Need some experienced moms of boys advice.?

Question

I have a new son 10 days old now and thinking about getting him circumcised before it to late to get it done, but I've heard some horror stories about it and hesitant to commit. My friends all had ther boys done and says its no big deal and is better to have it done and that I'll be sorry if I don't.
She says that they numb it nowdays and they don't feel a thing.

I need some experienced moms advice on this. Is it done different nowdays?
My mom told me yes, its better to have it done, that my brothers were done but that was a long time ago.

Answer 1

I would get it done now It really isn't a big deal and with my 3 boys they really did well with it. I think you will be sorry if you don't. I know its all preference but I think it is a good idea to have it done. Yes they numb them and it is a quick procedure with my 2nd son we got to be in the room but not with my 1st or last. To care for it just make sure you have a TON of Vaseline and a lot of 4x4 gauze pads and he will be fine-you will be to. Good Luck.

Answer 2

It really does matter, it is HIS penis not yours, it is not your decision to make. You may have a legal ability to make this decision but you know you would be upset if someone had ok'd body modifying elective surgery on you.

Some doctors do use a local some still do not. The doctors don't think it is necessary because the little guys are easy to tie down and can't get up and leave or defend themselves anyway. Plus once the cutting begins the boy goes into shock and may even quit crying.

Does it really hurt the baby? If they give him a local that will wear off in a few hours, the pain isn't just during surgery it goes on for at least a week. Have you ever had a fingernail ripped off? The pain goes on and on for days.

Just because the boy can't tell you how bad it is doesn't mean that it is not painful. If you ignore a child's crying long enough they will quit crying, as it is not doing them any good anyway, nobody is making the hurt go away.

The thing is it is such an unneeded pain. The reasons that are used for circumcising are totally false.

If a doctor says circumcision is needed, it is because he/she doesn't know or want to know how to treat an intact penis. He can make more money cutting than he can by prescribing a cream to treat whatever little problem might arise.

More and more little boys are being left intact; those that are cut are going to see that they are missing something. Some day they will look it up and find just what was taken from them, without their consent. Do you want your son to ask, "Why did you have my penis cut? What gave you that right?

I see a lot of females answer these questions, like they have so much experience with what it is like to be circumcised. They have no idea! If her clothing was to grate against her clitoris every day all day, a woman might get the beginnings of an idea. They think it is just a flap of skin; with 240 feet of nerves and 20,000 specialized nerve endings the foreskin is comparable to the female clitoris.

It comes to this; some new mothers are so damn lazy they are willing to have their new baby cut on because somebody said it is easier than cleaning him or teaching him hygiene!

Added 10/12/06
To sara: your research is not worth a damn! Grow a penis and have it cut up then you might know a little of what you are talking about. 85% of the males on earth are NOT CIRCUMCISED very few experience any problems. COMPETENT doctors are able to treat intact penises without surgery. Intact males have fewer infections than females and those that do can be effectively treated with the same medications. Many problems with intact children come from parents AND DOCTORS trying to force complete retraction at too early an age; it just isn't loose yet, it is not necessary to retract fully until puberty. A boy should be encouraged to retract his own foreskin when bathing, but only so much as is comfortable, not to cause pain!

Answer 3

There is not one medical association in the world that recommends routine infant circumcision anymore -- not even the APA. It's a cosmetic procedure without any health benefits.

Personally, I think it's barbaric.

First and foremost, this is HIS body, no one else's. It should be his decision whether or not to permanently remove a healthy and functional part of it. It's never too late to have a circumcision done, but once done, it can never be undone.

Secondly, it DOES cause pain. A lot of pain. This has been proven over and over again in medical studies and anyone who says differently is trying to convince themselves that they didn't choose to hurt their precious new baby. In order to give numb the surgical area, they stick a needle into your newborn's penis. Of course that hurts. If they do it right, they wait at least 15 minutes before proceeding with the circumcision. Many doctors don't, and there are some who still don't use any pain relief. Unless you're in the room with them, you won't know. Nurses will often tell you your baby slept through the procedure. I know several nurses. They tell parents that to make them feel better. What really happens is that the baby screams in shock, pain, and disbelief as the foreskin is ripped away from the glans (similar to ripping a fingernail off, but much more painful), then passes out as the foreskin is cut away.

Then while the wound is healing, it's kept in a diaper and exposed to urine and feces. That's supposed to be healthier???

