Are you for or against circumcision?

foreverapartofme

My DH and I just found out we are expecting a little baby boy!  We are so excited!  However, now my DH and I are trying to figure out if we should or shouldn't circumcise our son.  After researching it, I'm kind of leaning towards not but curious what other people's thoughts on this topic are?  Also, if you did circumcise your son, how was the recovery?  Thanks!!!

foreverapartofme

I am sorry if this was already a discussion!  I'm curious because my friend's son had a hard time with recovery and kept getting infections, which is making me feel afraid to do it.  All of my friends have little girls, so I wanted to hear other people's experiences, which I should have mentioned in my first post.  

PrimRoseMama

I was for it but never got DS circ.

jnnfrrose6

As someone without a penis, I left the ultimate decision up to DH. Did my basic research to determine if I needed to have an opinion on it and determined that ultimately DH would have better experience making the decision. ETA recovery was about a week and didn't seem like a big deal in the grand scheme, but obviously with one kid I don't have anything to compare that to.

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Cat&S

I do not have strong feelings either way, so I was going to leave a final decision to DH. He did not want to circumcise. But then we found out that it's a girl, so moot point now.

Justabean3

I have two boys and both got the plastibell. I didn't have any problems with either child but they are both bigger in that area.

My SIL son got a plastibell and it got all kinds of infected and he had to have it removed. He is very small in that area. Her second son also bigger, had no issues.

apparently size does make a difference in if the plastibell works because it sits on the penis until it heals and falls off.

Personally I do not regret the decision. My boys were not irritable or cranky with it and didn't even notice it honestly.

there is also another type of circumsicion where they just basically cut it off from the start.

slovacmom

None of the kids i have nannied are/were I think it is less common now? We would not have done our son. If you are not Jewish I do not see why you would.

boymomstrong

Maybe there should be something pinned to the top ab this... Its every day it seems!!!!
R

OP: research, read, talk to your doc and make the decision you choose, and even then it may be taken out of your hands!!! We were FIRMLY against this, then our son had hypospadious, and required a circ to repair the issue, so it was medically necessary, our next son will not be circd unless again medically necessary....

dschneider1583

We had our DS #1 circumcised and we will with our little boy on the way. It is something my husband felt strongly about and I saw nothing wrong with it. DS #1 had no complications at all and he actually healed really quickly!

LoveIsAll25

We didn't circumcise our first son and we won't circumcise our second son either. I won't go into detail as to why my husband and I chose NOT to circumcise our son. 

Talk to your doctor, father of the baby and do your own research. 

WashingtonQueen

I'm not "for" or "against" it. I am pro do your research from legitimate sources and make your decision. There is no one right answer for everybody.
That said, my 3 boys are intact.

MallardDucky

To each their own. Do your own research with reputable websites and journals. Make your own decisions on what is best for You and Your family. There is no right or wrong answers.

ready-or-not

We did with our 1 boy (others are girls) basically bc DH & I wanted to. My sister & her DH didn't with their 2 boys basically bc they didn't want to. Different strokes for different folks!

portentosa

Like others said, do your research and make your own decision. It's a very personal decision on a topic that can get heated sometimes, I kinda dreaded opening this topic.

But to answer your question regarding others experiences DH and I both felt very strongly pro circumcision. We made sure our pedi used the plastibell and a local anesthetic for the procedure and recovery was very easy. Leaking diapers from the petroleum jelly was our biggest issue.

chardonnay24

We did not circumcise our son and will not circ any future boys. My husband is circumcised and was originally for it, but we did our research and we're comfortable with our decision.

rae_dylanzmom

Totally your choice. IMO, not a decision to lose sleep over.

seasode2012

I don't know what I'm having yet but if it's a boy I'm going to do it.  I know a couple of friends  husbands had to do it later on as adults and it was terrible.  I think it 's just one less thing for them to worry about later on. 

momthatlifts

It's a decision I left up to my husband. He is the one with a penis and he has lived with it. I think he said he would. That's perfectly fine with me. Whether someone chooses to or not to is not my business and I could care less

NADA-H

it's your decision ultimately.

