3rd Trimester

To circumcise or not to circumcise ...

To all the moms having baby boys -- Are you planning to circumcise your new little boy? If so, are you going to be in the room during the procedure? I've also heard some hospitals give a vitamin K shot before the procedure. Do you feel the shot is necessary? I'm just trying to get an idea of what other moms are planning. Thanks for everyones insight!! Smile

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Re: To circumcise or not to circumcise ...

  • We did not circumcise DS and if this baby were a boy, we will not circumcise. You are going to get a ton of comments about this and it's a very controversial topic. Do your research. Watch a video of the procedure. The benefits are hazy, but there are some real risks involved as with any surgery. IMO, it's a cosmetic procedure. I was told that hospitals will make sure your child has the hep B vax before the procedure just in case there is need for a blood transfusion. I don't know, it was all very clear for me. My H is circumcised and felt very strongly that we not circ our children. I started doing research and was soon very happy to leave our children intact. I couldn't even watch the procedure. How could I do that to our child? Why would I take risks with a newborn? It's HIS body and if he wants to go ahead and get it done later on, so be it.

    Also, as a mother of an intact son, I will tell you that it's so easy to take care of. There is no care involved. You clean the penis like a finger.

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  • ks3pinkks3pink member

    Its not just a cosmetic issue!  I hate that!  Its a cleanliness issue.  I know several grown men who were not circumsiced and have had issues.  Ask your pediatricians opinion and the pros and cons rather than an internet board or google.  Oh and as for watching a video, he is not going to remember it so pain is not an issue.  

    Sorry, it just drives me nuts for people to say its just cosmetic, its not! 

    ETA:  Leaving it with the idea that he can do it later is terrible.  He will remember the pain later and it won't be pleasant. 

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  • catmtlcatmtl member

    OP, you're definitely a newbie. This topic, especially worded in the way you have, will open a can of worms. You need to do some research and decide on your own. You'll get some strong opinions for either side here that won't necessarily help your decision.

    FWIW, I'm having a boy and do plan on having him circumcised. My husband will be taking him as they don't do the procedure here in the hospital. As for the vitamin K shot, if the hospital routinely gives it then I'm not going to object.

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  • imagekitchencolors:
    imagelissydee:
    imageks3pink:

    Its not just a cosmetic issue!  I hate that!  Its a cleanliness issue.  I know several grown men who were not circumsiced and have had issues.  Ask your pediatricians opinion and the pros and cons rather than an internet board or google.  Oh and as for watching a video, he is not going to remember it so pain is not an issue.  

     

    the cleanliness factor is entirely debatable. Penile infections are already rare, as are penile cancers, so the added benefit of circing them to prevent something that is already rare to begin with seems a bit extreme to some (myself included).  If you can teach girls how to keep their privates clean, then we can also teach our boys.  Same goes with safe sex.

    and just because they might not "remember" the pain doesnt mean that they should be subjected to it.

    All of the medical professionals to which I have spoken so far have said that there is no medical evidence that it's better.  Find doctor(s) you trust and ask them. 

    The AAP does not recommend circumcision.

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  • We would circumcize a boy if we had one. 
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  • I don't think it's harmful, but neither do I think it's necessary. We will be circumcising if we have a boy, as we're Jewish, and it's important religiously that we do so. However, if we didn't have a good reason, we wouldn't.

    I also don't like the way that the procedure is done in most hospitals. Mohels (people who perform Jewish circumcisions) have, in my opinion, better, safer methods, more experience, and a better understanding of pain management. 

  • imagelissydee:
    imagewheelsonthebus:

    The AAP does not recommend circumcision.

     

    thats not entirely true.  Their stance is actually neutral now.  They dont recommend it, but they do not discourage it either.

    Just wanted to clarify if we are going to have a healthy debate about it.

    This is honestly news to me! I thought they were now not recommending it. I truely did not know this. Sorry to put false info out there!

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  • We will be doing it. H isn't and after seeing how he feels about it we are having it done. It does cause medical problems for some. I have a family member who had to go get his done when he was in his 50s for medical reasons. 
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  • I am actually very thankful to be having a DD this time around.  We did a lot of research and ultimately decided to circumcise DS for the above mentioned sanitary benefits.  I don't regret this decision, however it did take it's toll on me as a new mom.  DH went and watched.  It looks very red and angry afterwards and is covered in gauze.  I will not lie, this is not easy to see. 

    As a PP said, the vitamin K shot is absolutely necessary.  Biblical accounts of circumcisions (and I believe it is current Jewish custom) wait til day 8 to perform the procedure because that is when the natural levels of vitamin K are at their highest.  Not only does it have clotting benefits, but is a natural pain killer.    

    Good luck with whatever you decide.

  • We are getting it done.  My DH hasn't budged on this issue, and since he is circumcised, we will be getting DS circumcised as well.
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  • flyer23flyer23 member
    imageks3pink:

    Its not just a cosmetic issue!  I hate that!  Its a cleanliness issue.  I know several grown men who were not circumsiced and have had issues.  Ask your pediatricians opinion and the pros and cons rather than an internet board or google.  Oh and as for watching a video, he is not going to remember it so pain is not an issue.  

    Sorry, it just drives me nuts for people to say its just cosmetic, its not! 

    ETA:  Leaving it with the idea that he can do it later is terrible.  He will remember the pain later and it won't be pleasant. 

    Circumcised men can have issues, too. This is a great link from the Canadian Paediatric Society, which is Canada's equivalent of the AAP: https://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/circumcision

    So, for example, 10 in 1000 uncirc'd boys will have to have a circ later in life due to complications... but 10 in 1000 circ'd boys will need to be re-circ'd due to complications, so it's basically a wash. For what it's worth, I did ask my pediatrician about this -- she is Jewish, and has a circ'd son, so she's hardly an intactivist. And she said that it's purely cosmetic.

    As for remembering the pain... we really don't know. Certainly, we know babies don't remember the pain of circumcision (or really, remember anything) in the same way that adults do, but for example, one study showed that circ'd babies had a stronger response to the pain of vaccination 6 months later, implying that there is some sort of residual memory: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(96)10316-0/abstract

    As for the Vitamin K shot, if you're doing the circumcision before 8 days of age, the baby should most definitely get the Vit K shot. Most hospitals give it routinely to all babies (male and female), so it's a non-issue.

    As for what we did? We did circumcise our son, mostly because DH felt more strongly about doing it than I felt about not doing it. We chose to use a mohel who does circumcisions for non-Jews. I was in the room the entire time (as was DH as well as DD, age 2.5 at the time). As a pp said, it is a very different procedure from the hospital circumcisions you'll see on YouTube, etc. If this one is a boy and DH feels strongly about circ'ing again, we'll use the same mohel for sure.

    Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)

  • mel1515mel1515 member

    Vitamin K is given immediately after delivery along with the Erythromycin ointment....I have never had a patient/family refuse either one of these medications.

    Circumcision is generally done 24+ hours after delivery if the parents choose to have this done and as long as all is well with the newborn.

     We are having it done if this baby is a boy - it is just a given for us...not much discussion. My husband and I feel the same regarding a circumcision.

    I have seen plenty of male newborns go through this procedure...we give them a dose of Tylenol before the procedure as well as sucrose on a pacifier to suck while the procedure is going on. Some MD's also choose to numb either side of the base of the penis with Lidocaine as well. I have also seen male newborns sleep through the procedure or at least are quiet and appear in no major distress. Sure, there are a fair majority that do cry and/or fuss during the procedure....but we (nurses) have to hold them down and keep them still while the MD does the procedure. So, I am sure it hurts, but newborns don't like to be held down either. Overall....they do VERY well with minimal bleeding! We apply petroleum jelly on a 2x2 gauze to basically keep the head of the penis from sticking to the diaper for the first 24 hours. They heal very quickly.

     Just wanted to share my experience with caring for male newborns and circumcisions.

    I would have no problem comforting my male newborn through the procedure, but most of the time the MD's and nurses will not allow parents to be there. In that case, I will comfort him when they return him to me.

