Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
377493 tn?1356502149

Circumcision

I am wondering how many of you are planning on or did have your baby boy's circumcised.  I hadn't even really thought about it until now.  We probably wouldn't be thinking about it, except my nephews weren't done, and the oldest one (he is 5 now) has been having repeat infections.  My sister in law told me that my nephews pediatrician is encouraging them to now have it done believing it will put an end to them.  My sil is an RN and I know she is very on top of things like hygiene, etc. so I know these infections are not due to lack of cleanliness or anything like that.  The poor little guy has had them pretty frequently for the last year and half.  My OB does not encourage circumcision, but of course leaves the decision to us.  What are all of your thoughts?  We are now really on the fence on the issue.  As always, thanks for any info or input.  I appreciate it.
54 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Hi Abigal

That's too funny you said this was an older post after I have read through it all. LOL.. Well let me share y experience anyway.

I have 5 Boys and 1 girl, my first 2 were circumsied. However, right after they circusied him he start having a seizure. When I say I  FREAKED OUT!! OMG.I was like WHAT. My husband saw him shaking I was in my hospital room. They ran all these test, spinal tap, ect. Well  the first doc that was on duty in the NICU, said  he didnt know what the problem was. So I started googling and asking questions. The NICU doctor comes on duty and I asked him, could it be from pain of the circumsion. He immediately said yes I knew in my hear thats what was wrong. Extfreme pain can cause you too seize.

So after that 3rd boy, 4th boy and 5th boy was not circumsied. I didnt care about being socially correct. Seeing yout baby go through something like that is terrifying

My son is 5 he has not had any infections, Thank God. and the others are 2 and 1.

So apparently I dont knock no one that has their son circumsied or not, I understand both ways.
Helpful - 0
377493 tn?1356502149
Thanks for the comments.  This is a very old thread you found...my little boy is now 18 months old. We opted not to circumsize him and have no regrets at all.  So far no problems.  I am glad we researched the issue thoroughly prior to making our decision, but ultimately came to the conclusion that it really wasn't necessary.  It shouldn't be a social issue either as here in Canada it is just not the norm anymore.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm super glad people are posting against circumcision.
I am from a small rural corner of nowhere in the Mid-West...where information and trends seem to hit last. But to due to my job as a parent educator/social worker I had information about the global statistics of circumcision when I had my son. The statistics interested me, so I did quite a bit of research on the subject when it came time to make the decision for myself.
Seems to me that not only is circumcision medically unnecessary, the idea of it being "cleaner" is ridiculous. It's like a vagina...it has all the right cultures to keep clean and it takes care of itself. Infections are rare and the whole process is marketed for doctors in this country to make money.
As a side note...did someone post they gave a child sugar for pain? Wow...what?
Helpful - 0
127529 tn?1331840780
This is always an interesting topic. It seems in the US it is common to have a boy circumcised, it's a cultural thing and it keeps going mainly because the previous generation had it done, the AAP do not recommend routine circumcision anymore. Almost every medical association in he rest of the developed world do not recommend it either. It is almost unheard of nowadays in Canada and Europe unless for religious or medical reasons, south America too I believe. Infection does not seem to be a major issue in these countries.
Neither of my boys are done. My husband is, he had to be done at about 2 years old...because his mother was incorrectly told she needed to forcibly retract his foreskin to clean under it and it caused problems. He vividly remembers the having the surgery, he was adamant his son's would not have it done as it had been very painful and why would we assume it is any less painful for a newborn than a two year old.
My friend had recently had her son done though and I totally respect that too.
It is a very personal decision and I think that is all it is.
For every story there is about infection you will hear another of complications from circumcision, for every man you hear that wishes they had been circumcised at birth you will hear from another that wishes he wasn't (just check out some of the mens heath forums!) the arguments from either side are pretty evenly balanced. I would say to anyone who isn't sure about this decision to not do it, if you son want's it done later then that is his choice.
Helpful - 0
938718 tn?1323783514
In case anyone thinks that nothing can go wrong, there was a book written recently about David Reimer:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Reimer

