Natural treatments for UTIs?

[Onkiekat]

I am not even sure if that is what my 14 mo DD has...she has had a fever off and on for about 3 days now, and today I noticed some brown blood in her diaper (she had not pooped) today....I don't even know how she would have gotten it. All she ever drinks is breastmilk and water. I don't think she has ever even had any juice. And she drinks plenty! I am still new to natural remedies, but would like to get away from going to the dr for everything, but I don't know if this is one of things you should def go to the dr for? Ah...any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[1love4ever]

I seriously try to stay away from Drs and use natural remedies only, always.  But if this has gone for 3 days and there is blood, it is serious and will likely require antibiotics.  Preventative measures are more effective for UTIs IME than are natural treatments.  The Dr will first get a urine sample which will tell you for sure if that is what the prob is.  If she has an unexplained fever there is something going on, and a UTI is a good guess.  Has she been acting the same as usual?  Does she act like she does not feel well, is she crabby, fussy, confused, etc?

Girls get UTIs fairly easily just because the urethra is close to the anus and it is short so bacteria can more easily travel up it.  Especially a baby in diapers where poop is often very near or even in the vagina it happens.  Always make sure you wipe front to back, NEVER allow a wipe that has touched the anus(even if there is no poop) to touch the vagina.  Sugars can also increase the risk of UTIs so staying away from added sugars in foods will help prevent them in the future.  Other than that, a healthy diet rich in fruits and veggies, and unprocessed and/or minimally processed foods.  We always eat organic food and that is what I highly recommend.

[springmum]

Fever and blood sounds like a trip to the Dr for me too. 

For future reference D. Mannose is a great supp for UTI's. We have only used it as a preventative, or in the very early stages (no blood, no fever, just cloudy urine)

The one time my son has used abx was for a UTI. We did try some natural methods for a few days, but only b/c there was no fever, no blood, no apparent kidney issues, limited discomfort. When they didn't work, we immediately went to abx - UTI can lead to a bad kidney infection.

We had further testing and discovered some further issues, so I was glad we went to the Dr and started that process.

[Onkiekat]

Yeah, I was thinking UTIs are pretty serious. As soon as I saw that blood yesterday, I was thinking I would take her to a Dr today, but I also wanted to see if there is anything else I could do. I am also in a brand new area, and I am going to have to take her to a dr who is going to give us crap about not vaxing. Oh, and 1love4ever, she is only crabby and acts like she is sick when she has the fever, which has been off and on (off right now, actually). She acts fine the rest of the time. Strange....Anyways, off to call the Dr, I guess! Thanks for the advice! :)

[ASusan]

Our son had a suspected UTI (elevated white blood cells in his urine sample & pain on peeing - no fever or discharge), and both the ped and physician's assistant suggested a probiotic and epsom salt baths until the culture came back. (culture was negative, btw)

These are both fairly benign interventions and might help (probably won't hurt).

[1love4ever]

I was a nursing student and we mostly worked with the elderly, and when they get UTIs they get very confused and often times combative even...  Thats why I asked about confusion.  When DD was sick she would only act crabby when running a fever too, but she has never had a UTI so not sure what a toddler acts like with one,  but having had several UTIs myself I know they are just plain uncomfortable so thot maybe she would be crabby.

Anyway, good for you for choosing not to vax and I totally understand your reservations about dreading the Dr visit because of them giving you crap about it, I dont go to most of the "normal" well child visits because of that and them giving me crap about raw milk and stuff.  And most well child checks are schedualed at the time that they are for vax anyway.

Was also going to say I remember reading something about probiotics and UTIs a long time ago, I really dont remember, but here is what I recommend, I am giving this to DD http://www.vitacost.com/Garden-of-Life-RAW-Probiotics-Kids-3-4-oz   This site is great for other supps and organic food products,etc and they often run sales, just click on Coupons and Discounts under QuicK links, and you can also choose 2 free samples from their list to include in your order.   I think Amazon sells those same probiotics too.

Well, good luck!