3rd Trimester

circumcision question

If any of you had a boy...can you tell me the pros and cons of circumcising?  We haven't decided yet and just wondering what people's experiences are with it and if its really a necessary procedure.  Thx
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Re: circumcision question

  • we had it done to our boy and will if LO is a boy.  In our opinion it was just what we wanted for him looks and hygiene.  Also my g-pa had to have it done late in his life due to an infection so we weren't down for that.  Additionally, I let DH handle this choice more than myself.

    DS was perfectly fine after having it done.  However, they didn't take enough skin and we had to have it redone when he was 1 yr. old, which I found was quite common.  I beat myself up as a mom for having to put him through it, but he went through it again perfectly fine and is doing great.  

    There's lots of different opinions on it and you'll even find conflicting research on it, so it is really up to you.

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  • Dh said we are having it done to our son, no questions asked...

    sorry im not much help!

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  • This is a pretty controversial question. If we have a boy we will not have him circ'ed. I won't give my newborn a cosmetic procedure and I can teach him to clean his penis the same way I have taught my daughter to clean her vagina.
  • We are having it done for the same reason that the above posters had/having it done are.

    It's actually not seen as medically needed to my insurance company so I will have to pay for it out of pocket.  It will cost us around 200 dollars to have done.  It is seen as elective. 

    Just not in the eyes of my DH!

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  • This topic is a very heated one amongst moms so you are going to get quite the conflicted opinions and views as well as information. Do not rely on others to give you the information, do your own research and gather info from reliable resources instead.

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  • We had it done to our son, he was fine with it. I really left the decision up to my H. I mean, he's a guy and he's circ'd, so I fiigured if he didn't 'like' it he'd have said no.

    You also have to consider potty training, though. If your DH is circ'd and your DS isn't, imagine the day he's teaching his son to pee standing up and DS notices he looks different than daddy. At that stage in life, little boys want nothing more than to look like their daddy, and when they see there's a difference in equipment they feel sad and ask why. My friend wasn't circ'd, and when I changed his son's diapers he wasn't either. I asked why, and they said the dad wasn't so neither was the son. Made sense, we did the same.

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  • My son is not circ'ed. My husband and brothers are not so it seemed like a no-brainer. None of them have ever had any issues. Like others have said, you need to teach them to keep clean no matter what. I have never regretted that decision.
  • Well my dh is, so it was a pretty easy decision that we wanted ds to look like daddy.  In my circle of friends and family it's still seen as a little strange to be uncirc'd. I think we see a lot more uncirc talk on the bump, but in general, I don't know anyone IRL who isn't.

     

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  • We are having LO circ'd. I did a ton of research, DH and I talked about extensively multiple times, and we were both on the fence. I then Google'd uncirc'd penis (I've never seen one) and decided that I didn't want my kid to look like a shar-pei.

  • just make sure that you as well as your DH are comfortable with it... we circ'd DS and the experience from my perspective was horrible and I often struggle with whether or not I made the right decision.

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  • DS is circumcized. MH is and he wanted DS to be done. He is also Jewish so its a religious thing as well. I wanted him to be done as well. IMO I think it is cleaner. I know its just one more step to peel back the skin and wash under there, but I didn't want to worry about if I didn't do it one day would it cause some sort of irritation down there. We had to have DS redone because the first time the doc didn't take off everything so basically it looked almost like DS had never been done. The earliest we could take him was 6mos. DS was really great and since he was so young he was the first to go to surgery that day and it never phased him either.

    Its not a necesary procedure and the way I view it is kind of like getting braces for your teeth. You don't really need them, but thousands of people get them.

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  • It used to be seen as the hygienic thing to do.  Recently studies have shown there is no health benefit to having it done and the American Pediatric Assn no longer recommends having it done as a routine procedure at birth (hence insurance companies might not consider it medically necessary).

    There might also be religious and/or cultural reasons for having your son circumcised.  