David Reimer (August 22, 1965 as Bruce Reimer – May 4, 2004) was a Canadian man who was born as a healthy male, but was sexually reassigned and raised as female after his penis was accidentally destroyed during circumcision

There are other sites that show explicit pictures of botched circumcisions which are also interesting as it is important to know the risks.  
Helpful - 0
377493 tn?1356502149
Thanks again everyone.  I watched a video on it and am back to not having it done.  Talked to my sil yesterday.  My nephew does have to have it done for sure, but she said her pediatrician told her that it's uncommon for this to happen.  I have an OB appointment monday morning and am going to request a referral for a consult with a pediatrician.  If there is a medical reason to have it done, then I will.....I won't risk his health.  But so far I can't find one in any of the literature I have read, and I just can't bring myself to have him have an unnecessary procedure done.  And it looks like it's not easy here anyway....they really discourage it.  I want to cover all my bases and make sure I have all the info, but it doesn't look like we will do it.  As for looking like other kids, that shouldn't be an issue.  Most little boy's don't have it anymore here.  

I truly appreciate all the advice and info though.  It's always good to hear both sides of any decision like this.  Thanks again.
Helpful - 0
189192 tn?1261341628
Neither of my boys are circumcised.  DH is but agreed to not do the boys. I believe if you are born that way, you should stay that way unless it is medically necessary. IMO circumcising is plastic surgery for infants.  I haven't regretted not doing it at all.

Your nephew could be getting UTIs from other things like renal reflux.  It is a very common renal abnormality that causes urine to back up into the system and cause repeated UTI and kidney infections.  

Little girls by far get way more UTIs than little boys and we don't go cutting on them to prevent it or consider it a hygiene issue.  

Just my opinion.  
Helpful - 0
951946 tn?1263565383
Amanda, it's fascinating to me that nobody else at your class was even considering it. I think it's really interesting how much of a sociocultural decision this is.
I think that meeting with a pediatrician is a good idea-- why don't you call one for a consultation?

This discussion has really thrown the whole matter into question for me. I have really surprised myself by coming from an adamant "NO WAY" point of view to the point where DH and I have more or less decided to have it done for our son. I have been researching it a lot, particularly because we are having a home birth and we'll have to find someone qualified to do this for us privately.

What I have found so far is that a lot of people feel that a Jewish mohel (preferably one who is also an M.D.) is by far the best choice for doing a circumcision privately. I found several who are willing to do this for a non-Jewish family. My threshold was that the mohel should have done at LEAST 1,000 circumcisions already, and the person we are considering has done over 6,000, and is very well-known-- tons of testimonials on his site. He is a pediatric urologist as well.

Anyway, I have discovered that there is a rather wide variety of methods for doing the actual procedure. Many mohels do NOT use the board to strap down the baby, and all of the ones I have corresponded with so far do use at least a topical analgesic and baby Tylenol for pain relief. Most also use a local anesthetic in the foreskin before doing the procedure. There are three different kinds of clamps that are used, with varying pros and cons.

Point being, the way it's done in the hospital is not necessarily the most sensitive to the parents' or baby's needs. You have a variety of choices in how it is done, and you can choose the best-qualified person, if you are willing to do the research. After all, as you said, insurance doesn't cover it anyway.

I am still struggling a lot with the concept of inflicting even a second's worth of pain on my child. If we do go ahead and have it done, it will not be easy for me. So I will only do it if I decide that for a variety of reasons, not just medical, it will give my son the best quality of life. Incidentally, my brother and husband have very interesting views on how being circumcised has affected their sex lives, and I don't think that those considerations should be taken lightly.
Helpful - 0
1006003 tn?1256227415
"Just don't know what to do."

You and me both!  Great discussion, though!

~Wendy
Helpful - 0
377493 tn?1356502149
I brought it up last night at our Birth and Babies class.  No one else there is even considering it...was interesting.  Journey, you are correct.  In the US it is pretty common.  Europe, Canada and Latin America, it is pretty much non existant.  I honestly don't want to put him through it, but I also don't want him to have problems later in life...I am not sure why I am so stuck on that.  I know it's probably not super common for them to have problems later, but I guess I think about it because it's impacted me personally (I adore my nephew and hate to see him in pain).  He is not getting the infections because of lack of hygiene...my sil is incredibly diligent about that.  I wish I could meet with a pediatrician.  I would really like a medical opinion (no offense to anyone here..you know I respect all of your opinions).  Just don't know what to do.
Helpful - 0
1052300 tn?1262940306
I didnt read all the coimments ...

Yes- he will be circumcised- his daddy is and so is his brothers- so I guess we just want them to look alike ... :)

here in the States- I think it is definutely routine ...
Helpful - 0
938718 tn?1323783514
I have to say that I'm in the minority with DoulaSummer.  When I was younger, I used to get fungal infections in my toenails.  Yup, it was bothersome and I kept losing them, but I don't think that would have justified my parents removing them at birth "just in case".  As an adult, I constantly had vaginal yeast infections, but there's nothing to remove to prevent them; just Monistat.  

In my search of the literature, I couldn't find any medically necessary reason for it.  It appears to be prevalant in some countries like the US but elsewhere in the world, it's not a consideration.  We were told at the hospital communication night that it is now difficult to find a doctor to do it because it's not medically necessary and, as such, it is no longer covered by provincial health care.

And here's potentially controversial -- someone who has been circumcised since birth has no idea what it's like to NOT be circumcised and vice versa.  I suppose the only person who could tell you which was "better" would be a man who was circumcised as an adult and who didn't have issues around it.

There are no right answers here, though.  Just opinions and personal choice.
Helpful - 0
782097 tn?1238779303
I had my newborn circumcised in the hospital.  For some reason it doesn't seem to hurt them as much as a newborn as it does when they are older.  My cousin had to get it done because he kept getting yeast infections.  

To be honest it didn't seem to bother my baby as much as I thought it would!  After a few days he acted as if it didn't bother him at all.
Helpful - 0
1163675 tn?1274627512
My son has never had to pull his skin back to pee!  (he is 6).  The foreskin is fused to the glans to protect nerves and sensitive skin in the area.  It is comparable to ripping your nails from your nail beds!!  Sure we may not "need" nails, but they are fun to paint and do add protection.  If you don't clean your nails and maintain them in a clean way, you can get fungal infections, bacterial infections, and much more.  We are taught to wash our hands and maintain clean nails and feet.

Boys can be taught to maintain a clean penis and know how far to pull back to foreskin so not to hurt themselves.  Eventually the foreskin detaches itself and is able to retracted manually by males without pain at all.

For those who are considering not circumcising, it may comfort you to read a bit on how to properly clean a intact penis without hurting your sons.  The skin should NOT be fully retracted at a young age because it will cause pain.

