Circumcision?

katypresson

I am 26 weeks pregnant with my first child, a boy. And I was just pondering the thought of circumcision.  I read some pros and cons.  When I first found out I was having a boy, I immediately said yes, we will have him cicumsized, but now I'm not so sure.  Just trying to get some opinions.  Thanks!

lkich

I told my DH it was his decision since I don't have one...he's pro

MrsJY

It's definitely a personal decision. If we have a boy we will probably do it, mainly because my DH is.

nicolesspirit

I figure God put it there and nothing natural can be so unsanitary I can't deal with it! A few guy friends of mine are uncircumcised and they say they wouldn't change it and never felt odd or out of place .

DSteed-to-be

We're having him circumcised so he will be like DH and DH can teach him how to take care of himself and about hygiene and stuff.  DH didn't want his son to be different than him.

whirli

I'd advise doing research and talking to your doctor before making a decision. If we have a boy we will not circumcise as IMO the current medical research doesn't prove to me it's necessary at all. DH is circumcised but it's not a big deal since they won't look exactly the same anyway.

Personally I see no reason to do it.

ksayles

I would, if I was having a boy.

MizMac

I only discovered a few years ago that outside the US, it's really not common practice at all to circumcise boys (unless they're Jewish). ?My husband is from Ireland, he is not circumcised and he doesn't want his son (if that's what we're having) to be either. ?It's a surgical procedure that seems rather unnecessary in his eyes, and I agree. ?As long as the boy is taught proper hygiene, I say natural is better. Just one opinion.

addison_clark

We did circumcize our son.  I was so terrified of the procedure itself though and cried when they took him to do it.  Less then 5 minutes later he was back and he hadn't even cried!  I had been so worried it would be traumatic for him, but he didnt feel a thing and came back happy and with no tears!  I would have no fears of doing it again if this baby is a boy too.

dbsk8dance

We will not be circumcising. 

mavilabride

Just as an FYI if you don't circumcize just to take into consideration: there is this condition that is called phimosis (I believe) which is basically when the guy can't pull the skin back.  It can lead to infections and severe pain when urinating.  Most men with this condition end up having to get circumcized at a later age which also ends up being considered a cosmetic surgery rather than medically necessary (i.e. most insurances won't cover it).

Just a thought.

cabana1

Everyone has their own opinion on this, and you will find that it is pretty well split. There are pros and cons to both options, and you have to decide what feels the most comfortable to you and your significant other. We are choosing to circumcise our son, but I can see why others don't. Be wary of the "research" you read, most of it is scewed to support one's own agenda so it may even confuse you more. Try and weed out the biased articles if you can.

rebus82

DH wants him circumcised, and since I have not found enough cons to sway me against it, I'm going to go along with that choice. I think there are pros and cons to the practice, so I understand people on both sides of the argument.?

I personally think that it benefits most males. Not just from the locker room perspective, but also because little boys (and grown men) are often very dirty people and unclean foreskins lead to all kinds of medical issues. It's easy to keep a baby's penis clean, not so easy when your baby is 12 (or 30) years old.

SafetyWife07

It is a personal choice. Don't let anyone tell you that it's more sanitary to have a child circumsized.  It's all about hygiene and keeping things cleaned.  If I were to have a boy, I would not have him circumsized, but that is because my husband is not and I see no need to.  My thought is, why do a procedure that is not medically necessary to a poor baby?

JCM083009

This is the only reason why I really hope we're having a girl.  DH wants it, I am very against it. I have a good email my doula sent me about it w/ lots of interesting facts if you're interested, PM me.

RubyRed1085

DSteed-to-be:

We're having him circumcised so he will be like DH and DH can teach him how to take care of himself and about hygiene and stuff.  DH didn't want his son to be different than him.

This... exactly. 

married4love

Ditto to Addison. No crying for either of us though. And DS was a premie only 2 weeks old when it was done. The can put a numbing cream on it before they do it so they don't feel anything. It heals within a couple days. I think it is more sanitary and can help protect against infections and STD's if it's done. And DH said to do it also. If this is another boy, we will do it again.

hisprincess06

If we are having a son we will have it done...my DH insists and since I don't have a weenie it's up to him.

robynlesley

I found out we're having a boy on Friday and he'll be circumcised. We're doing so for religious reasons primarily?but I'd have done so anyway. My only concern is caring for him after.

HappyTXChick

We did with DS and would have done it again if this were a boy.  DH is circum and it seems like everyone I know who was not circum, had their son circum b/c of the hassle of not having it done and always feeling different.
But as many said, it is a personal choice and you should do what you feel is right.  Talk to your DH, I'm sure he has an opinion on this issue.

And FYI, like a pp'er said they took DS from me and he was back in a few minutes all swaddled up and no signs of crying or distress.  I wouldn't refer it it as a "major surgical procedure".  Its actually minor.