    Just research, talk to your pediatrician/doctor, etc. and make your own mind up....you have to do what you feel best! In my opinion, this is a very personal decision and nobody should be getting fired up over your choice and decision. It is your baby!

  • We will be circumcising if we have a boy. No, we will not be in the room during the procedure.  (I hope to be taking a nap since it may be one of my last ones for awhile.)  Yes, I feel the vitamin K shot is necessary.  We are not worried about the procedure and we trust our pediatrician.
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  • We are having a girl, but I had made my decision long ago that if we have a boy, we would NOT circumcise.

    The only valid reason (in my opinion) to do so is for religion/deeply ingrained cultural practices.  Hygiene is not a valid reason. We should all be capable of teaching our children to keep themselves clean.

     Of course, this is just my opinion, and deeply ingrained cultural practices is certainly open to individual interpretation.

  • We are planning to cirumcise our DS - this is a decision that I do not feel strongly about one way or the other, but DH is circumcised and would like DS to be as well and I'm fine with that.

    No, I don't plan on being in the room during the procedure.

    Yes, I feel the viatmin K shot is necessary, and my birthing center gives them rutinely soon after birth anyway.

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  •   

     This statement doesn't even make sense.  He might not remember the pain later in life but he will certainly feel the pain while the procedure is being done.

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  • imageawilkinson06:

      

     This statement doesn't even make sense.  He might not remember the pain later in life but he will certainly feel the pain while the procedure is being done.

    meaning remember it or not, he's stll going to feel pain and probably a lot of it. Does not remembering it make it ok?

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  • We will NOT be circumsizing. I agree unless you are doing it for religious purposes it is 100% cosmetic. I find it lame that people use the excuse that it's more "sanitary" to have it done. My DH isn't circumsized and he has NEVER had a cleaning problem. If you can't take the extra min. To pull the skin back and clean then that's just laziness, don't chalk up to being a health benefit...it's kind if an insult when people say it's more sanitary because that's like saying those who aren't cut aren't sanitary.
  • imagehijoi:

    My son was circ'ed.

    And here's a flammable opinion: I think uncut penises are creepy looking.

    Well I think cut Penis's look gross and dried out.


    Edit: I don't actually think a cut penis looks gross I just wanted the person I quoted to see how it feels to say mean and vicious things like she posted. 

    It is completely a personal choice to get a circumcision BUT people need to do their research and stop trying to say it's for "sanitary" reasons because the USA is the only country that even does circumcisions on a routine basis.  Does this mean the rest of the world is unsanitary?  I don't think so!

    If you want to do it for cosmetic reasons so baby looks like daddy or just because you think it looks better than just say that and stop using bullsh*t excuses.

  • imageGismo123:
    We will NOT be circumsizing. I agree unless you are doing it for religious purposes it is 100% cosmetic. I find it lame that people use the excuse that it's more "sanitary" to have it done. My DH isn't circumsized and he has NEVER had a cleaning problem. If you can't take the extra min. To pull the skin back and clean then that's just laziness, don't chalk up to being a health benefit...it's kind if an insult when people say it's more sanitary because that's like saying those who aren't cut aren't sanitary.

    The cleanliness argument also drives me crazy because it completely disregards all of the infections and cases where the procedure has to be repeated because the altered penis was not cared for properly after the procedure and the skin adheres. It's also saying a circ'd penis is easier to clean than an uncirc'd, which is complete laziness. Then you'll have the arguments that say it will help prevent transmission of STDs, including HIV/AIDS, which is baffling. An circumcised penis without a condom is dangerous, period, end of story. Negligible percentage of benefit by damned.

    It's one of these archaic procedures that I think the western world has clung to for fashion. Looking like daddy, social acceptance, supposed cleanliness... these "arguments" are ingrained in our heads, but I'm glad to see a movement among the latest generations having children to do the research and come to their own conclusions that it's completely unnecessary and the benefits of staying natural and intact are legitimate. Hopefully it continues.

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  • imageGismo123:
    We will NOT be circumsizing. I agree unless you are doing it for religious purposes it is 100% cosmetic. I find it lame that people use the excuse that it's more "sanitary" to have it done. My DH isn't circumsized and he has NEVER had a cleaning problem. If you can't take the extra min. To pull the skin back and clean then that's just laziness, don't chalk up to being a health benefit...it's kind if an insult when people say it's more sanitary because that's like saying those who aren't cut aren't sanitary.

