Expecting a son and clueless about circumcision . . .

Melissa - posted on 07/12/2010

My son was circumcised at about 18 hours old. You deffinetly want to keep lots of diapers... make sure they are change as soon as possibly so they wont get an infection... also you will want Vaseline gelly and guazge pads. You will want to give him a daily bath to make sure that his areas are clean. It will be swollen and red... about 1 week after you might start seeing a scab form and that is normal do not scrub it off cause it will hurt him... good luck!!

Donna - posted on 07/12/2010

I know how you feel, before my son was born I was worried, should I get it done should I not, what should I expect? Really it was a lot easier then I thought it would be they usually do it the day of or the day before they baby is discharged. They sometimes give you some cream (vasaline) or they tell you what to buy, every diaper change for about a week or so you put it on him. When you give him a bath you just lightly wipe around it it will be red for a bit but it turns to a normal color. They'll tell you what to look for too as far as infections go. As long as you keep it clean (wipe it every diaper change) and put the cream on there every diaper change he should be fine.

Heather - posted on 07/12/2010

Its actually harder for you than it is for baby. Your babies pediatrician will go over all the options (there are different ways to get baby circumsized) We got the ring on our baby, it fell off a couple weeks later. The pediatrician will also show you how to take care of it. We used a Q-tip and a couple times wiped it down with rubbing alcohol pad. Our baby didn't even cry!

Emili - posted on 07/12/2010

i had my son's done and they came in the morning after he was born to do it. it just got a little red and seemed to irritate him a little when he peed, but other than that it wasnt anything major. they just have you put a little vasoline on it when you change him for a few days so that the diaper doesnt stick to it.

Mia - posted on 07/12/2010

my son was circumsized...the hardest day is the first day of his circumcision because it looks horribly red and painful, but after that, you get used to it, and it's really not as bad as it looks. he barely whined about it.

Vixi - posted on 07/12/2010

I fail to understand how religion can mean doing something so useless and painful to your innocent child?!

Nobody/nothing would ever convince me 2 let my child go through such a thing even if i was the most religious person on the planet!! If they were meant to be c'd they'd be born that way wouldnt they!!

My opinions only

Tawni - posted on 07/12/2010

my sons was done 13 days after birth here where we live in CA they are not doing them in the hospital anymore so we had to do it in the doctors office. it was harder to watch him scream and be strapped down in the seat then anything else.to clean it they just told us to use rubbing alcohol. and then every diaper change put vasoline on it and in the diaper where his penis sits.

Megan - posted on 07/12/2010

It is not a Catholic thing. In the New Testament of the Bible it is clearly outlined that circumcision should be done away with as Christ is now are covenant with God, not Old Testament law.

http://www.catholicsagainstcircumcision....

Josie - posted on 07/12/2010

If it's not customary to get it done in Australia, most hospitals won't do it, you have to pay for it out of pocket, why would you go out of your way to get it done? It's not medically necessary. Just seems ridiculous to me.

Michelle - posted on 07/12/2010

The doctor who delivered my baby did the circumcision when my son was 2 days old. They just put on this little plastic ring and it fell off 10 days later. No Vaseline, no gauze pads, no crying from the little guy. Easy care. He apparently slept through the procedure and only whined a little afterwards. It's normal where I live in the U.S. for the doctor to ask if you want your baby circ'd. We had planned on it anyway because my husband is. It is also a Catholic thing, by the way.

Crystal - posted on 07/12/2010

I have one son and I let his dad talk me into mutilating him, but I won't do it again if we have another one. No it isn't hard to take care of the wound, but it's much easier to take care of a natural, unwounded boy. Of course, things may be done differently in the states than they are in the U.S. but what the other moms here are saying is pretty commonplace here. I just feel that it is completely unnecessary to have your son circumsized. Many people will tell you that it's a health risk to not be circumsized and that it's unattractive or whatever else they'll come up with, but the fact is that only 30% of men in the world are circumsized and the majority of those are done for religious reasons (as with Jewish people) or for cosmetic purposes, like here in the U.S. Unless you are Jewish, they're totally pointless and there is NO medical reason to have it done.

