CiRCUMCiSiON. YES OR NO?

Sherri - posted on 05/06/2010

I have 3 boys all are circumsized. I personally have never seen a man not circumsized but have seen photos. I also don't know of one single person that didn't have there son's circumsized. In our area it is the norm. I think if boys weren't around here they would be tormented and also I know a lot of woman that would never be with an uncircumsized man.

Jessica - posted on 05/06/2010

I got it done for my son and it really wasn't that big of a deal. It's really easy to clean and it takes only a few moments for them to do it.

Lisa - posted on 05/06/2010

The best think you can do is educate yourself. It is a personal decision...not one that should be made "because everyone else does it". I did not have my son circumsized, and there have been no problems. It is not more difficult to clean an uncircumsized penis than it is to clean the skin folds on a little girl. When you do research, be careful to make sure that is from a professional or medical source. Opinion is not the same as fact.

Tricia - posted on 05/06/2010

I've got 2 boys, neither are circumsized. I actually left it up to their father, (figured he knew more on teh subject then I did!) They are both fine and we have had no problems. He felt it was unnessary to have it done. Just depends what is right for ur family.

Rebecca - posted on 05/06/2010

I still don't get why sons have to "look like their dads". We are all individuals aren't we? Can someone explain this to me as I'm really struggling with this particular comment.

Sheena - posted on 05/06/2010

i got my son done n im so happy i did... we did it because his daddy was too... it costed us $445 ( we live in bc canada) tho which to us is more then half r rent! but we really wanted to get him done... the only thing that made him upset was when they had to strap his legs down... he didnt feel anything else n he was really good the days that followed.. but i think its totally up to the parents.. my mom didnt really agree but she told us it was r choice... good luck wit ur decision! :D

Angela - posted on 05/06/2010

My 2 sons are not done. Never had a problem, requires NO "extra" care, just baths / showers as usual.
Now, my son who is 5 yrs old was not ALLOWED to have it done at birth, due to CHD (congenital heart defects) and the fact that he would be having a few mandatory heart surgeries at 1 week old until 21 monts old. The specialists said they will not allow circumsicion because having it done "will increase the risk of infection" to his bloodstream, and that is unacceptable for an infant heart patient, could lead to death. seriously.
So now that we just had our second baby boy, even though he is completely healthy, we decided to "let it be" and did not circ him either.
So far, no problems with either boy, and the decision to have it done later can be their own decision.
So I hope that mothers of boys who ARE "done" will teach their boys to respect others and not look to those who aren't done as 'dirty' or whatever. You never know another's situation completely and everyone has a reason for their decision.

Teresa - posted on 05/06/2010

My son was circumsized at one day old. The only time he cried was when the nurses were cleaning him up to prep for the procedure. He never experienced any obvious discomfort afterwards (during diaper changes, etc...). It was the right decision for us and even though I knew about the 'debate factor' I never considered not having it done.

Neither of my nephews were circumsized and at 3 and 1 have not had any problems so far. It was the right decision for their family. :)

Emily - posted on 05/06/2010

Yes for the health and hygiene.

Rozalyn - posted on 05/06/2010

I also want to say, the procedure took about ten minutes. Both of my sons were circumcised at two weeks old (my pediatrician won't do it if they're older than 3 weeks). They only cried when they got the numbing injection. Otherwise, they were perfectly fine afterward. I didn't need to give them tylenol or anything for pain.

Rozalyn - posted on 05/06/2010

I think circumcision is really unnecessary. As long as you teach your son to keep himself clean, he shouldn't develop any problems. That being said, both of my sons are circumcised because my husband is, and I think a son should look like his dad. My youngest son is 5 months and his circumcision is actually healing itself up back around the head. My doctor is concerned that it will stay that way and need to be redone. If that's the case, I will not have him re-circumcised. I don't want to put him through that twice! Do what you think is right, don't let anybody make you feel bad about your decision!

Marie - posted on 05/06/2010

We had our son done @ birth and have not regretted a moment of it. It was not even a question as to whether or not to do it. My best friend had a little boy a couple of mos. prior to our son, they had him circ'd. The MD that performed the minor surgery did not do it correctly, so after he turned a yr. old, they had to take him to a specialist to have the surgery corrected. He's fine now @ the age of 10. All the MDs we spoke to recommended the circumcision due to decrease in infections throughout all ages of life. The same was true for our friends. We have had no negative issues because of having had the surgery.

