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Who would've believed it? You reached adulthood without talking or thinking very much about pee, and here you are with a newborn, obsessing over how many diapers she's wetting in a day. There's good reason for the concern: a baby's urination frequency is one good indication of her overall health, and how well she's eating.

More than 95% of newborns urinate for the first time within their first 24 hours of life. In fact, an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement recommends that newborns not be released from the hospital until they've urinated at least once. That's something the maternity ward nurses will track, asking you if you've changed wet diapers in your room. Keep in mind that if he seems dry those first few days, he may actually have peed sometime just...

Who would've believed it? You reached adulthood without talking or thinking very much about pee, and here you are with a newborn, obsessing over how many diapers she's wetting in a day. There's good reason for the concern: a baby's urination frequency is one good indication of her overall health, and how well she's eating.

More than 95% of newborns urinate for the first time within their first 24 hours of life. In fact, an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement recommends that newborns not be released from the hospital until they've urinated at least once. That's something the maternity ward nurses will track, asking you if you've changed wet diapers in your room. Keep in mind that if he seems dry those first few days, he may actually have peed sometime just after delivery, and it may have been missed in the post-birth hubbub.

How you feed your newborn may account for how quickly he pees; according to a 2003 study at the State University of New York, Buffalo, and Buffalo Children's Hospital, breastfed infants urinate quicker than their formula-fed counterparts, probably because they are fed closer to their birth.

Later, when you and your baby are home, you may be wondering about how often he should be urinating. Sorry -- there's just no gold standard for frequency. Thanks to immature bladder muscles, an infant can't "hold" urine, and so will go pretty much whenever. That could be every hour, or just a few times a day. In general, however, you can expect to change approximately six wet diapers a day.

For the first few days after birth, your baby's urine will be very pale, gradually turning a deeper shade of yellow as it becomes more concentrated. If you happen to notice a pinkish stain on your baby's diaper, it's not blood, but concentrated urine, which looks pink in babies. There are some reasons your baby's urine may be unusually concentrated -- such as if the weather is very hot, or if she has a fever. (Concerned? Call your pediatrician.)

Do bear in mind, though, that even with today's super-absorbent disposable diapers, which have gel inserts that suck moisture away from baby's skin, it's still wise to change wet diapers as quickly as possible to avoid irritation.

Safety Notes

• If you do spot blood in your baby's diaper, call your doctor immediately. It could be the result of a particularly bad diaper rash, or it could be an indication of a urinary problem.
• Urination should never be painful for a baby; any signs of distress might indicate an infection.

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