     

    We will not be having our son circumcised. We don't see any medical need for it and  he would be the first on both sides of the family if we did have him circ'ed.  (The men in my family are European, where it is not standard practice)

     

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  • imageGreen*Flamingo:

    We are having LO circ'd. I did a ton of research, DH and I talked about extensively multiple times, and we were both on the fence. I then Google'd uncirc'd penis (I've never seen one) and decided that I didn't want my kid to look like a shar-pei.

    LOL.  All other things equal, go for the "not-like-a-wrinkly-dog" look.

    We had our son circumcised.  Just because.  I wish I had a better reason than that.

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  • imageMissYouDietCoke:

    It used to be seen as the hygienic thing to do.  Recently studies have shown there is no health benefit to having it done and the American Pediatric Assn no longer recommends having it done as a routine procedure at birth (hence insurance companies might not consider it medically necessary).

    There might also be religious and/or cultural reasons for having your son circumcised.  

     

    We will not be having our son circumcised. We don't see any medical need for it and  he would be the first on both sides of the family if we did have him circ'ed.  (The men in my family are European, where it is not standard practice)

     

    this 100%!!!

    It is not medically necessary, insurances won't pay for it, and  it is a cultural practice. Right now only 50% of babies born in the US are getting it done.  

    We are not Jewish and there is no way we would get it done. It would be a first on both sides of the family for us.  

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  • I've read about it in my pregnancy book and reviewed some info given to me by my OB's office.  MH isn't, but he was on the fence about our son.  We've decided not to do it, not so that he can look like Daddy (because honestly I think the size difference when potty training would be bigger than the circ/uncirc difference!) but because my feeling is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

    The main benefits of doing it are a very teeny tiny decrease in UTIs (which are rare to begin with) and a teeny tiny decrease in STDs, but all the materials I've read say the "morals" you teach your son are much more influential in determining whether he contracts an STD than whether or not he's circ'ed.  The procedure itself carries risks and is believed to be painful.  It's not "recommended across the board" by the medical associations, and it's not covered by insurance, so that all spells "elective" and "not necessary" to me.

  • I let DH decide this one and he said he wants LO circ'd. 

    DH got circ'd later in life, like high school or college, and he said he wished he had gotten it done as a baby. Mostly, he was tired of having to do the extra cleaning and didn't like the way it looked uncirc'd. But as a pp said, you and your DH have to be on the same page and do lots of research to come to this decision.

  • My DH is not circumcised and neither will our son. You would not do it to a female baby so why would you do it to a male baby. The foreskin is a part of the penis and should stay a part of it. If you would like more information these are good sites to start with

    https://www.circumcision.org/

    https://www.drmomma.org/

    https://www.intactamerica.org/ 

    Please make an informed decision; not one based on looks or myths. 

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  • We had DS done, and this one will be too. My husband pushed for it. His Grandfather had a major medical issue that caused him to have to get it done when he was in his 80's!
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  • imageangeleyes_012:

    My DH is not circumcised and neither will our son. You would not do it to a female baby so why would you do it to a male baby. The foreskin is a part of the penis and should stay a part of it. If you would like more information these are good sites to start with

    https://www.circumcision.org/

    https://www.drmomma.org/

    https://www.intactamerica.org/ 

    Please make an informed decision; not one based on looks or myths. 


    Ditto 

  • We're observant Jews so DS will have a bris (circumcision and naming) 8 days after birth.  I gotta say I think some people make way too much of an issue out of this.  I don't know a single man who has any problem with having been circumsized as a baby.  Not to mention as a female I've always prefered circumsized men.
  • Here is a great website for parents conflicted about circumcision:

    Circumcision Decision-Maker

    Most docs don't circumcise their sons and they will tell you it is NOT necessary. It's an option, that's all. According to the CDC, the current infant circumcision rate is 32% and still dropping. It is quickly going out of favor. It's really just a 100-year-old American fad. Think of it as your parent's body mod!