Megan - posted on 07/12/2010

Here's another video if you think the other one was old.
If we are still doing this TO 50% of our children in the US, then we should be able to SEE what we do. This is an ANESTHETIZED neonatal circumcision surgery for healthcare professionals. Notice 2 things: ...

A) that it is still excruciatingly painful even with anesthetic (MRI scans show permanent brain and hormone changes even in the 6% of baby boys who receive anesthesia prior to MGM in the U.S.) and

B) that the most painful part of the surgery is likely the actual ripping of the prepuce from the glans - this is akin to ripping your fingernail off your finger, as they are tightly ahered as one-in-the same, only the prepuce is laiden with almost 70,000 more nerve endings than your finger is. Anesthesia cannot numb the dorsal nerve beneath the frenulum.

Megan - posted on 07/12/2010

Did you go with your son when he had it done? Please don't tell me he didn't feel any pain, that is just an assine statement. You can't cut off healthy, fully functioning tissue without there being pain.

Charley - posted on 07/12/2010

megan i had my son done and he breast fed fine and was not in any pain what so ever

Ashley - posted on 07/12/2010

My Sons was done when he was 2 days old. It isn't that bad and you just use alot of petroleum jelly on it after each diaper change, they show you how to put in on. When givinig a bath they told us just to pour a little water over it no soap or anything till all healed.The worse part of it all was the redness and my Husband (which I was warned about from my Sister in law) Wouldn't change the Diaper till it was all healed. Congrats on the new little boy!

Jacolyn - posted on 07/12/2010

In the US they now recommend that you don't do anything special for a cir'd penis as far as care goes. It will heal well enough on it's own. I wasn't [resent for my sons but I know they do numb

Michelle - posted on 07/12/2010

They did my sons the day we left the hospital. some hospitals do it diff. they put a ring on his and it had a short string attached to it. it took it lilke 3 weeks to fall off. i didnt have to do anything special to it. just no baby powder on it and keep it day.

Sarah - posted on 07/12/2010

I'm seeing a lot of people saying that their doctor's did the incision and then put gauze on it. That's not what they did with my son at all, they put this plastic ring on him, completely painless, and after a week and a half it fell off, and BAM circumcised... sorry, trying to inject humor. Anyway, that seems so much better than how a lot of people on here are talking about.

I would research that method and ask the doctor about it, it starts to looks kinda gross towards the end, but it's all completely normal.

Lisa - posted on 07/12/2010

here in michigan where i had my son they did it the 2nd or 3rd day after birth. he just needed alot of comforting after wards he was in a lot of pain afterwards and they didnt put him 2 sleep they did it with him wide awake:( u have 2 put medical ointment on it 2 keep it clean while it heals

Ashley - posted on 07/12/2010

For my son they took him the second day he was born and did it. They didnt numb his but it did go really quick, afterwards they bring the baby back into your room so that you can hold him...They put petrolium jelly on some gauze then wriap it around where they circumsized it. Every time the baby pees you have to change the wrap. It was really hard for me at first but it really does heal fast. After a few days i dont even think it bothers them very much, And after its healed itrs sooo much easier to clean. You dont have to pull back the skin and clean it and theres less of a chance of infection...I dont know how they do it there but thats how they did it in my hospital. It sounds painfull and kinda hard and honestly it kinda was, but iam really happy that i did it. Just thought u should kinda hear the bad with the good so u can make a better decision...

Amanda - posted on 07/11/2010

my son was circumsized and they had a plastic ring over the wound part that made the care easy for it. all i had to do was wipe his penis regularly, i didnt have to add vasoline or any ointment, and when it was healed, the plastic ring fell off. the plastic ring also allowed me to bathe him as soon as the umbillical cord fell off and i had no hard time with it. he was my first child ever, and it was very easy to take care of. and that video was prly from years ago... it only took a few seconds for them to do my sons.

Amanda - posted on 07/11/2010

"is there anything we should be prepared for that the doctors won't mention but we may find shocking?"