We are Muslims and just like Jews circ. is a must for boys, I think most Middle Eastern Christians do it too. DH had it and there is no scar what so ever. As to recovery it isn't bad (I come from a big family with lots of boys) you just need to be careful about it just like you'd take care of the umbilical cord and it would last a few days/week before it isn't tender anymore.

I'd say that a minimum of 90% of Middle Eastern men/boys are circ. If it was such a horrible recovery roller coaster people wouldn't do it.

Chichigo

We chose to leave our son intact. We didn't think surgery to prevent possible infection was worth it. I also felt he could always choose to get it done later if he disagreed with our decision, but couldn't just regrow a foreskin.

I just want to add that I'm fairly crunchy.

themarquis0

I don't get the whole "leave the decision up to your husband; he's the one with the penis".

My wife and I are a same sex couple (two women).  There is no man with a penis to decide, so I guess it is up to us.  Even if there was a man involved, I don't see why it wouldn't be a decision made by two equal partners, whether they have penises or not.  People who don't have penises still have brains, right?  A brain is all you need to do to weigh the evidence, do research, and think about what kind of decision is right for your family.

argonne

DS is not. Neither is DH since he grew up in Europe where it is less common. It's becoming less popular to circ, especially in the area where I live. However, it is a decision you and your DH must come to based upon your own research.

spinsemeyer

I think as long as you do your research, whatever you decide is fine. I am kind of bothered when people say "we just did it just because we wanted to" because I think that's a weird reason to do a surgical procedure on a tiny baby (albeit a minor procedure in most cases). But if people choose to because they think the decreased sensation and small risk of complication is outweighed by the risk of infection and penile cancer later in life, I can understand that. If they go the other way and feel that bodily autonomy for the child is more important, or they worry about risk of post-surgical complication, etc, then I can understand that too.

*LrCg*

As a mother I don't have a penis, however, I do have a voice and will speak on the best interest of my child.  I don't have to be a child to know that child abuse is wrong- same thing with circumcision- I don't have to have a penis in order to have an opinion.  DH & I do not circumcise- its not our place to make a decision on our son's body for vanity reasons.  There is no medical reason to do it and there is actually a reason to have a foreskin.  There are old studies that say intact penis has UTI's however that was done on pre-mature babies and pre-mature babies are prone to UTIs.  In talking with other people I also found it odd that in countries where being intact is the normal they don't have issues and I personally feel it is because in the USA parents were improperly told to retract the foreskin to clean.  DH is circumcised however, his father was not (it was his mother that wanted to circ, his father did not) so growing up he was different from his father and never found it an issue so that wasn't an issue for us either (and in reality nond of your children will look the exact same).  When we made the decision some of my initial concerns was it looking different as I never saw an uncut penis- I was surprised to know that when erect there is no visual difference.  I highly doubt when my son is 16  years old any girl will ever see him not erect.  As for teasing from friends, if other boys are staring at his penis- I think he has reasons to tease them. 

Great websites for information: www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org and nocirc.org

Great website with a forum with intact boys- www.mothering.com (they are wonderful in answering questions!)

Also, if you choose to circumcise you don't have to use a doctor.  Mohels (generally a Rabi) are specifically trained to do this) and there are numerous benefits to a Mohel vs. a physician.  Lastly, you do not have to be Jewish to have a Mohel preform this for you.

mrsdanielleM2010

*LrCg* said:

... I highly doubt when my son is 16  years old any girl will ever see him not erect.  As for teasing from friends, if other boys are staring at his penis- I think he has reasons to tease them. 

I am staying out of the circumsize or not debate, but I'd like to know exactly what reasons you might be referring to.

*LrCg*

mrsdanielleM2010 said:

*LrCg* said:

... I highly doubt when my son is 16  years old any girl will ever see him not erect.  As for teasing from friends, if other boys are staring at his penis- I think he has reasons to tease them. 

I am staying out of the circumsize or not debate, but I'd like to know exactly what reasons you might be referring to.

