DH is intact, so it never occurred to me to do this. I thought it was a religious thing only - but I guess not, at least not here in the US. I'm pretty glad I don't have to deal with the whole thing, esp caring for the wound, etc - but I'm curious - unless it's for religious reasons, which I totally understand, why would you circ your son?
I've had a couple people ask me if we were going to do it (seems weird to be asking about an unborn baby's penis) and they seemed totally shocked that we weren't.
Re: Why circ?
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It's a personal choice. One reason (other than religion) people do it is because they're less susceptible to illness when circumcised. Another reason: My husband and other family members are so we did my son. It's really not a big deal to take care of the wound. It heals fast.
If you don't do it (or if you do), it's your business and those other people shouldn't be judging you based on your choice.
Good luck.
Chandler 11/2000 ~ Bronwyn 6/2002 ~ Grayson 3/2010 ~ Matilda/Till 6/2012
BFP 10/20/11 ::sticky dust::
BFP 9/11/11 - m/c 9/25/11 5w5d
This....and the wound heals really fast so it's not a big deal to "take care of". I feel like it would be more to "take care of" if you didn't do it. Pulling back and cleaning all the time?
Hmm.... kind of like they used to remove kid's tonsils "in case". I wonder what the stats are. I don't think it's terribly high though, they don't circ at all in Ireland and it isn't an epidemic of foreskin disaster lol.
We did DS' and will be doing LO's as well.
We did it bc DH is and he wanted his sons done too. The main reason was bc his grandfather was in the first world war and got a lot of sand andstuff in there and couldn't clean it properly due to the poor conditions while he was fighting in the war and got infections and stuff and DH felt that it would be easier to keep clean if it was done. So, since I don't have one and didn't care either way we got it done. I also prefer snipped men myself. But not a reason to get it done.
That said, I personally think that it is a personal choice and doesn't matter either way what is chosen and for what reasons. If taught, cleaning isn't an issue. So, I think that it is just a personal preference. My parents were shocked that we got it done. My mom thought that it was a lot of painfulness for no reason.
It was very easy to take care of once done. We just had to make sure that we put polysporin on it after we changed his diaper each time to protect it and to keep it from stiking to the diaper and after a week or two the little plastic thingy fell off and all was healed. No big deal there. He only cried for a second when he got it done. He cried more when they were taking his clothes off than from the actual procedure.
Basically, personal choice and I think that either is correct.
Well I guess I'm in the minority here unsurpirsingly, but we are not going to circ. our son. I did heavy research on both sides & discussed the options with my hospital & it brought us to the decession not to. This link was very helpful to me.
https://wreckingboy.livejournal.com/318545.html
It's a personal decision.
I freaking hate this debate.
Totally different things....and what does Ireland have to do with anything, it's a screen name? I feel like your going to get annoying suuuper fast on this topic.
Only cause I have a lot more experience with the un-circ'ed ones, I have to say that you don't have to clean under babies' foreskins at all; the foreskin detaches when they're teenagers. You clean it like a finger, no pulling back at all. DH is clean, he showers regularly lol.
This was an issue between my DH and I. I didn't want our son to be circumcised, but DH is dead set on having a baby boy circumcised because he doesn't want him to face ridicule when he gets older.
There is no medical reason for circumcision and I think it's an absolutely silly practice for those of who don't do it for medical reasons, but my son (if that's what we have) will be cut--:::shudder:::.
Neena Mae. 1/7/10
"A baby nursing at a mother's breast is an undeniable affirmation of our rootedness in nature." - David Suzuki
You know they basically look the same when erect, right?
Abraham Arthur 2/21/10 // Asher Kendall 11/11/11
I disagree
I've been with a few uncircumcised men and never thought anything of it. I certainly didn't run away and go tell the whole world. And, yeah, they pretty much do look the same when erect.
Neena Mae. 1/7/10
"A baby nursing at a mother's breast is an undeniable affirmation of our rootedness in nature." - David Suzuki
this is coming from someone who is against circumcision lol...
I'm not even pregnant but I love me a good circumcision post!
