Urination Questions and Concerns

What are signs that your child’s urination is healthy? This video describes the signs of healthy urination, and indicators that your child’s urination is not functioning quite right.

A full transcript appears below.

00:00:00:00 – 00:00:26:00
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Hi, my name is Haya Lickteig. I’m an occupational therapist and I’m the director of the Vermont Continence Project. In this video, Urination questions and Concerns, we are going to talk about some signs that you may need to pay more attention to your child’s bladder function or may want to check in with your child’s medical provider. First, let’s review how the bladder works.

00:00:26:03 – 00:00:55:12
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Urine is made in the kidneys and drips down, drop by, drop through tubes called ureters. Urine then collected in the bladder, which is basically a muscular pouch like a water balloon while urine is collecting, the walls of the bladder are relaxed and stretching out. At the same time, a muscle at the bottom of the bladder, the urethral sphincter is contracting to hold the bladder shut.

00:00:55:15 – 00:01:19:05
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When the bladder gets a certain amount of stretch. It sends a message to the brain that says the bladder is full. The muscles then reverse their actions. The muscles at the bottom of the bladder. Relax, allowing the urine to flow out while the walls of the bladder contract or squeezed in to make sure that all the urine comes out.

00:01:19:08 – 00:01:53:23
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This is similar to releasing the neck of a water balloon and giving the widest part a squeeze to clear it out. While our body controls that sphincter muscle that holds the urine in. It doesn’t voluntarily control the muscle on the inside that squeezes the bladder, an indication that this process is working well is that a person can urinate very soon after sitting on the toilet and that their urine stream has a steady sound which gets sore, start soft, gets loud and then soft again.

00:01:53:25 – 00:02:21:12
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Holding urine between large urination is also a sign that things are working well. While it’s too complicated to explain why problems occur here. There are some important signs to look for that your child may have a problem or concern with bladder function. If your child urinates very frequently, like more than once an hour, that’s something that we’d want our health care provider to be aware of.

00:02:21:14 – 00:02:50:05
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If your child regularly goes 4 to 6 hours or more between voids, that’s also something that you’d want your health care provider to be aware of. Parents also see this sometimes when their child wakes up dry, but then doesn’t urinate immediately. Some other signs that you may be on to be aware of are that your child’s urine flow is choppy or weak, which you probably would only know if your child is urinating in the toilet.

00:02:50:07 – 00:03:14:28
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Your child has trouble making urine come out even when they say they need to go or they appear to need to go. This can also look like a child pushing while trying to pee. If you remember, the act of urinating is not a pushing maneuver. It’s the act of releasing a muscle, and the pushing should be completely done by your body’s own processes.

00:03:15:00 – 00:03:42:08
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If your child has frequent UTIs, it can be a sign of constipation. Since fecal bacteria coming from the anus can get into the urethra, especially for girls. But it can also be a sign of withheld urine, meaning that the bladder isn’t emptying completely, leading to urine that is staying in the bladder too long and becoming too concentrated. So what to do?

00:03:42:10 – 00:04:21:17
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A common saying in the world of pelvic health is that the bowel drives the bladder and this means that most bladder symptoms for most people may be tied to something happening in the bowel. We frequently tell parents that most of their child’s bladder symptoms may get better when you treat their constipation. If you’ve treated your child’s constipation comprehensively and consistently for 2 to 3 months or more and you see no improvement in your child’s bladder, that’s when another referral may be appropriate.

00:04:21:20 – 00:04:53:25
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We’d suggest discussing your treatment options with your child’s provider for some of the available options. Include a consultation with a pediatric urologist or working with a pelvic floor, physical therapist or occupational therapist with expertise in working with children. If you have a child with any of these symptoms, it’s essential to address them before any kind of sitting program.

00:04:53:28 – 00:05:23:05
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Many of these issues can come from a history of withholding, and a structured program will probably make that worse for your child. If your child already sits on the toilet willingly, it’s really important to use all of the postural supports that we discuss in other videos, such as a footstool and a seat reducer. Thank you for taking the time to watch this.

00:05:23:07 – 00:05:40:01
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The information contained in this video is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional health or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider.