I was wondering how many of you who have boys had them circumcised. What are your thoughts and experiences with this, either side? I have a month left and I think I have decided what I'm going to do but I'd really like to hear some input from those of you who have already been through this.
No firsthand experience as I am pregnant with my 3rd daughter, but I have some links you may find helpful. A little psychology tidbit A Book Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding: Protecting the Mother and Baby Continuum http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/circumcision.htm
My boys are circumsized. If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have had it done. I was simply following what was considered a "normal" procedure. That and my husband was circumsized, so I figured it was the thing to do. A little older, a little wiser, I would have let things be.
I left my boys alone. My husband is circ'd and so are most males in the family. I researched it just because the other males were done and decided against.
When I first got pregnant, and circumcision became one of the hot topics we discussed, I was firmly for circumcising. I thought it was cleaner, prevented STDs, would make him look more like his daddy, etc. And my husband was firmly against it. He refuted every one of my points. Someone, I forgot who, came into this discussion, and said, "there is a video online, of a complete circumcision procedure. Watch, with the volume up. At the end of it, decide whether you can do that to your child." I found the video, and watched it. I watched them strap the newborn's arms and legs down to a gurney. I watched them poke needles under his foreskin to give him a small amount of local anesthetic. I watched the entire grim procedure. And I listened as the baby went from crying, to screaming, to the absolutely painful sound of a "silent" scream. And then the noise stopped, not because the baby was pacified, but because it passed out. Since I firmly believe that babies, even before birth, are sentient and emotional creatures, all I could think of, was...What was that person(baby) thinking? "Hey, wait. It's cold. Where's my mom? Where's my boob? I can't move! Why? Hey! Ouch! That hurt! OW! IT BURNS! Where's my mom? MOMMMMA! MOMMMMA! OW! OW! STOP! PLEASE! STOP! MOMMMMMMMMA! MOOOOOMMMMMMMMA! WHERE ARE YOU?????" Could you imagine if that were you? *shivers* Like a tiny sexual abuse victim. I decided we wouldn't circumcise. And then I found out I was having a girl.
Circumcision most definitely isn't considered a normal procedure where I'm from, and I'd never even consider doing that to my child. It seems very barbaric and so very pointless.
I've shared on this topic before, my son isn't. Ironically he has a neonatal phimosis (foreskin doesn't retract, size of a pinhole) but it's expanding, albeit slowly. Not a problem & he'll be 5 soon. I'm having another babe, if it's a boy, we won't circ. The father isn't intact, and he doesn't get the " his has to look like mine" thing.
If the baby I'm carrying right now is a boy I won't circ. I'm too worried about things like infection and it just seems to me that giving a baby that much pain that early in life isn't really nessicary.
If Hannah gets a little brother, I'm not circumcising. It's pointless pain IMO, and with little gain. I couldn't live with myself causing that kind of pain.
Just so you know, ALL boys are born with what is known as congenital phimosis. The foreskin is not supposed to retract in infants and young boys. It becomes retractable sometime between the age of 5 and puberty. Pathological phimosis occurs when a previously retractable foreskin develops scar tissue (from forced retraction, trauma, or a severe, untreated infection) tightens the foreskin to the point where it is no longer retractable. Gentle stretching exercises, sometimes combined with steroid ointment, almost always cures this. Just wanted to make sure you knew that your little guy was perfectly normal. My DS is the same age and he's just now starting to show signs of becoming retractable.
