What Is a Belly Button Infection?
7. Can Urine Leaking from the Belly Button Cause Infection?
The urachus is a 1- to 4-inch tube that connects a fetus’s bladder to its umbilical cord. The small amount of urine produced by the baby is then routed through the umbilical cord and processed by the mother’s bloodstream. The urachus atrophies soon after birth, leaving a small scar on the bladder. In rare cases, however, the tube remains intact into adulthood.
Parents may notice that a newborn’s umbilical area seems perpetually wet. Urine may continue to leak from the belly button into adulthood and predispose an individual to belly button infections. More commonly, urachal abnormalities in adults usually take the form of fluid-filled cysts that develop between the two closed ends of the tube. Symptoms usually include pain and problems with urination, rather than belly button infections.
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