     100% agree with all of this.  If we have a boy, we will not circumcise.  I see no reason to put my child through an unnecessary surgery.  Though it seems that circumcision is the norm in this country, it is not the norm in most countries in the world.  If it were really an issue of hygiene, then are all of those uncircumcised men in Europe unclean?  I can say from personal experience that it takes no more time to keep an uncut penis clean than it takes to keep ladybits clean. 

    imageimage

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  • imagenerdbaby:

    imageGismo123:
    We will NOT be circumsizing. I agree unless you are doing it for religious purposes it is 100% cosmetic. I find it lame that people use the excuse that it's more "sanitary" to have it done. My DH isn't circumsized and he has NEVER had a cleaning problem. If you can't take the extra min. To pull the skin back and clean then that's just laziness, don't chalk up to being a health benefit...it's kind if an insult when people say it's more sanitary because that's like saying those who aren't cut aren't sanitary.

    The cleanliness argument also drives me crazy because it completely disregards all of the infections and cases where the procedure has to be repeated because the altered penis was not cared for properly after the procedure and the skin adheres. It's also saying a circ'd penis is easier to clean than an uncirc'd, which is complete laziness. Then you'll have the arguments that say it will help prevent transmission of STDs, including HIV/AIDS, which is baffling. An circumcised penis without a condom is dangerous, period, end of story. Negligible percentage of benefit by damned.

    It's one of these archaic procedures that I think the western world has clung to for fashion. Looking like daddy, social acceptance, supposed cleanliness... these "arguments" are ingrained in our heads, but I'm glad to see a movement among the latest generations having children to do the research and come to their own conclusions that it's completely unnecessary and the benefits of staying natural and intact are legitimate. Hopefully it continues.

    The cleanliness argument floors me too. I didn't have to clean an open wound in my son's diaper in the days after his birth. If anything THAT is a cleanliness issue.

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  • imagewheelsonthebus:
    imagekitchencolors:
    imagelissydee:
    imageks3pink:

    Its not just a cosmetic issue!  I hate that!  Its a cleanliness issue.  I know several grown men who were not circumsiced and have had issues.  Ask your pediatricians opinion and the pros and cons rather than an internet board or google.  Oh and as for watching a video, he is not going to remember it so pain is not an issue.  

     

    the cleanliness factor is entirely debatable. Penile infections are already rare, as are penile cancers, so the added benefit of circing them to prevent something that is already rare to begin with seems a bit extreme to some (myself included).  If you can teach girls how to keep their privates clean, then we can also teach our boys.  Same goes with safe sex.

    and just because they might not "remember" the pain doesnt mean that they should be subjected to it.

    All of the medical professionals to which I have spoken so far have said that there is no medical evidence that it's better.  Find doctor(s) you trust and ask them. 

    The AAP does not recommend circumcision.

    And they DID recommend female genital CUTTING for pediatricians dealing with families from certain cultural backgrounds that practice female genital circumcision/mutilation.  Sorry I hate it when people throw out AAP " recommendations"....like they are the end all be all. 

    OP- this is a highly controversial topic....especially on these boards for whatever reason. That said , I left the decision to circumcise our son up to my husband, who is circumcised. My brother and dad are not. I went back and forth on it ...my brother and dad said it didn't really matter either way and to let my husband decide.

    The night before we were discharged, one of the OB's from the practice that specialized in the circumcisions came and got my son and did the procedure. I didn't watch and stayed in my room. When he was brought back to me he was sleeping and completely content. There was no blood present at all on the gauze wrapped around his penis and it has never bled. The only change is we have to petroleum jelly on his penis during diaper changes. He has had not disposition or mood changes/ increase in fussiness/ changes in feeding or sleeping following the procedure. He wasn't given a vitamin k shot at that time....but later that evening around midnight the nursery nurse came and got him again to check his bilirubin for discharge and give him the vitamin K shot. 