DH is Hindu & is intact as are the men in my family who were not born here (Portugal & Brazil). If we ever have a son, he will also be intact. The US is pretty much the only country where secular (non-religious) circumcision is done; many countries in Europe actually have laws against this. However, circumcision rates in the US are falling so the argument that a boy born would be "made fun of" doesn't stand anymore; the rate is now about 50%.
And the whole "cut is cleaner" thing is not true; the countries with the lowest STD & HIV infection rates are where there are many more intact men than circumcised. It's about taking a bath regularly; that's all. And if anyone is unfamiliar with how to care for an intact penis, DO NOT pull back the foreskin; it could rip.
Everyone seems to have horror stories of boys or men they know (or a "friend" knows) who needed to be cut later in life. Most of these circumcisions could have probably been avoided if the parents were educated on other treatments. The anatomy of the foreskin isn't even required teaching in many medical schools.
Yea some women wouldn't, but I know a lot of my friends who have been with uncircumcised men and talked about it later saying how weird and nasty it looked. I wouldn't run away or say anything at the time if I saw an uncircumcised penis, but I would for sure be freaked out a little. However, this is because I've only seen circumcised men. I've seen pictures of them and they are just weird.. sorry, but that's my opinion.
I don't see the need to be insulting on either side of the arugment. In our generation (in the United States), circumcision in more common and therefore fewer people have seen uncircumcised penises. It doesn't mean that they're gross or unclean, just different. The idea of not circumcising used to freak me out, too. Then I was with a guy who wasn't circumcised. It wasn't a big deal.
Abraham Arthur 2/21/10 // Asher Kendall 11/11/11
You've seen a few then that don't? B/c the ones I've seen look exactly like a circ one.
Ick - I can't even imagine having to pull my son's foreskin back. I asked my husband if it would hurt and he tried to explain that it's just cartilage or whatever, and it's just a by-product of evolution. We don't need it anymore b/c we wear clothes. Like, you know how your dog has "lipstick"... well that's his penis and all the skin around it that holds it in is foreskin and well if he didn't have it, his penis could get hurt or infected. But we really don't need it since we're not animals. Kind of like why we still have hair on our legs - b/c we once did to keep us warm, but it's not really necessary anymore. No you don't need to shave it off, but it's a cultural thing to do so. And since we wear clothes and all, we don't need hair on our legs anymore, so we don't think anything of shaving it off. Leaving my son's foreskin on would be like leaving the hair on my legs. Sure it's a choice and no one should judge, but it's just NMS to go "au natural" so to speak.
From what I've read, you're not supposed to pull it back and clean it when they're babies.
Abraham Arthur 2/21/10 // Asher Kendall 11/11/11
Obviously thats what I'm saying.
We did because dh is, but the OB that delivered ds2 said she wished people would circ. more often because people are not truly educated in clean an uncirc. properly.
She had seen so many babies that wernt come in with sever problems because the parent tried to pull back the forskin and clean it.
With all that said it is a personal decision, and if you decided not to please educate yourslef on properly cleanining it.
That is very interesting I didn't know that.
Did you run screaming into the night?
Well, then you are more mature than the average 18 year old. I saw this happen to a guy in highschool. H said the boys in the locker room could be ten times more cruel. Uncircumcised penises are apparently pretty rare in my area, and teenagers are assholes.
Edit: Everyone realizes my first post was tongue in cheek, right? I don't believe a woman will literally run away screaming in fear. I do believe uncircumcised boys/men may be subject to ridicule in areas where circumcision is the norm.
you do not pull back the foreskin to clean it when they are babies & when they are older simply bathing on a regular basis is all the cleaning required.
Right, but in a locker room most penises would be flacid, no? They definitely look different flacid. Erect, not so much.
Abraham Arthur 2/21/10 // Asher Kendall 11/11/11
yes while shielding my eyes yelling "the horror the horror!"
edit: i don't think the sarcastic smiley i inserted is working?? But just in case someone misses it, this is sarcasm.
This exactly. One of my really good friends in HS is not circumcised and his guy friends and girls he'd been with joked around with him and teased him a lot. He hated it.