You should be prepared to feel horrified if you ever have the pleasure of actually viewing a circumcision.



No one ever talked to me about circumcision.

I thought I knew the facts.



Take it from me.

Circumcising my son is my biggest regret.

It is my big "If I could do one thing over."



Why?



It's unnecessary.

It's purely cosmetic.

It does NOT prevent infection.



Circumcision isn't risk free.

Over 200 babies in America die form circumcision every year :(

Rare, sure. But there are no "risks" to leaving your son intact, assuming when he is older he can retract his prepuce he learns how to clean it properly.

Soap and water. :)

Done.



The uncircumcised penis requires NO special cleaning.

"only clean what is seen."

You don't retract it, it's fused to the glans quite like a fingernail is fused to the nailbed.



In circumcision, the foreskin is ripped to break that fusion. It is forcefully and painfully ripped, and then sliced off.

Yowch.



I hope you've found this helpful and nonattacking.

I desperately hope to help someone avoid the mistake I made: circumcising.



Circumcision hurts babies.

It's completely unnecessary.



I STRONGLY encourage you to watch a video of circumcision before considering subjecting your child to it.



http://video.yahoo.com/watch/163488/5620...

Kim - posted on 07/11/2010

KRYS i agree

Krys - posted on 07/11/2010

I dont know abt anyone else but my sons circumcism was done the next day after he was born and actually after that its all good just give them a bath as you would any baby:)

Amanda - posted on 07/11/2010

If you find where will do it Virginia please be sure to let me know for when I have a boy (if I'm lucky) I will also be getting it done.

Angela - posted on 07/11/2010

Hi Virginia! They did our sons circumcision the day after he was born in the hospital. It seemed relatively quick. Neither myself or my husband were there to see it done. (I had a c-section) The dr said Aiden (our son) cried for a little bit. There wasnt any effect tho afterwards. We had to put vaseline and gauze on it every time we changed his diaper for a week and then it was completely healed. Good luck to you! Congratulations! Little boys are wonderful!! :)

Kim - posted on 07/11/2010

you only have to put something on it for a few days while it heals..after that then you don't have to put anything on it. and cleaning is one of the easyest things.
every man i know who is circ'd has had no problems .

Sarah - posted on 07/11/2010

If it's done too short it will cause problems later in life, you have to clean it everyday and keep Vaseline on it, my stepson had his done but then on their second child his ex partner said it was so horrific she couldn't let it happen again. I saw going to have my son done but just couldn't go through with it.

Sarah - posted on 07/11/2010

I had my son circumcised the day after he was born (I believe). He had no issues, didn't cry at all, and I don't regret A THING about it. Most Moms have trouble getting their sons to wash their hands before dinner, or brushing their teeth, to think that'll it'll be a breeze to teach them to clean themselves is kind of naive.

Now, that's not to say that I disagree with Mom's who don't want to do it. But for people to say that it's torture, or that it will ruin their lives forever... can't say I agree with that. I mean, I know that there are cases when it's done incorrectly, but still...

I mean, what do you tell Mom's who decide to get their daughter's ears pierced as a baby? You're altering their bodies without their consent, it hurts, and there's also a chance of infection.

I say stick with your decision, do what you think is right, and ask your daughter's pediatrician, he/she should know what to tell you.

Best of luck!

Pagan - posted on 07/11/2010

here in tasmania they dont do circumcisions unless its for medical reasons or if you are willing to pay a few grand for the procedure, i myself wouldnt torture my son by doing it it should be their decision if they want it done or not we wouldnt like our bits cut off would we, my son has problems with his foreskin and he is 2yrs old but when he is 4 we will find out if he has to have something done or not and im hoping he dont have to be circumcised at all, good luck with everything and like most people have suggested do your research and watch a few vids but honestly do u want ur son going thru unnessesary pain for something that don't need to be done??