    Ultimately , it's a personal decision you have to make with your husband. 

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  • If you choose to subject your child to the procedure - YES vitamin K IS necessary. It helps prevent clotting & just a vitamin shot.

    Also when you get advice from your MD make sure you listen carefully to what he/she is saying to make sure MD is giving you FACTS vs. spouting off opinions.

    Also think of it this way - would you cut off your (if you had) DD's clit for hygiene purposes? Hell women have their own dr. dedicated to vaginas. So 'hygiene' is a weak excuse to me 

  • imagewheelsonthebus:
    imagenerdbaby:

    imageGismo123:
    We will NOT be circumsizing. I agree unless you are doing it for religious purposes it is 100% cosmetic. I find it lame that people use the excuse that it's more "sanitary" to have it done. My DH isn't circumsized and he has NEVER had a cleaning problem. If you can't take the extra min. To pull the skin back and clean then that's just laziness, don't chalk up to being a health benefit...it's kind if an insult when people say it's more sanitary because that's like saying those who aren't cut aren't sanitary.

    The cleanliness argument also drives me crazy because it completely disregards all of the infections and cases where the procedure has to be repeated because the altered penis was not cared for properly after the procedure and the skin adheres. It's also saying a circ'd penis is easier to clean than an uncirc'd, which is complete laziness. Then you'll have the arguments that say it will help prevent transmission of STDs, including HIV/AIDS, which is baffling. An circumcised penis without a condom is dangerous, period, end of story. Negligible percentage of benefit by damned.

    It's one of these archaic procedures that I think the western world has clung to for fashion. Looking like daddy, social acceptance, supposed cleanliness... these "arguments" are ingrained in our heads, but I'm glad to see a movement among the latest generations having children to do the research and come to their own conclusions that it's completely unnecessary and the benefits of staying natural and intact are legitimate. Hopefully it continues.

    The cleanliness argument floors me too. I didn't have to clean an open wound in my son's diaper in the days after his birth. If anything THAT is a cleanliness issue.

    Uhhhhh you are obviously misinformed...you don't clean a circumcision wound. You only put petroleum jelly on it...and it DOES NOT look like a wound. It doesnt even bleed. Jesus. 

    This matter is a personal decision. End of discussion. But at least with all the little quotes and facts that get thrown out spew out the real info.  on BOTH sides while you are it. Because that is something that floors me. 

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  • imagehijoi:
    imagelissydee:
    imagehijoi:

    My son was circ'ed.

    And here's a flammable opinion: I think uncut penises are creepy looking.

     

    Tlook the same as a cut penis when erect.  Google images if you are so inclined.

    furthermore, circumcising because you think uncirc'd penises look "funny" is really teaching our sons an important message.  Because image is everything after all!  Confused

    There is always something that our kids are going to be picked on about.  Its more important to teach tolerance, kindness and the value of diversity than peg someone as funny/creepy looking.

    I hope you're not insinuating that my son is circ'ed because of my opinion about how somehting looks.  That wasn't the reason.  We did it because we did.  Just like othere don't do it because they don't.  That's the end.

    Exactly this. 

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  • flyer23flyer23 member
    imagemrs+harlow:

    Uhhhhh you are obviously misinformed...you don't clean a circumcision wound. You only put petroleum jelly on it...and it DOES NOT look like a wound. It doesnt even bleed. Jesus. 

    This matter is a personal decision. End of discussion. But at least with all the little quotes and facts that get thrown out spew out the real info.  on BOTH sides while you are it. Because that is something that floors me. 

    My son's circumcision definitely bled. Not excessively... but it bled.

    And it did look like a wound. Isn't a wound basically when part of your body is exposed that wasn't intended to be? Well, that's what a circ is, and that's what it looked like. I wanted to throw up when I changed his diaper for the first twelve hours or so, because it was just gross.

    Maybe that's not every baby's experience, but it was DS's.

    Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)

  • When and if we have a boy we will be circumcising. We will be giving our little girl the vitamin K shot. We will not be giving her the eye drops though. To us we don't think it's necessary. I will instead rub colostrum on her eyes... :-) 
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  • flyer23flyer23 member

    imagewife07mom09:
    Ps there is also the small concern of slightly elevated cancer risk in uncirc and the small possibility of phimosis as an older child and requiring general anesthesia

    Posting again...

    https://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/circumcision

    Risk of phimosis requiring circumcision in an older uncirc'd child: 10 in 1000
    Risk of circumcision complications requiring re-circumcision in an older circ'd child: 10 in 1000

    Risk of penile cancer in an uncirc'd man: 3 in a million
    Risk of penile cancer in a circ'd man: 1 in a million

    Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)

  • We will not and did not for our 2 year old.  Neither my pedi or my OB's practice will even perform this procedure at the hospital when baby is born.
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  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    imagewheelsonthebus:
    imageawilkinson06:

      

     This statement doesn't even make sense.  He might not remember the pain later in life but he will certainly feel the pain while the procedure is being done.

    meaning remember it or not, he's stll going to feel pain and probably a lot of it. Does not remembering it make it ok?

    Life comes with pains.  Many doctors will tell you it is much better to do it at birth than waiting even a year.  As someone else said their son came back calm and conteent.  Did he cry?  Probably, but he was already over it, no biggie.  The baby feeling pain is a bad excuse IMO. 

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  • imagelissydee:
    imageks3pink:
    imagewheelsonthebus:
    imageawilkinson06:

      

     This statement doesn't even make sense.  He might not remember the pain later in life but he will certainly feel the pain while the procedure is being done.

    meaning remember it or not, he's stll going to feel pain and probably a lot of it. Does not remembering it make it ok?

    Life comes with pains.  Many doctors will tell you it is much better to do it at birth than waiting even a year.  As someone else said their son came back calm and conteent.  Did he cry?  Probably, but he was already over it, no biggie.  The baby feeling pain is a bad excuse IMO. 

     

    what about it exactly makes it a bad excuse?  I'd venture to say that concerns about their infant feeling pain is an extremely valid excuse.  Even if its their only reason in favor of not circumcising.

    It has been argued that the baby actually goes into shock during and after the procedure. It is very common to have nursing problems after the procedure. It is most certainly not my only reason for not circing my child, but I think it's an excellent reason. I guess I just don't see nearly enough reasons why to put my child through that.

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  • imageks3pink:
    imagewheelsonthebus:
    imageawilkinson06:

      

     This statement doesn't even make sense.  He might not remember the pain later in life but he will certainly feel the pain while the procedure is being done.

    meaning remember it or not, he's stll going to feel pain and probably a lot of it. Does not remembering it make it ok?

    Life comes with pains.  Many doctors will tell you it is much better to do it at birth than waiting even a year.  As someone else said their son came back calm and conteent.  Did he cry?  Probably, but he was already over it, no biggie.  The baby feeling pain is a bad excuse IMO. 


    And using the excuse "It's more Sanitary" is better?  It's 100% that the baby is going to feel pain, you can't say the same for the sanitary excuse!  The rest of the world disagrees otherwise it would be a common world wide procedure and not something done just in the U.S. "just because".

  • There aren't any doctors within a 300km radius of us that perform circumcision and it's not covered under provincial health insurance or dh's supplementary medical so by default no, we won't be getting him circ'd.

    dh didn't want to anyway so we probably wouldn't do it even if the procedure were available to us.
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  • We circ'd DS, it was no big deal.  He was back in my arms in 5 minutes and no worse for the wear.

    I left the decision up to DH, he wanted it done.  I was relieved that he did.  My college friends and I had a lot of fun laughing about a specific guy's uncut penis .... shallow as it may be, I don't want my son subjected to that kind of ridicule.  Where we had DS (in Texas), our OB said appx 80% of newborn males were being circ'd, so not like the uncut penis is going to become the norm anytime soon.  There, anyway.

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  • there are arguments for both sides, but i think the most useful information has come from grown men who are uncircumcised and their personal feelings on it.  I have friends that not only continue to be uncomfortable with their appearance but have also had some complications unrelated to their ability to clean properly.  Including yeast infections after rounds of antibiotics and foreskin tears after vigorous games of sports (or vigorous rounds of sex).  On the other hand, there are those circumcised that complain of lack of sensitivity later in life, as well as skin tightness if too much foreskin is accidentally removed.  