  • imageGreen*Flamingo:

    We are having LO circ'd. I did a ton of research, DH and I talked about extensively multiple times, and we were both on the fence. I then Google'd uncirc'd penis (I've never seen one) and decided that I didn't want my kid to look like a shar-pei.

    I just did this. Ick! Ok, now I realize why it was a good decision to get DS circ'd when I did 11 yrs ago.

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  • All of the men in my family have been circumcized.  My DH is not.  He does not look like a shar-pei and has had no health issues with it. 

    I always thought it was just something you were just supposed to do until I read more when we were expecting my first LO.  If this one is a boy, we will not circ.  It just doesn't seem necessary.  I'm sure LO's penis is perfect just as it is and there's no reason to change it.

    There are several things I've asked DH about when we discussed it before.

    1.  Will he be made fun of in the locker room?  DH says other guys won't talk about it because they'd get made fun of for checking out another kid's junk.

    2. Do women not like a uncirc'd penis?  DH said this was never an issue.  I actually prefer uncirc'd.  It just feels better.

    3. A little boy wants to look like daddy.  DH asked me, realistically, how often is our LO going to look at his penis?  We tend to wear clothes in our house.  There is no reason for them to pee side by side when toilet training.  LOL  If LO asks, just explain to them.

    Make the decision that is right for your family.  I just wanted to address a couple of the common misconceptions. 

    And seriously, it doesn't look like a shar-pei.  It looks just the way it was intended to.

    imageimageimageimage m/c at 8w4d - 10/2/09 baby girl Ruth Elise
  • We are having a girl, but DH and I talked about this extensively before we knew what we were having. I really think if LO had been a boy, we would NOT be getting him circ'ed. DH is, but that doesn't matter to us. If LO grows up and asks why he doesn't look like Daddy, there's a simple answer...you explain the difference and let the kid know that a long time ago, it's something that was done, but we found out it's not necessary, so it's not done as much these days, or something to that extent. I really don't think "not looking like Daddy" will scar your kid for life. Also, as others mentioned...insurance doesn't pay for it, so why would we pay out-of-pocket for an elective procedure?
    Jimmie, mama to Zoey (March 2011)
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  • Dear Sybilgrae:

     I admire your determination to seek out information on this important decision.

    First of all, infant circumcision is a non-therapeutic operation that is totally unnecessary. It has been promoted by medical doctors as an additional service for well over a century. You have to realize that doctors get paid for each service and any additional service that they can perform carries an extra fee.

    More than being unnecessary, circumcision carries substantial risks and is quite harmful, physically, emotionally, and sexually. If you want complete documented information you may find it  in the Genital Integrity Policy Statement by Doctors Opposing Circumcision. Go to this table of contents then go to whichever chapters you may find interesting.

     https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/DOC/statement0.html

    Medicaid in seventeen states has STOPPED paying for neonatal circumcision because the operation is considered unnecessary non-therapeutic surgery. See

     https://www.icgi.org/Medicaid_Project/index.htm 

     The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists call neonatal circumcision "an elective procedure to be performed only at the request of the parents." This is another way of saying it is unnecessary.

    If you are still interested in circumcision, you should check your health insurance to see if it covers non-therapeutic circumcision. Some policies do and some don't.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • You aren't going to get any unbiased (and they will tend to be pretty biased at that) here, I would really suggest doing your own research and coming to a conclusion that's best for you and your family.  Be wary of the sites that you are sent to, it should be clear which way they lean and any the information is going to be skewed.  

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  • imageBobby73:

    More than being unnecessary, circumcision carries substantial risks and is quite harmful, physically, emotionally, and sexually. If you want complete documented information you may find it  in the Genital Integrity Policy Statement by Doctors Opposing Circumcision. Go to this table of contents then go to whichever chapters you may find interesting.

     https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/DOC/statement0.html

    Oh yeah, this is a TOTALLY unbiased place to find good information.  