Many people use the excuse that they are going to circumcise because their child will look different in school and will be made fun of.  I think that's one of the worst excuses.  As I said, if my son is being teased by his male classmates then he could tease right back for them staring at his penis.  As for when he is with girls- I highly doubt any teenage naked boy would ever be in the presence of a female and not be erect.  Would I like my son to not be sexually active at the young age of 16- absolutely but I'm also reasonable and realize that it is a possibility. And if that is the case, he is not going to look different from any of his cut classmates.

nikkiuk

As a native Brit who has only lived in the USA for 2 years, circumcision is somewhat alien to me and certainly not the norm in the UK (except for Jewish males) so I was very surprised to see it is something that's considered here. My 16 year old son is not circumcised, this baby won't be either. It's never been a recommended practice in the UK nor most of Europe and I don't personally see any reason to remove a part of my son that is just fine where it is and serves a purpose - just my opinion. But it's parental choice at the end of the day. I don't think it's just the dad's choice - any medical procedure should be an informed joint decision.

veetveet

We would not circumcise unless medically necessary.

WashingtonQueen

*LrCg* said:

As for teasing from friends, if other boys are staring at his penis- I think he has reasons to tease them.

Umm, wow.

VGee

I have 3 sons and one on the way, none are circumcised.  It is a personal/religious decision for sure - we were leaning towards not doing it. We spoke to our pediatrician before our son was born and he reassured us that it's not medically necessary and strictly a personal preference.  I could not see putting our little guy through that pain for no good reason. I also saw the device they strap the babies down with and my decision was easy!  I, or rather DH, had to teach our boys how keep it clean, but our oldest are 23 and 18 and we have never had an issue. Not to mention DH has never had an issue either. 

Either way enjoy your son... boys are fun!!

MinnesotaMomma91

mrsdanielleM2010 said:

*LrCg* said:

... I highly doubt when my son is 16  years old any girl will ever see him not erect.  As for teasing from friends, if other boys are staring at his penis- I think he has reasons to tease them. 

I am staying out of the circumsize or not debate, but I'd like to know exactly what reasons you might be referring to.

Well aparentley its okay to gay bash your friends. Cause thats kinda what that sounds like. And frankly i think thats disgusting

And tbh i think teen age boys talk about their genitals as much as teen age girls do. As a teenager my friends and i talked about our breasts and what was normal. I remeber talking to a girlfriend about pubic hair and grooming it at 16.

I am sure guys do it too. They just do it differentley. And as a mother i would be out right lived if i found out my son was making jokes that are of a homophobic nature

MkL1526

DH and I are for it.

*LrCg*

MinnesotaMomma91 said:

mrsdanielleM2010 said:

*LrCg* said:

... I highly doubt when my son is 16  years old any girl will ever see him not erect.  As for teasing from friends, if other boys are staring at his penis- I think he has reasons to tease them. 

I am staying out of the circumsize or not debate, but I'd like to know exactly what reasons you might be referring to.

Well aparentley its okay to gay bash your friends. Cause thats kinda what that sounds like. And frankly i think thats disgusting

And tbh i think teen age boys talk about their genitals as much as teen age girls do. As a teenager my friends and i talked about our breasts and what was normal. I remeber talking to a girlfriend about pubic hair and grooming it at 16.

I am sure guys do it too. They just do it differentley. And as a mother i would be out right lived if i found out my son was making jokes that are of a homophobic nature

I didn't realize that a boy looking at a penis made him gay.... I still can't find where I stated that.

MinnesotaMomma91

*LrCg* said:

MinnesotaMomma91 said:

mrsdanielleM2010 said:

*LrCg* said:

... I highly doubt when my son is 16  years old any girl will ever see him not erect.  As for teasing from friends, if other boys are staring at his penis- I think he has reasons to tease them. 

I am staying out of the circumsize or not debate, but I'd like to know exactly what reasons you might be referring to.