Mrs_W_Pookie

We're having a girl, so we don't need to worry about this now, but if we were having a boy, we'd have it done because we are Jewish.  Good luck with your decision!

IselaCid

Here's a funny half hour of Penn & Teller's take on it, hope it helps!

https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2577091532653693892&hl=en 

Be careful where you watch...lots of profanity!

bparkhur

we plan to get it done.

nsees

My son was...and he slept through the procedure!

madladybride

We are for religious reasons.

Miriamgavalas

We're not having our son circumcised.  DH is not and there's nothing wrong with his penis.  Our feeling is - if it ain't broke - don't fix it.

purpletulip

We already decided to not circumcise if we have a boy.  Everything that I've read indicates there's no benefit to having it done other than it's easier to keep clean -but all it takes is a few seconds extra to clean an uncircumsized penis.

The other main argument for circumcision is that more guys are, but that trend is starting to go the other way, and IMO that's not a good enough argument anyway.

IselaCid

If you watch that Penn & Teller bit, it talks about how babies supposedly "sleep" through the procedure...it's because they're going into shock...nice nap!

Obviously, no, we did not mutilate our child.  

schmoodle

We will circumcise, both because I am Jewish and because DH is circumcised and thinks his son should be.

LoveEeyore

Ultimately DH gets to decide- and he wants to b/c that's how he is and he likes his penis, so how could it be wrong?

Me-I am currently trying to build a case against it.  I personally think that natural selection and evolution have served us well to this point and if boys are still being born with foreskin, then it must be a good thing.  I asked my OB for info on it and she directed me to the American Academy of Pediatrics.  THeir stance is neutral, but I will keep looking.

ETA: OMG- the horror stories when I was on 0-6 months of boys having to be re-circumsized- that is enough for me!

whirli

IselaCid:

Here's a funny half hour of Penn & Teller's take on it, hope it helps!

https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2577091532653693892&hl=en 

Be careful where you watch...lots of profanity!

I love that video.. there is seriously some good information in there. 

chubabubsmom

My DH is Uncircumcised and he has never had any problems. I really didn't think it was necessary to have my son circumcised but DH has suddenly changed his mind and wants our son circumcised due to ppl telling him all reasons to get circumcised.I haven't made up my mind but I did tell DH it was his choice bc he will be the one teaching him all about his penis and how to clean it...We are still debating this right now.

Kendall13

We are pro.  Stats show that only about 60% of parents circumcise their boys now, so it's definitely less popular than it used to be.

Study show that you are less likely to get STDs and AIDS when you are circumcised.  We plan on teaching out kid to wrap it up, but I suppose that every little bit helps.

Also, DH wanted his son's to look like his.  I didn't help the arguement when I admitted that I'd never seen one that wasn't.

alibabbbs

DH and I are strongly against it. It seems inhumane to both of us. We are having a son, and there is no way we would put him through this.

MA&CB

We're having a boy and he will be circumcised.  DH is and it makes sense to me to his penis look like his dad's.  Also I know 3 people that had to be circumcised later in life because of infections or the foreskin being attached to the head, a teenager, a college student, and my poor 80 year old grandfather.  I'd rather take care of it now and spare them that later on.

JCM083009

IselaCid:

Obviously, no, we did not mutilate our child.  

Have I told you yet today that I looooove you  

NATALE0624

There was never any  question about it; our son would definitely be circumcised

festivalhippie

Not sure yet... DH is for it and I am leaning more towards the no side. ?It's something you need to research instead of asking others opinions. ?

erindawn

IselaCid:

Here's a funny half hour of Penn & Teller's take on it, hope it helps!

https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2577091532653693892&hl=en 

Be careful where you watch...lots of profanity!

 

OMG- my DH and I just watched it and laughed our butts off.  He's not circumcised and we don't plan on doing it if we have a boy.

Choco80

Some people have said a con is a surgical procedure. ?It is honestly such a small and simple procedurewith great health benefits - every morning in the nursery, they line up the babies who wish to be circumsized and they do them all in a row, it's just a few seconds for each - almost like have a big mole removed to be honest. ?Plus, it?decreases the risk of cancer as well as HIV transmission. ?The baby is also believed not to have much, if any feeling down there at this point in his life (though I've been to brisses where the kid screams a good amount - ive been told that most of the screaming is not due to pain, however, and the kid usually stops crying immediately after its done).

My sources for this are a bunch of OBs and other doctors I know very well - my husband is a doctor, and was just showing me a medical journal article the other day on this point.?

yellowfakerose

If I am having a boy I still haven't decided. But tradition in DF's family is to wait till the child is 12 or 13 years old to get him circumcised. It is about the boy becomeing a man. When he talks about what happend and how it felt makes me kring!