Trisha - posted on 05/06/2010

Just do your research. It's an unnecessary surgery. It only puts your baby at risk. The head of the penis...the glans penis, is a mucous membrane, kind of like your eye. The prepuce or foreskin of the penis acts like an eyelid. So it would be like cutting off his eyelid.

Jenn - posted on 05/06/2010

I did not get my son done, as I see no reason to do it. It is NOT any harder to clean than a circumcised penis - it's called soap and water. You do NOT pull the foreskin back when they are little - I think a lot of people think you're supposed to and THAT is what ends up causing some of the problems that they then experience - because they forced it back! And even when they get older and do have to pull it back to clean it - big deal - either way you soap up your body and use your hand to wash it - takes a millisecond to pull it back to wash - I fail to see how this is any harder to do than washing a circumcised penis.

Cassandra - posted on 05/06/2010

i did not have my son done and he will be three in september

Kate CP - posted on 05/06/2010

Okay, I already warned y'all once to keep it civil. I see another personal attack and this thread is getting shut down.

Rebecca - posted on 05/06/2010

My husband and I decided NOT to get our son circumcised- we saw no adequate reason to cut off a part of our newborn son's body - and yet my husband IS circumcised.He had no issue with his son looking "different" to him. Someone in this conversation actually said that it is more "socially acceptable" to have your son circumcised. What a load of BOLLOCKS! The penis does the same job with a cover or without!

Rebecca - posted on 05/06/2010

Not all babies cry when they are in severe pain! My mother in law said her boys came back shivering and in shock and they screamed every time they weed for up to 2 weeks after. Men are big wimps to think they are in more pain than a non medicated newborn when they have all the pain relief they need! The article is based on facts not just opinions!

I think people who deface newborns bodies just because look different to daddy are monsters. But that is just my opinion after all!!

Jodi - posted on 05/06/2010

Rebecca, as I said, if my baby had been in pain, it would have hurt every time he peed and every time I changed the dressings, and he would have cried. I never said a newborn couldn't feel pain. I said that it is inaccurate to say they are in pain for weeks afterwards, and that the procedure causes minimal pain. Thats' a totally different thing to saying newborns don't feel as much pain as an adult.



Babies may not be able to talk, but they can communicate.



Can we please refrain from the personal attacks?

Rebecca - posted on 05/06/2010

How do you know they are not in pain? They can't talk!!

How ignorant can some people be to think a newborn doesn't feel as much pain as an adult?

Kapena - posted on 05/06/2010

i have two boys, my first son is not circumcised, when he was gettin a little older, he use to pull back his fore skin cos he said it was itchy and he had quite a few infections from the touchin and itchin, i would stronly recommend u have ur baby circumcised, my youngest has been and it's just really easy to clean him, am plannin on having my eldest done as well, soon...lol

Kylie - posted on 05/06/2010

My son was circumsized at birth, and he is fourteen months old now. I did have a problem when he was about eight months old. It almost looked like he wasn't circumsized anymore. So I called the doctor because it looked like he had holes in his penis. She checked him out and said that what happened was it grew over and she pulled his skin back.. Ouch. I had to put antibiotic ointment on it until it healed completely and now things are just fine with it. :)

Claire - posted on 05/06/2010

i feel for a little boy its soo much cleaner and i will feel better about cleaning it untill he's old enough however his daddy was circumsized because it was too tight but my health visitor said i cant have it done unless problems do arise . as infertility also runs on his dads side of the family.. i think it is completely the parents choice .. good luck xx

Jodi - posted on 05/06/2010

Quoting Rebecca

"What do you give a newborn baby for pain relief?"



Do you mean over those few weeks of pain? Nothing. They aren't in pain. During the procedure? They do receive a numbing agent. The pain is momentary.



I am not saying that anyone should or shouldn't get it done, it's a personal choice (I actually agree that it is unnecessary), but I am just saying that the description of pain and behavioural change given in that article is not the truth, and that when making a decision, research the facts, not opinion pieces.

Kylie - posted on 05/05/2010

I firmly believe it's his body and removing a part of it should be his choice. This is a great read http://www.drmomma.org/2009/11/raising-i...

Leslie - posted on 05/05/2010

I have two sons who where never circumcised. I felt they were not made that way, so why modify what god gave them. Do some research, and then make your decision. The main thing when they aren't circumcised, clean them good and teach them how when they get old enough. Good luck and know what ever you decide is going to be the right decision.