Stephanie - posted on 07/11/2010

Our sons was done several days after his birth because of complications with my delivery but the day he had his he was a little irratable for the first few days but they gave us cream, told us to put vasaline on it every time we changed him and wipes to use for I think the first 3-4 days after the circumcision and after that he was fine. H e never really fussed when they did it he was more mad that he was hungry and wanted to eat

Bri - posted on 07/11/2010

I am glad this question was asked...I myself just had my 1st son 6wks ago and he is to be circumcised in two weeks!... I say just call your hospital or wherever you are hving him...I am from the US and Medicaid used to cover it, but no longer does b/c they say it's not a "medical necessity".... i personally feel otherwise but that's neither here nor there... He was born at a birthing center underwater so they don't perform it there so he's being taken to a pediatrician who will do it up to 12wks of age...you'll have to check b/c some peds will only do it up to 8wks, and while it's sad, i will say that most anywhere you go you'll have to pay out of pocket for it...i do wish you and your husband luck and congrats on your journey!!

Kim - posted on 07/11/2010

KATHERYN-not everyone has a bad expireince with it tho.

cleaning it is so simple and easy it takes 2 seconds.

Katheryn - posted on 07/11/2010

I wouldn't do it. I had my son circumcised and regret it. It was horribly painful for him, even though the doctor assured me it would not be; he then had to stay an extra day in the hospital and when we brought him home and tried to change the dressing it bled like crazy and we ended up going back to the er again! The only benefit was supposed to be that it was easier to clean but you still have to roll the extra skin back and clean around it. I really wish I could go back and not have my baby done.

Rachel - posted on 07/11/2010

Definitely agree with the first lady that posted a reply...they didnt tell me either about foreskin and needing to push it down sometimes. thats the biggest problem we had with my son's and he is almost 4 and still have issues with the skin trying to grow back over. its so aggravating! Definitely get the bandage that has vaseline on it, it's great! keeps the bandage from sticking also to him and that is very painful for him!

Lisa-Marie - posted on 07/11/2010

Hi. I live in Queensland too and have 2 boys. We were set to have my first son circumsised (to be like daddy) then I started to do my research.... Firstly just to let you know: Most doctors will not preform circumcisions and they are not done at the hospital, they are done at specialist clinic at your expense and usually not until your little boy is a couple of months old. Also in Australia not many boys are done - only about 10%, so if you do get him done he will definatly be the odd one out. Also there can be complications and in Australia 10 or so boys a year have to go for corrective surgery, loose part of their penis and some little boys die as a result of this proceedure.

I am not telling you you shouldn't get it done - it is a personal decision but for us - after we did the research we decieded it was completely unessassary. My two little boys are in tact and we have had no issues at all.

Here is some more info just so you can make a really informed decision:
One of the most common arguments for circumcision is the cleanliness factor. The pro side thinks that a circumcised penis is cleaner. The con side does not consider this to be a problem. As long as the child is taught how to clean himself properly, in the same way you teach him to clean behind his ears - cleanliness is not an issue. As the your boys foreskin is attached to the penis until he is about 3 years of age there is no need for cleaning or teaching him how to till he is that old.

Another factor is a lower risk of urinary tract infections in circumcised children. There is a slightly higher risk of a UTI if a child is not circumcised. However, the rates of urinary tract infections are low and they are easily treated with less extreme methods. The anti circumcision side points out that girls get urinary tract infections and they are easy to heal.

The pro side says that there is a lower risk of penile cancer in circumcised men. The con side states that there is very little difference in actual rates, if good hygiene is practiced. Penile cancer is very rare, affecting only 1 out of 100,000. Most of these are elderly men.

Some studies have shown a slightly lower risk of HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases in circumcised men. Again, the rates are not that much different. Circumcision is not protection against STDs. Lifestyle and behavior is more indicative of actual risk than circumcision status.

There are also thousands of nerve endings in the foreskin which makes sex more pleasurable.

I hope this information helps you.....

Shannon - posted on 07/11/2010

it's not hard to clean the dr/nurse can go over it with you....our son was done the night before we left the hospital....every where is different....as long as your dr know that you want that done...when my sis had my nephew done the nurse was against it and helpin us out...she didn't want to give any advice or let us know what to expect....