    /sarcasm.  

    I effing hate these threads. 

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  • LuckyH, Yeh, I agree. Fathers and sons don't spend a lot of time comparing their penises (or at least we hope not), and even if a boy did see his father, the major differences he'd notice would be size and hair. 

    This "reason" is bogus for another reason, too. What if Dad had another body part removed? Would his son then be forced to look like Dad? And if Mom or Dad did do such an amputation, they'd probably be arrested and the kid put in protective custody. 

  • imageMrsTotty:
    imageBobby73:

    More than being unnecessary, circumcision carries substantial risks and is quite harmful, physically, emotionally, and sexually. If you want complete documented information you may find it  in the Genital Integrity Policy Statement by Doctors Opposing Circumcision. Go to this table of contents then go to whichever chapters you may find interesting.

     https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/DOC/statement0.html

    Oh yeah, this is a TOTALLY unbiased place to find good information.  

    /sarcasm.  

    I effing hate these threads. 

    Mrs. Totty:

     You are NOT saying the information is wrong. You are saying you think it is biased. In your opinion, what would it take to make it un-biased?

     

  • imageBobby73:

    Mrs. Totty:

     You are NOT saying the information is wrong. You are saying you think it is biased. In your opinion, what would it take to make it un-biased?

    What, are you an idiot?  

    The entire site is about the evils of circumcision and all the reasons it SHOULDN'T be done.  Maybe reference a site that cites the pros and cons of the procedure and lets the reader make up their own mind.  Or maybe next time you have a question about formula feeding I'll just cite :

    www.youreahorriblemotherifyoudontbreastfeedandyourkidwillbedamagedforlife.com

      

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  • We will be circumsizing our son.  Since DH is the only one with a penis, I let him make the decision.  Honestly, I think he made it primarily based on the fact that his father had to have one as an adult and it STILL traumatized by the experience. 

    FWIW, it's covered by our insurance, but we probably would have chosen to pay for it if we had needed to.

    And yeah, be careful of the sites referenced here.  There are very few unbiased sites out there.  Just read up on the pros and cons and make your decision based on what feels right to you as a parent.

  • I'm disappointed that everyone is focusing on pain and appearances. 

    The penis is a SEX organ, and the foreskin includes over half his specialized pleasure-receptive nerve endings.  It also protects the suppleness and sensitivity of the glans and it affords an exquisite frictionless rolling/gliding mode of stimulation. 

    Any mom who says a circumcised dad should decide is missing the chance to exploit her own knowledge for her son's benefit.  An intact mom knows best how good the foreskin (prepuce) feels because she has one too - the clitoral hood IS the same prepuce as the male foreskin; they are indistinguishable in the womb until three months gestation. 

    Foreskin feels REALLY good.  HIS body, HIS decision. 

  • i'm going to do a totally blind recap of this thread:

    - of course we will, it's better hygien and he has to look like daddy

    - that's not true, medically speaking. 

    - it's unnecessary! 

    - zomg it's genital mutilation

    - un circ'ed penises are gross...ewww...

    - eh, we don't know.

    - i don't want my boy to be made fun of

    - did i mention he needs to look like his daddy!

    - zomg genital mutliation again!

    - i'm jewish, suckers!

     /end

     


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  • i'm going to do a totally blind recap of this thread:

    - of course we will, it's better hygien and he has to look like daddy

    - that's not true, medically speaking. 

    - it's unnecessary! 

    - zomg it's genital mutilation

    - un circ'ed penises are gross...ewww...

    - eh, we don't know.

    - i don't want my boy to be made fun of

    - did i mention he needs to look like his daddy!

    - zomg genital mutliation again!

     /end

     


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  • imagevioletvirgo:

    i'm going to do a totally blind recap of this thread:

    - of course we will, it's better hygien and he has to look like daddy

    - that's not true, medically speaking. 