Rebecca - posted on 05/05/2010

What do you give a newborn baby for pain relief?

Jill - posted on 05/05/2010

Personally I decided the second after I found out I was carrying a boy that it would be done. I've heard stories mostly in my family of having to do it at an older age where it caused more discomfort, pain, infection and embarresment than I've heard horror stories of getting it done. My cousin was 11 and had to just recently get it surgically done. After his surgery he had infection after infection and was in agony for quite awhile.

My son (Now 10 months) was perfectly fine. He had it done at 2 weeks and cried for maybe half an hour (I on the other hand bawled nearly all day) At the time it was painful moreso for me, but I know now it'll be tider for clean up and I dont have to worry about it later on. (knock on wood)

Its a personal decision and people should understand that.

Jodi - posted on 05/05/2010

I don't know what just happened to my post - I think I accidentally hit the delete button. I'll try and rewrite it (I have added a little).



With respect to the link Rebecca posted, I will quote from that article:

"Infants experience excruciating pain during circumcision and for weeks afterwards, and they can show behavioural changes such as frequent crying, avoidance of physical contact, reduced feeding, and sleep disturbance".



This is not actually true. From my experience, and that of many others I know, there is minimal pain in the procedure itself, and there is no pain for "weeks afterwards". If there was as much pain andpsychological issues as described in this article, my son would have screamed (or at least cried) every time I changed his dressings or he peed in his nappy. Believe me, he was fine. Articles such as this are written based on a tiny minority, and are blown out of proportion in an attempt to scaremonger.



I respect that circumcision is a personal decision. I am glad I will never have to make that decision again, because I do know what a difficult decision it is. I don't regret my decision to have my son circumcised. But whatever you decide, make sure when you do your research, make sure the information is factual, and not based on opinion, as per the above.

Melissa - posted on 05/05/2010

Do your own research, but it is moe common to do it, than not, less infections,embarassment,socially acceptable, etc...

Iridescent - posted on 05/05/2010

I agree with Jodi. The procedure itself, while painful, was not more painful to my children than their shots and was actually less so than their heel pricks for PKU. And now that I have a child with a UCD, I'd NEVER recommend skipping any newborn screenings and would actually love to see more added, regardless of pain! Different subject...

Iridescent - posted on 05/05/2010

We've had 3 boys. All three are circumcised. And now we are questioning that decision. We found out today that because of our second son's circumcision, he gets the joy of a meatotomy on Tuesday. They will crush the head of his penis with a clamp, and cut it, and leave it open (no stitches) to heal that way so he can pee again. He has essentially NO hole because of his circumcision - no foreskin to protect the head of the penis from irritation from diapers/underwear, which caused scarring.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meatotomy
I am very upset by this. And want to throw up. And feel so terrible for my son.

Linda - posted on 05/05/2010

I"ve got three girls now, but had I had a boy, I would have had him done. Having it done when they are infants I think is better than when they are older if they run into complications. It is a much shorter recovery time when an infant. Just my opinion.

Rebecca - posted on 05/05/2010

Read this article. It has information on circumcision and frequently asked questions about circumcising.

http://bellybelly.com.au/articles/baby/c...

Jami - posted on 05/05/2010

I believe in circumcision. It is cleaner and you won't have to worry about infections later. But it is a decision that you will have make...just remember, it is harder on boys that are older than at birth.

Patricia - posted on 05/05/2010

Honey it is totally up to you and your partner( if u have one or want one). Don't let people start telling you what to do now or anytime. You will find out that everyone has some thing to tell you about every thing. Just say "Thank You "if you want to. Agape Patty

Cecii - posted on 05/05/2010

Ive read each respond & I think it is something Me & My partner really has to talk about. I appreciate the help & opinions. =] Thanks Ladies.

Ashley - posted on 05/05/2010

I dont have any boys but if i did i would have had it done a friend of mine has a little boy who is a few months younger then my oldest and shes 2.5yrs he has already had MANY problems with infections to the point that the doctor would like to do a emergancy one to him but now that he is over 2 it will be painful on him and he will have to be knocked out for the surgery so my advice would be do it well they are young they wont have to go through so much but thatss just my opinion

Krista - posted on 05/05/2010

I see absolutely no reason to circumcise, unless in the case of a true medical necessity, like phimosis. The increased risk of infections, if you actually look it up, is very, very small. I think it's absurd to cut off part of the body because it MIGHT get infected.