Christi - posted on 07/11/2010

i would be sure to ask them to use a numbing cream before they do it. we did it it helped the healing process with our son. they typically do it the day before the child goes home. most insurance companies will not cover it because they are clearly misinformed on the benefits of it and consider it cosmetic, which is a load of bs. my son's was done out of medical necessity, but i would have done it either way. you have to be sure that every time you wipe him down, you pull back the skin from the head of the penis, or the skin can attach to the head. we didn't not know this and found out the hard way and my son had to be recircumsized.

Brittany - posted on 07/11/2010

I live in the US and my son is circumsized and I think its for the best! I say get it done right away because the longer you wait the higher the chance that the baby will need surgery! My son got his when he was 10 days old and I kept it clean and used a lot of neosporin to make sure he was comfortable. It looks really swollen at first but it healed very quick and I definitely think it was the because I kept him clean diapers and lots of neosporin on him! I do think having your child circumsized is healthier in the end because leaving the extra skin on makes them more succeptable to infection!

Anyway Good Luck!!

Kim - posted on 07/11/2010

i don't think it matters what their reasons our. it's not anyone's child but theirs.

Keara - posted on 07/11/2010

I live in Canada and for the most part they won't even do it anymore unless its religious and then you have to go to another city to have it done and pay for it yourself, its no longer covered under our health care, as it is deemed unnecessary....i would talk to your doctor about it first and see what s/he recommends, because there really aren't any health benefits to it, and lots can go wrong... without getting specific, a member of my family was circumsized, and it wasn't done correctly, they cut too much too deep and literally half of his lil penis fell off, he now has an outstanding lawsuit until the day he turns 21, to see if it will be fully functional sexually and such... also an uncircumsized penis requires a lot less care because you don't even pull the foreskin back anymore like they used to tell you to do, you just wash and bathe the baby normally and when the boy hits puberty the foreskin will release itself without any pain or discomfort to him. The way it was explained to me is that you wouldn't give a baby girl breast implants... so why circumsize a boy... its purely cosmetic...

Kim - posted on 07/11/2010

there are tons of men you don't care about being circ'd and who have no problems.

remember you are the parnet and it's parents choice!

Brenda - posted on 07/11/2010

You need to know that circumcising prior to day 7 or 8 may increase the risk of hemorrhage. And that circumcisions preformed in hospital place baby at higher risk of MRSA, in fact being born in the hospital places the baby at higher risk of colonization with MRSA which can lead any cut (including circumcision) to being infected with MRSA.

You need to know that the foreskin is fused to the glans (head of penis) the way that a fingernail is fused to your finger. Because the foreskin must be ripped from the glans the glans will be raw and bleeding, not just the foreskin. It will look like this: http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/functions...

You need to keep a barrier between any remaining foreskin and glans during healing to prevent additional scaring, and that the glans must be kept protected from diapers/cloths to prevent sticking and pain.

Regardless of the age of the baby when the circumcision is done it would be considered wise to use cloth diapers with no waterproof cover until the wound is healed. Changing the diaper promptly reduces the risk meatal stenosis (see below). Also a thin cloth diapers allows faster and easier detection of bleeding, just 1oz of blood loss in a newborn is considered critical, 2.3 oz can be deadly. Two oz of blood are easily hidden by a disposable diaper: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/05/death-fro...

The baby may cry during urination until the wound is healed, if possible run warm water over the penis or place baby in a warm bath while peeing. Circumcision can interfere with breastfeeding in many ways.

Once the wound has healed you will need to fully retract any remaining skin at least once a day at least until the child is out of diapers to prevent adhesions. Adhesions will cause additional scarring and loss of sensation in the penis, and may require surgical repair. http://www.cirp.org/library/complication...

You should be aware that around 10% of circumcised boys will experience meatal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the urethral opening. In most cases this requires surgical repair, left undiagnosed it can cause damage to the kidneys and bladder.