I'm not going to give an opinion, but being a medical student, I did happen to come across a little info while doing some homework. Thought I would pass it along Circumcision Definition The surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis or prepuce. Purpose In the United States, circumcision in infant boys is performed for social, medical, or cultural/religious reasons. Once a routine operation urged by pediatricians and obstetricians for newborns in the middle of the twentieth century, circumcision has become an elective option that parents make for their sons on an A typical circumcision procedure involves the following steps: Figure A: The surgeon makes an incision around the foreskin. Figure B: The foreskin is then freed from the skin covering the penile shaft. Figure C: The surgeon cuts the foreskin to the initial incision, lifting the foreskin from the mucous membrane. Figure D: The surgeon sutures the top edge of the skin that covers the penile shaft and the mucous membrane. (Illustration by Electronic Illustrators Group.) individual basis. Families who practice Judaism or Islam may select to have their sons circumcised as a religious practice. Others choose circumcision for medical benefits. Female circumcision (also known as female genital mutilation) is usually performed for cultural and social reasons by family members and others who are not members of the medical profession, with no anesthesia. Not only is the prepuce removed but often the vaginal opening is sewn to make it smaller. This practice is supposed to ensure the virginity of a bride on her wedding day. It also prevents the woman from achieving sexual pleasure during coitus. This practice is not universally approved by the medical profession and is considered by some as a human rights violation. Though the incidence of male circumcision has decreased from 90% in 1979 to 60% in 1996, it is still the most common surgical operation in the United States. Circumcision rates are much lower for the rest of the industrialized world. In Britain, it is only done for religious practices or to correct a specific medical condition of the penis. Some of the medical reasons parents choose circumcision are to protect against infections of the urinary tract and the foreskin, prevent cancer, lower the risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases, and prevent phimosis (a tightening of the foreskin that may close the opening of the penis). Though studies indicate that uncircumcised boys under the age of five are 20 times more likely than circumcised boys to have urinary tract infections (UTIs), the rate of incidence of UTIs is quite low. There are also indications that circumcised men are less likely to suffer from penile cancer, inflammation of the penis, or have many sexually transmitted diseases. Here again, the rate of incidence is low. Good hygiene usually prevents most infections of the penis. Phimosis and penile cancer are very rare, even in men who have not been circumcised. Education and good safe sex practices can prevent sexually transmitted diseases in ways that a surgical procedure cannot because these are diseases acquired through risky behaviors. With these factors in mind, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement that states though there is existing scientific evidence that indicates the medical benefits of circumcision, the benefits are not strong enough to recommended circumcision as a routine practice. Precautions Circumcision should not be performed on infants with certain deformities of the penis that may require a portion of the foreskin for repair. The most common A. uncircumcised penis. B. circumcised penis. (Illustration by Argosy Inc.) condition for surgery using the foreskin is hypospadias, a congenital deformity of the penis where the urinary tract opening is not at the tip of the glans. Also, infants with a large hydrocoele or hernia may suffer important complications through circumcision. Premature infants and infants with serious infections are also poor candidates to be circumcised, as are infants with hemophilia, other bleeding disorders, or whose mothers had taken anticoagulant drugs. In older boys or men, circumcision is a minor procedure. Therefore, it can be performed in virtually anyone without a serious illness or unusual deformity. Description The foreskin of the penis protects the sensitivity of the glans and shields it from irritation by urine, feces, and foreign materials. It also protects the urinary opening against infection and incidental injury. In circumcision of infants, the foreskin is pulled tightly into a specially designed clamp, and the foreskin pulls away from the broadened tip of the penis. Pressure from the clamp stops bleeding from blood vessels that supplied the foreskin. In older boys or adults, an incision is made around the base of the foreskin, the foreskin is pulled back, and then it is cut away from the tip of the penis. Stitches are usually used to close the skin edges. Preparation Despite a long-standing belief that infants do not experience serious pain from circumcision, most authorities now believe that some form of local anesthesia is necessary. The physician injects local anesthesia at the base of the penis or under the skin around the penis (subcutaneous ring block). Both anesthetics block key nerves. EMLA cream, a topical formula of several anesthetics can also be used. Aftercare After circumcision, the wound should be washed daily. An antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly may be applied to the site. If there is an incision, a wound dressing will be present and should be changed each time the diaper is changed. Sometimes a plastic ring is used instead of a bandage. The ring will usually fall off in five to eight days. The penis will heal in seven to 10 days. Infants who undergo circumcision may be fussy for some hours afterward, so parents should be prepared for crying, feeding problems, and sleep problems. Generally these go away within a day. In older boys, the penis may be painful, but this will go away gradually. A topical anesthetic ointment or spray may be used to relieve this temporary discomfort. There may also be a "bruise" on the penis, which typically goes away with no particular attention. Risks Complications following newborn circumcision appear in one out of every 500 procedures. Most complications are minor. Bleeding occurs in half of the complications and is usually easy to control. Infections are rare and present with fever and signs of inflammation.