I second watching a video.  I still stand by my statement - I would choose to cut apart my girls genitals and I wouldn't do it to my boys.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My hubby and my son are both circumcised and it really wasn't a question for us either.  My new baby boy when he is born he will be circumcised too.  I agree with a lot of these women that its just more cleaner when the baby is circumcised and when he becomes an adult.  The baby won't remember any kind of pain at all.  I was told that when a child isn't circumcised that he has to pull the skin back to pee.  I wouldn't want either one of my sons to have to do that.  That's just my opinion though.  You and your hubby have to make that decision for yourselves and decide what's best for your son.  I hope this helps you out.  Your almost there.  I can't wait to see pictures of the little bean when he arrives.  Good luck!!!!  
Helpful - 0
229760 tn?1291467870
Cruz is and I would have no other way. It was quick and simple and the aftercare was easy.
Helpful - 0
964100 tn?1267736433
great topic me and my husband have discussed it and we are going to do hopefully while we are still in the hospital, I think it is a good idea to prevent any type of infections I also think that the older they get the more trauma and pain they go through
Helpful - 0
764229 tn?1322519884
To pcarsey OMG I never really thought much about this before, as I said my son was born with his forskin so i didn't have to make the choice but I took your advice and watched a video on it and i could never do that to my son. Just my choice I know many people do and that is their choice, I'm not slamming them just sayiing I could not do it my little man
Helpful - 0
666970 tn?1273759854
What a great conversation about circumcision!  We are undecided at the moment as well and since reading this thread I'm even more torn.  My husband, who is European, is not and is pretty dead set against us having our son circumcised.  Originally, I felt like since he had the similiar equipment that it should be his decision.  He knows much more about it than I could ever know just by reading or researching  Likewise, if it had to do with our DD's vagina, he would probably just refer to me.  But after reading all of this, I'm torn and also just want to do the best thing for our son.   Last night when we were talking about it he said just because you can get gum infections doesn't mean you rip out someone's gums to prevent it from getting infected.
Ugh!  The decisions.  I have to say this was one of the first things I thought of when we found out we were having a boy.  It seems hard to determine if you made a good decision or not until it has passed and you are judging it from hindsight.
Helpful - 0
377493 tn?1356502149
((((Patty))))!!  Good to see you here hon!!  I am going to discuss this further my OB at next appointment.  I really don't know what to do.  As I said before, if my nephew wasn't having the problems he was, I know we wouldn't have even thought of this, it just isn't done much in Canada anymore.  Even our healthcare, which covers everything, does not cover it.  I really want to do what's best for our baby.  Decisions like this are so difficult.
Helpful - 0
208686 tn?1293030503
It is not medically necessary and is painful. And imho, as long as you teach him good hygiene then you do not need to worry about "infections". I would much rather teach him how to wash himself then to explain to him why I did it when it wasn't necessary.  

that being said. Andrew was done and the gauze got caught around his penis and grew into it "because I was told to leave it alone".. and we had to have that cut out. He lost a lot of blood and ended up having it wrapped up for another week or so. Brayden was not and I have not had one problem with him and do not think I ever will. IF I do, then we will deal with it.

watch a video on it... it is really disturbing
Helpful - 0
1163675 tn?1274627512
My son is not circumcised.  I wouldn't do it to my girls and I wouldn't do it to my boys.  My husband is and he agreed it was an unnecessary procedure and he wishes his mother didn't have it done to him.  Most insurance companies are no longer paying for the procedure because it is considered cosmetic surgery. If there is a medical reason, by all means they are required to cover it though.  You are more likely to have complications from having a circumcision that having complications from NOT having a circumcision.  There are no real medical benefits to having the procedure done, only social.  In the U.S.  more and more boys are not having the procedure done so the locker room excuse will soon be of the past.

My grandfather wasn't, but decided when he was 22 (for social reasons) to have himself circumcised and absolutely regrets it.  Because the foreskin covered the glans for so many years the nerves were preserved, but after he was missing that skin the area toughened up and claims sex has never been the same.
Helpful - 0
296076 tn?1371334474
funny story.. my college roommate had a bf at the time and he was ehmmm too big hahaa.. so she talked him into getting circumcised he was from the virgin islands and they don't do it there.. well he did at age 21 and said it hurt soo bad... haha.. poor guy.. even worse she cheated on him and they broke up so he did it for nothing.
Helpful - 0
296340 tn?1336164001
I am not going to have my boy circumcise.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Pregnancy 35 and Older Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Get information and tips on how to help you choose the right place to deliver your baby.
Get the facts on how twins and multiples are formed and your chance of carrying more than one baby at a time.
Learn about the risks and benefits of circumcision.
What to expect during the first hours after delivery.
Learn about early screening and test options for your pregnancy.
Learn about testing and treatment for GBS bacterium.