Children who were circumcised as babies experience more stress/pain from vaccination and other painful procedures, and may require more pain relief. However use of pain relievers that also reduce fever (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, etc) may reduce vaccine effectiveness and may have other long term side effects on their own.

Personally I think you should also know how many men resent being circumcised, how many are attempting to restore their foreskin just to regain a small percentage of what was lost, and how many are suing those who preformed their circumcision.

Christina - posted on 07/11/2010

My neighbor had bad luck with the banding system. I have a son who was circumcised, but they didn't band him. My neighbor says her little boy still has a lot of skin that hangs down and that she has to pull it way back to clean it.

FARZANA - posted on 07/11/2010

hi.my name is farzana. my son is 2 years old. we had him circumcised when he was 6 days old. it wasnt as bad as i expected. what i think really worked was arnica d6 homeopathic tablets. it helps to heal really quickly.

Kim - posted on 07/11/2010

i say go for it. and it's great you and your husband are on the same page with you decision. we had our son circ'd and he was and is just fine.

i find it VERY easy to take care of...to wash all we do is make sure we retract him enough to clean the head and done it takes a second to do. and after care from when he came home was soooo simple....we just would change his diaper like normal and make sure to keep the area clean and apply a little ointment and you are done.

i say you and your husband know what's best and it's YOUR CHOICE to make. don't let anyone try to talk you in to it or out of it and give you guilt for whatever choice you make. :)

Danelle - posted on 07/11/2010

I had both of my sons done. They did both of them the first day. Never had a problem with it afterwards and it was very easy to take care of. And i also Nursed my first son and am currently nursing my second on and never had a problem with them nursing. Best of luck to you and your baby!

Amanda - posted on 07/11/2010

First off, WATCH A VIDEO of a circ being performed. This will prepare you for what to expect and for what you need to know. It is the best way to prepare!
Here is a link to just one of many circ videos:
http://www.drmomma.org/2009/08/plastibel...

The best choice is to leave it intact. The foreskin is so important to a boy that it is really a shame to remove it with such a risky surgery.

If you decide to go ahead with this risky procedure after watching the video then you will want to watch for bleeding after the surgery. It doesn't take much for a newborn to bleed to death! It is also best to wait until they are 12 days old to do the surgery because their clotting factor is higher by then. You will want to put a healing cream on the penis tip to help it heal and too keep it protected. After the protective skin is gone the head of the penis will be raw and sore and will begin loosing it's sense of feeling (this will effect his sex life later). He will cry a lot in pain and even more so when he pees so be prepared to hear you baby scream in pain a lot until the healing is complete.

These are things to watch for.
This is a great info site: http://www.nocirc.org/
Another one: http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/functions...

Book:
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Circumcision written by Dr. Fleiss and Dr. Hodges

Megan - posted on 07/11/2010

Amber - girls are six times more likely to get an infection than boys and we don't circumcise girls. The only reason a boy would get an infection is if the foreskin is forcible retracted creating adhesions. The foreskin is attached to the glans of the penis with the same connective tissue that connects your finger nail to the nail bed. Think about how much pain is caused when your fingernail get torn. The foreskin has to be ripped apart from the glans during circumcision, causing an infant severe pain. There is no way to sufficient way to numb the area. The foreskin is a sphincter muscle and only opens to let urine out. The foreskin actually keeps out bacteria and feces. What is unclean is cutting off the foreskin so bacteria and feces have direct access to the urethral opening. An intact penis is very easy to take care of, only clean what is seen and never retract. For those of you who say your infant slept through it or was just fine and slept the rest of the day, your baby was in shock. Baby boys who are circumcised also tend to have a hard time breastfeeding b/c they are in pain. Again, there is no national or international organization that recommends routine infant circumcision and it is purely cosmetic surgery that can cause death. Please, research both sides of circumcision before you inflict this irreversible procedure upon your sons.

Darlene - posted on 07/11/2010

we got our son circumsized for many different reasons, I actually made a list of pros vs cons. when they did it he was a day old and they gave him something sweet to suck on and numbed the area thoroughly before they did anything. we put A&D ointment on it for two weeks and he hasn't had any problems since