Your kid has a much greater chance of an ear infection than of a penile infection, but nobody is suggesting having a surgical procedure done on babies' ears as soon as they are born. And as far as the "looking like daddy" argument, think of it this way: if your husband was missing a finger, would you get your kid's finger chopped off at birth so that he looks like daddy? Of course not! And your son would be looking at his father's hands a lot more frequently than he'd be looking at his father's penis, one would assume.

Please don't do it. Just keep it clean with soapy water, don't pull the foreskin back (that's what increases the risk of infection, when overzealous parents force the foreskin back in order to clean it), and other than that, leave it alone. And it'll be fine.

Angie - posted on 05/05/2010

If you are Jewish, it's a no brainer. For the rest of us it's totally personal preference. There is no right or wrong answer. I chose to circ. my son because I saw a 2 year old and later a grown man REQUIRE this sugery, I didn't want to take the chance of that happening to him.

Jodi - posted on 05/05/2010

Quoting Emily
"It was originally done routinely for cultural reasons, such as preventing masturbation..."

Well, that worked, didn't it? LMAO!!

Cherri - posted on 05/05/2010

i did not have my son circumsized. My fiancee is but we did not see any reason to do so. many ppl may say that there is a higher chance of infection but this is untrue. we made sure to talk to our pediatrician and he actually told us that he does not reccomend it unless there is a health concern for the child. which our son is very healthy. we did not see any reason to put our son through the pain when there was no reason to. he may have questiosn when he is older but we will figure out what to say when he gets closer to the age of understanding.

Erin - posted on 05/05/2010

I'm a CNA and from my stand point I say yes circumsize I got my son done. Its alot healthier for them in the long run and if the skin isnt pulled back and cleaned well it can get infected and cause alot of UTIs I see it alot in the geriatrics that I care for some even have to get it done at an older age b/c of repeating UTIs and infections. Also from working in the nursing homes some ppl dont know how to clean the penis well and they dont retract the foreskin there for it contracts and then u cant get ot over the head of the penis i got my son done at a year b/c he couldnt have it done at birth the healing process was 2 wks and he was fine. everyone has different beleifs and reasons for doing it and not doing it this was my reason for doing it i hope this helps

Erin

Brittany - posted on 05/05/2010

I did have my son circumsized. My husband is and so is my step son...and it was something my husband wanted to do. Honestly it was not that big of a deal. The came in and took him to the nursery the day after he was born. I did hear him crying, but as soon as they picked him up off the table he stopped. My boys are now 2 years and 10 months old and they are both perfectly fine after being circumsized. : )

Emily - posted on 05/05/2010

There's simply no medical reason to circumcize a perfect, healthy little boy. We don't cut body parts off our little girls, why should we do it for our boys? Any area of the body can get infected... doesn't mean we need to cut things off just in case. Just like any part of the body, as long as it's properly cared for, there are rarely problems.



Read up on the history of the procedure. It was originally done routinely for cultural reasons, such as preventing masturbation, not for medical reasons.

Michelle - posted on 05/05/2010

I don't have a little boy, but I will for sure get him circumsized just so he doesn't have the higher risk of infection later!

Julie - posted on 05/05/2010

No.

Amy - posted on 05/05/2010

We did not have our son done, he is 4 and we have never had a problem.

Celia - posted on 05/05/2010

Oh and I paid $300 dollars for it :D
It's not covered in Canada anymore (it used to be) its the only cosmetic surgery I will ever pay for! haha

Celia - posted on 05/05/2010

I've known 2 guys (one 6 year old and a teenager) who got infections and had to have their forskin removed. Not a nice thing when they are old enough to see the doctor with a knife to their penis >.<

I did circumsize my son and I am glad we did. I was worried about how it would be but I did the homework and found a doctor who did alot and used numbing (believe it or not some dont!!). My son was crying when they imobilized his legs but once that was done he settled ok. I think it was harder on me than it was on him. I used my hand as a shield so the doctor working dident freak him out and I sang a soft song. Once it was over a quick nurse brought any crying to a stop and the whole event took maybe 5 minutes. People let their babies cry to sleep longer! A week of ointment on his penis and it was done.

Whatever you choose make sure its for your own reasons and not someone elses.