    Find some male friends that are comfortable talking about it.  

  • imageks3pink:

    Its not just a cosmetic issue!  I hate that!  Its a cleanliness issue.  I know several grown men who were not circumsiced and have had issues.  Ask your pediatricians opinion and the pros and cons rather than an internet board or google.  Oh and as for watching a video, he is not going to remember it so pain is not an issue.  

    Sorry, it just drives me nuts for people to say its just cosmetic, its not! 

    ETA:  Leaving it with the idea that he can do it later is terrible.  He will remember the pain later and it won't be pleasant. 

    It is not a cleanliness issue. The foreskin is a protection for the sensitive glands penis. You just have to be extra careful when doing baby's hygiene. Men loose sensitivity and this may be an issue when they become adults and sexually active.

    I can see the point for circumcision if there is a religious belief or medical recommendation. But it just takes some extra care when cleaning.

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  • imagehijoi:

    My son was circ'ed.

    And here's a flammable opinion: I think uncut penises are creepy looking.

     

    As crudely as this is worded, it is true, I believe it is done more often than it is not, and therefore we are more likely to have a repellent reaction to an uncut one because we are visually use to seeing the cut version.  If you were to pull up a medical diagram of the male organ, most of them are drawn cut.   Personally I didn't even know what an uncut version looked like until I googled it. That tells you something.   

     I would take issue with the person who said that it is only common in the United States. Religiously speaking if you tallied up all the jewish and muslim men in the world, you would have a significant portion of the world population.

    And here is a link from Scientific American which writes about circumcision reducing the spread of HIV.   https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=circumcision-and-aids, so it is not just a cleanliness issue, it is a preventative health issue as well. 

    Are there downsides and risks...absolutely, but it doesn't seem like anything which can't be overcome by strict medical supervision when the procedure is done. Is it going to be hard for me to be there when the doctor performs it on my son?..oh yeah!  Is that going to stop me? ..no way.   

  • When we have a son, we will be leaving him intact. I have a firm belief in the idea that if indeed the foreskin posed some significant threat, males would be born without them. I will not mutilate my son. End of story.

     

     

    Oh, and my husband is intact...and I do NOT find it creepy...if anything, its more masculine to me.  

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  • imagesamanthalsher:
    imagehijoi:

    My son was circ'ed.

    And here's a flammable opinion: I think uncut penises are creepy looking.

     

    As crudely as this is worded, it is true, I believe it is done more often than it is not, and therefore we are more likely to have a repellent reaction to an uncut one because we are visually use to seeing the cut version.  If you were to pull up a medical diagram of the male organ, most of them are drawn cut.   Personally I didn't even know what an uncut version looked like until I googled it. That tells you something.   

     I would take issue with the person who said that it is only common in the United States. Religiously speaking if you tallied up all the jewish and muslim men in the world, you would have a significant portion of the world population.

    And here is a link from Scientific American which writes about circumcision reducing the spread of HIV.   https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=circumcision-and-aids, so it is not just a cleanliness issue, it is a preventative health issue as well. 

    Are there downsides and risks...absolutely, but it doesn't seem like anything which can't be overcome by strict medical supervision when the procedure is done. Is it going to be hard for me to be there when the doctor performs it on my son?..oh yeah!  Is that going to stop me? ..no way.   

    This is where you're wrong.....so far all the posts that say it's not common practice in the US also state they can see it being done for religious reasons but a large majority of people in the U.S. do it as common practice, not for religion.  

    I did a quick google search and according to the recent statics I found there are 13.3 million Jewish people and 1.57 billion Muslims in the world.  There is an estimated 7 billion people in the world, so there goes your argument about it being a large majority....doesn't even come close to half.....not even 1/4.

    Most of Europe is Catholic religion and circumcision is not a common practice there, most of South America is Catholic and I know for a fact it's not common there....DH is originally from Peru and NO one in his whole family is circumcised and it was not something they even offered at the hospitals.

    Trying to say it's common all over the world is false and people need to accept that.

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