the small tubes of the urinary tract to the bladder to cause infection.  This type of infection can cause stomach pain and a burning feeling when you urinate (“pee”).  It can give you a fever and turn your urine cloudy or a whitish color.  (Urine is supposed to be clear and light yellow in color.)

To keep from getting a urinary or bladder infection you should drink plenty of water (six to eight glasses each day) and eat a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.  Urine comes out of the body in an area where there are many microbes.  Careful wiping from front to back with toilet paper, especially by girls, is important in keeping microbes out of the urinary system.  Go to the bathroom and empty your bladder several times a day.  If the bladder stays full for a long time, microbes can multiply in the bladder because it is warm, dark and moist inside the bladder.  Don’t put bubble bath or powders in your bath water because they can irritate the urine tubes and cause infection.

If you have a burning feeling when you “pee” and have a fever, tell your parent.  Your doctor will need to check you for an infection.  You will need to collect fresh urine in a cup to check for microbes.

Do:

1. Drink lots of water (6-8 glasses a day)
2. Eat a balanced diet with lots of vegetables and fruits
3. After going to the toilet, wipe yourself from front-to-back with toilet paper
4. Go to the bathroom several times a day

Don’t:

1. Use bubble bath when you  bathe in a tub
2. Use powder on your “bottom” or between your legs

Urinary or Bladder Infections