    - it's unnecessary! 

    - zomg it's genital mutilation

    - un circ'ed penises are gross...ewww...

    - eh, we don't know.

    - i don't want my boy to be made fun of

    - did i mention he needs to look like his daddy!

    - zomg genital mutliation again!

     /end


    You only missed :

    'Go to www.circucisionistehdebil.com for more info' 

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  • imageMrsTotty:
    imagevioletvirgo:

    i'm going to do a totally blind recap of this thread:

    - of course we will, it's better hygien and he has to look like daddy

    - that's not true, medically speaking. 

    - it's unnecessary! 

    - zomg it's genital mutilation

    - un circ'ed penises are gross...ewww...

    - eh, we don't know.

    - i don't want my boy to be made fun of

    - did i mention he needs to look like his daddy!

    - zomg genital mutliation again!

     /end


    You only missed :

    'Go to www.circucisionistehdebil.com for more info' 

    damnit!  i was so close.....

    i also forgot "i'm jewish, b!tch"

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  • imagevioletvirgo:

    damnit!  i was so close.....

    i also forgot "i'm jewish, b!tch"

    LOL  <3 

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  • imageDan Bollinger:

    Here is a great website for parents conflicted about circumcision:

    Circumcision Decision-Maker

    Most docs don't circumcise their sons and they will tell you it is NOT necessary. It's an option, that's all. According to the CDC, the current infant circumcision rate is 32% and still dropping. It is quickly going out of favor. It's really just a 100-year-old American fad. Think of it as your parent's body mod!

    I'd like to call bunk on your 32% statistic.  From what I could find, the CDC only has stats up to 1999, and rates in the 30's only include one specific region, the West.  Here are two websites that include circumcision rates, including all of the American male infant public, and also broken down by region and ethnicity. 

    https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/circumcisions/circumcisions.htm

    https://www.cirp.org/library/statistics/USA/

    Rates have indeed declined steadily in the West over the years, mostly (and I'm QUOTING CDC here, not speculating) due to an increase in Hispanic births.

    So, for a more accurate all-encompassing statistic:  looks like the cirumcision rate among all American male infants is somewhere closer to 50-something percent.  10 years ago, it was 60-something percent.

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  • imageDan Bollinger:

    Here is a great website for parents conflicted about circumcision:

    Circumcision Decision-Maker

    Most docs don't circumcise their sons and they will tell you it is NOT necessary. It's an option, that's all. According to the CDC, the current infant circumcision rate is 32% and still dropping. It is quickly going out of favor. It's really just a 100-year-old American fad. Think of it as your parent's body mod!

    I'd like to call bunk on your 32% statistic.  From what I could find, the CDC only has stats up to 1999, and rates in the 30's only include one specific region, the West.  Here are two websites that include circumcision rates, including all of the American male infant public, and also broken down by region and ethnicity. 

    https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/circumcisions/circumcisions.htm

    https://www.cirp.org/library/statistics/USA/

    Rates have indeed declined steadily in the West over the years, mostly (and I'm QUOTING CDC here, not speculating) due to an increase in Hispanic births.

    So, for a more accurate all-encompassing statistic:  looks like the cirumcision rate among all American male infants is somewhere closer to 50-something percent.  10 years ago, it was 60-something percent.

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  • Then you need to send your ire to the CDC, not me. Here's the reference for that statistic. The CDC presented at an international medical conference and cited those stats as the latest. They reported the US infant circumcision rates as: 56% in 2006, 43% in 2007-2008, and 32.5% in 2009. Here is a copy of their slide:

    image

    El Bcheraoui C, Greenspan J, Kretsinger K, Chen R. Rates of selected neonatal male circumcision-associated severe adverse events in the United States, 2007-2009. Proceedings, AIDS 2010, Vienna, Austria. 5 Aug 2010. 


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