His daddy is not. at first, my husband was absolutely opposed to leaving him intact, and I didn't really care, other than being vaugely uncomfortable with the idea. In the end, we didn'y have an extra $300 to throw at chopping off his penis. Later I researched the debate, and now we are both thrilled it wasn't preformed. When he is an adult, if he wants it done, we will pay for it, but this way he has a choice. Also, he wouldn't undertand the pain now...but he would be able to as an adult. I just think it should be his choice.
yes i know... I'm not one to argue, but this is something that I've really investigated, this is my kid after all. His is a genuine pinhole phimosis, not the adherent foreskin of a congenital phimosis. Meaning that it would retract but for the *pinhole* of an opening of the foreskin... it sorta pouts like a twisted turtleneck. Treatment is to let the kid pull on it, then w/the years of pulling (not retracting, tho he tries) and with growth, it'll expand (most of the time) if not then he'll be of the mind to treat it medically (I'm sure, as because by then he'll be sexually maturing and probably will want it to retract at some point, but that'll be his decision...if it has to have some kind of intervention at all.) It's arguable ( and I'm not arguing, but...) that all boys' foreskin aren't adherent all the time, as I've seen retracted foreskins on infants ( not all neonates, but babes) naturally retract w/o manual retraction, I've seen a lot of variables w/ the size of the foreskin opening... so it's all not just one way. We form our genitals not all in just one way...ambiguous genitalia for instance is on the rise... I just find it very ironic, to have a son who has a little twist in the formation of his opening of his foreskin, and being so "anti-circ."... The PP w/the AMA's standard of arguments for circumcision are fallible, with the reason posted all over the net and even here. The argument for prevention of STD's & Phimosis, UTI's etc. , even the argument for cultural genital mutilation are arguable, as there are a huge growing number of Jews & Muslims are turning away from the practice. As the argument for ambiguous genitalia & gender re-assignment, as well as hypospadias... not all cases are the same. When they take the profit out of medicine we may have better regulation on automatic needless procedures such as genital mutilation. (When my son was born, we were asked 3 times if we wanted to circ. him.) Luckily I'm hard-headed, even tho I was a first time Momma... One big argument I've read on the net, is to recognize that genital mutilation is genital mutilation whether it's male or female, and we need to recognize that little boys are born intact for a reason. The argument of retention of infection and it being dirty is fallible. Also the adverse consequences of circumcision are hardly ever given in "informed consent"... meatus erosion, even the loss of the penis... these things are real. And don't let the procedure sound so innocuous, I've witnessed circumcisions in person, and they HURT & the baby SCREAMS, for HOURS! Why such a rough introduction to the world? Why so much violence to the babies? I'm not going to cut & paste arguments to pick apart the PP "AMA" standard of care regarding the case for circumcision as I don't have time, and I know that this subject has been picked apart over & over on this very forum and in other forums, & that there are tons of postings on the net for the case against circumcision. Hey good luck in Med. school I admire your ambitions! There are doc.s out there that are foreskin friendly too! I have one! http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=202919
I'm 17 years old and I was never circumcised. Circumcision is extremely painful and is like torture to a baby. Watch the circumcision episode of Penn and Teller: Bullshit. It is a horrible, barbaric practice that should be abolished. http://motionempire.com/Watch_Penn_...de_01_Circumcision_Online_for_Free_16721.html (There is nudity and scenes of circumcision)
I just got my son circumsized today and it was so hard to watch. I held his hand through it and ended up crying just as much as him. I don't think I would have done it had I known what it really would have been like.