Well aparentley its okay to gay bash your friends. Cause thats kinda what that sounds like. And frankly i think thats disgusting

And tbh i think teen age boys talk about their genitals as much as teen age girls do. As a teenager my friends and i talked about our breasts and what was normal. I remeber talking to a girlfriend about pubic hair and grooming it at 16.

I am sure guys do it too. They just do it differentley. And as a mother i would be out right lived if i found out my son was making jokes that are of a homophobic nature

I didn't realize that a boy looking at a penis made him gay.... I still can't find where I stated that.

Well then what were you saying? Cause thats sure as hell how it sounded.

WashingtonQueen

*LrCg* said:

MinnesotaMomma91 said:

mrsdanielleM2010 said:

*LrCg* said:

... I highly doubt when my son is 16  years old any girl will ever see him not erect.  As for teasing from friends, if other boys are staring at his penis- I think he has reasons to tease them. 

I am staying out of the circumsize or not debate, but I'd like to know exactly what reasons you might be referring to.

Well aparentley its okay to gay bash your friends. Cause thats kinda what that sounds like. And frankly i think thats disgusting

And tbh i think teen age boys talk about their genitals as much as teen age girls do. As a teenager my friends and i talked about our breasts and what was normal. I remeber talking to a girlfriend about pubic hair and grooming it at 16.

I am sure guys do it too. They just do it differentley. And as a mother i would be out right lived if i found out my son was making jokes that are of a homophobic nature

I didn't realize that a boy looking at a penis made him gay.... I still can't find where I stated that.

Back pedal.

mrsdanielleM2010

MinnesotaMomma91 said:

*LrCg* said:

... I highly doubt when my son is 16  years old any girl will ever see him not erect.  As for teasing from friends, if other boys are staring at his penis- I think he has reasons to tease them. 

I am staying out of the circumsize or not debate, but I'd like to know exactly what reasons you might be referring to.

Well aparentley its okay to gay bash your friends. Cause thats kinda what that sounds like. And frankly i think thats disgusting And tbh i think teen age boys talk about their genitals as much as teen age girls do. As a teenager my friends and i talked about our breasts and what was normal. I remeber talking to a girlfriend about pubic hair and grooming it at 16. I am sure guys do it too. They just do it differentley. And as a mother i would be out right lived if i found out my son was making jokes that are of a homophobic nature

This is what I thought too, @Minnesotamomma91 glad to see I'm not the only one who picked up on the implication. I wanted to see if there would be backpedalling or if she'd own it. I guessed right.

Tassie06

We did and recovery was fine. That being said, I'm happy we don't have to go through that again. It's still a little upsetting, even if you are for it.

Monotonetwo

Tassie06 said:

We did and recovery was fine. That being said, I'm happy we don't have to go through that again. It's still a little upsetting, even if you are for it.

Is your name "Tassie"!? Because that is my name and I have never met someone with my name before! Just curious....


On the circumcision topic; my son was done the day after born and he healed in a week if I remember correctly and peed in the first 5 min with no crying. I personally believe uncut looks disgusting. I would never want my son to be the laughing point at school, gym or with girls later. Just my opinion.

Tassie06

Monotonetwo said:

We did and recovery was fine. That being said, I'm happy we don't have to go through that again. It's still a little upsetting, even if you are for it.

Is your name "Tassie"!? Because that is my name and I have never met someone with my name before!
Sort of. It's cool finding another tassie! My real name is Kathryn. I couldn't pronounce that when I was a toddler and Kathy came out Tassie. So I've been called that by my family, friends, teachers & bosses for over 30 years. That or Tass. But formally I go by Kathryn.

WashingtonQueen

Monotonetwo said:

Tassie06 said:

We did and recovery was fine. That being said, I'm happy we don't have to go through that again. It's still a little upsetting, even if you are for it.

Is your name "Tassie"!? Because that is my name and I have never met someone with my name before! Just curious....


On the circumcision topic; my son was done the day after born and he healed in a week if I remember correctly and peed in the first 5 min with no crying. I personally believe uncut looks disgusting. I would never want my son to be the laughing point at school, gym or with girls later. Just my opinion.

You are an idiot.