circumcision

[Deleted User]

I am not trying to start a roaring debate here, but our little one is getting close to coming home (yay!!!!!) However that means we need to make a decision on whether or not to have him circumcised.

We really don't have strong feelings either way. On the one hand it is typical in our area and the AAP is starting to say there is medical merit to having it done. On the other hand he is 34 weeks adjusted and weighs 4 lbs 9 oz and has already been through so much. Also, it will probably set him back on his feedings for a day meaning just as he us back to taking his bottles like a champ we are going to do something that will make him go back to the tube...

What have others done? Any rational opinions to share?

Kelly_12

The only thing I will say is that I sort of felt the same, like oh is he too little, will this be too much for him, etc. All the nurses told me it's totally fine and wouldn't affect him any different than a term baby..they wouldn't do it if he was too little. The doc said he can do it as small as 3lbs I think.
So all I will add is your concern is valid, I felt the same worry..but do what you both think is best.

andthatmakes4

I also didn't have a strong feeling either way. My husband however felt very strongly about it. We did wait until he was 7 weeks old and eating very well to have it done. A pediatric urologist did it. It didn't affect his eating like I also was concerned about.

slh6363

I felt the same way, but did end up having it done. They waited around on the doctor to finally show up for days and ended up not doing it until the day he was discharged, which I would not recommend. The requirements they had were he had to eat and pee before we left. It was not fun to watch, he was def in pain peeing for the first time and it made for a super cranky first night home! But now I can say Im glad we did it! It healed up very nicely and quick! As PP said, you could always go home and then have it done later by a pedi urologist.

LaciJaxx

Yep, I was nervous but my hubby felt very strongly about it. I wanted to back out because they waited until the day we were discharged to do it. But we went through with it and he was absolutely fine. He was actually crying when they came back, no more than 15 mins later, because it was his feeding time. He are like a champ and went right to sleep after. It was def harder on me than him.

PhillyGal34

we had our son's done at 24 days old (34 w 5 days) and it did not effect him at all. he came home two days later.  Like Bromios said, they took care of a lot of the aftercare too which was nice :-)

Kawaldrip

Our son was born at week 34.5 4lb and 3oz and only was in the NICU for 8 days total. We had it done 2 days before he was due to go home. I am from Ireland where it is not the norm so I really wasn't for it but my husband really want it done he is an American and felt that it is the done thing here. My son had the procedure and he howled in pain for 15 minutes after heart rate was 230 I at the time was so mad at my husband. The nurse in NICU gave him some Tylenol (3 doses over an 18 hour period) a little sugar water and he was completely fine. Loads of Vaseline to the area and change his diaper a little more frequently for the first day.

If you are going to have it done it is definitely the place he is so closely monitored and he will be well on the way for Healing by the time he goes home.

Would I do it again? For the amount of pain that baby seemed to be at the time in relation to my son being able to identify with his father in that department. I would.

Courtneyw04

We had both our sons done about a week before they came home. The Dr did it right at their bed side. I was able to hold their hands while they had the procedure done. The only time they cried was when they received the numbing shot. I did not notice any difference in how the acted or with feeding.

tngrl3

My son was circumcised on the day he went home from the NICU at 36 weeks adjusted. He was 4lbs 1oz. I didn't notice that it really impacted his feedings. I BF him (and still do). He slept a little longer after it was done, but we honestly went home about 3 hours after the procedure. He had a penile block done for the procedure and never even cried. I think he had one dose of Tylenol afterward. Diaper changes were a little sensitive for him for a day or so but nothing major. 

Ultimately you have to make the decision you are comfortable with, but it is safe for preemies to have a circumcision. 

ETA: fixed some wording issues 

Adri76

Why are you doing it? There are NO benefits to routine infant circumcision. His foreskin is there to protect his penis. It is fused to the glans to prevent contaminants from getting inside and causing infections.

rednelson

cbaxmas said:

SPAM

rednelson

Whoops, forgot my actual reply. This is obviously spam and the person has no idea what board she is addressing (something about carrying our sons for 9 months!!!-talk about insensitive on the preemie board). This is not a board for debate but rather support. Can we please close this or delete the obvious spam postings?

vulpini

We debated for a while before I went into labor.  We couldn't find any really strong arguments for it - the potential medical benefits are very slight and a lot of them don't apply to life in a developed country with access to hygiene and condoms.  The main argument in favor that we could think of is that if it had to be done later in life to treat phimosis, it would be more painful then than doing it in infancy (I know people who had it done as older kids or adults and it was a longer and more painful recovery than what I've seen with infants).   But the rate of phimosis is low overall and there is no history of it in our families, so we felt it didn't warrant circumcising him just-in-case.  We have no strong religious convictions either.  The last remaining argument would be the fitting-in/being like dad or peers one, but more and more people in the US are choosing not to circumcise, so I can't imagine anyone in my son's generation would have a negative reaction to an intact penis.

We were still debating it up until I suddenly went into early labor.  Then after all the NICU time and me breaking down crying when the nurse first just suggested he'd need an NG tube, we decided to leave him intact and not add another medical procedure to his already stressful first weeks if we couldn't justify that procedure with any really strong arguments.  I'm sure he would have handled it just fine if we had done it though.

[Deleted User]

I am sorry I opened this board up to all those spam replies. I was really just looking for some preservative from other preemie moms. Thank you to all who responded, I am not going to let anyone else make this decision for us, but it is helpful to hear the experiences of others with preemie boys.

rednelson

Sorry, just realized I never actually responded to the original post. I just get so irate when non-preemie bumpies come charging in on hot topics like this, trying to save the world one foreskin at a time. My son was circed three days before discharge. Not sure on his weight at the time, but he was 5 lbs even at discharge so less than that. My husband went back with him and said DS was more upset by the prep than actual procedure. Our neo used a plastibell and the recovery was very easy. He took the first feed after well but was a little sleepy for the one after that. Initially he seemed a bit uncomfortable, especially the first pee, but they gave him sugar water and Tylenol to help. He was back to himself the following day. Good luck with your decision whichever route you choose.