Check out www.nocirc.org. I think it should be mandatory that any parent considering surgery for their newborn watch a circumcision video so they know exactly what is entailed, and then be in the room with their son while the surgery is performed. To do any less is to willfully blind yourself to the truth so you won't be bothered by any pesky feelings of guilt.

The foreskin is fused to the head of the penis during childhood to protect it. It secretes smegma, which has antibacterial properties, to keep the glans clean. Sometime between ages 3-13, on average, the foreskin will gradually separate from the glans and become retractile. Never force this. Retracting a boy's foreskin can cause scarring and infection. You don't need to clean under there any more than you need to clean the inside of a girl's vagina. Caring for an intact boy is easy -- just wipe the outside and leave it alone.

It sounds like you've got strong instincts, mama, and they're telling you to protect your baby boy. Listen to them!

Answer 4

Please read over the ansewr and links provided by "Girl Named Sue."!!!!!!!!!

There is no legitimate reason to have the most sensitive part of your babies body amputated. The circumcision rate in this country is dropping rapidly because it is really not needed.

These mysterious "infections" that everyone is so up in arms about are easily treatable with antibiotics! Just think, what part of a girl's vulva gets removed when she has a Urinary Tract Infection?
A baby's foreskin is fused to the head, much like a fingernail is fused to the nailbed. This helps keep out foreign matter until the boy is able to pull it back himself. Fingernails get infected all the time, but removig them would be torturous wouldn't it? If someone constantly yanks the foreskin back before it is ready there can be teras that can get infected. Proper care of the infant foreskin is super simple. Just wipe it like a finger and be done. No need to have a bloody wound sitting in poop!

Your mom told you to have it done because she is from a different generation when they didn't always even give mothers a choice.

My mom circumcised my first brother, but not the last 2. She learned her lesson! The twins are now 13 y.o. and have NO PROBLEMS. They are burly lacrosse players and they told me that the "locker room" argument is a load of crap.

Even though my DH is cut, we did not circumcise my son because it is not our body to cosmetically alter. It is his. I also didn't give my daughter breast inplants so that she would "look like me."

The girls of this generation are going to be a lot more used to the natural penis, so they won't necessarily have the opinion that a hard keritinized glans "looks better" than waht is supposed to be there.

If you really want to see what the procedure looks like watch this video
Circumcision Video
http://www.circumcisionquotes.com/video.html

It is one method, but they are all cruel and completely unecessary.

The legitimate reasons for circumcision are: advanced cancer, frostbite or gangrene. Anything else is a from a doctor that was never taught anything about the natural penis, except how to cut it up.

Answer 5

Yes you should have it done and I'm going to tell you what to expect afterwards. The foreskin is a sleeve of skin that covers the outside of the penis and can be removed without problems.
It is considered a useless appendage hanging off the end of the end of the penis. People have been removing foreskins for thousands of years. There is no medical reason to circumcise nowdays although it does provide some medical benefits. Most young mothers opt to have it done purely for cosmetic reasons. It looks better and is neater and cleaner. The overwhelmingly majority of american women prefer males to be circumcised.

I have been a nurse in L&D now for over 10 years in a smalltown hospital in the South. I've prepped many babies for circs and also assisted in with proceedure. We use EMLA cream on the penis about an hour before to numb it. We also then use a penile nerve block which is just a small shot at the base of the penis. The penis is completely numbed and any crying is from them having their legs held apart.

First a marker is used to draw a circle around the penis where the foreskin is to be excised at. It is usually placed about center between the abdoman and the rim of the head.
A small probe is inserted under the foreskin and rolled around to free the foreskin from the head of the penis. With scissors a small slit is cut in the foreskin on the top and cut back to the coronal rim of the head. The foreskin is then flipped back over itself turning it inside out exposing the head. The baby feels nothing. A small stainless steel bell is placed over the head and the foreskin pulled over the bell. A gomco clamp is attached to the bell and the foreskin is tugged and fished through a small hole in the clamp and pulled up evenly until the marked line is evenly spread out around the bell.
The gomco clamp is tightened and the foreskin is squeezed between the clamp and the bell. Again the baby feels no pain.
The foreskin on the distal side of the bell is then cut off using a small acalpel and the clamp is left in place for a few more minutes to seal the foreskin and prevent bleeding. Once the clamp is loosened and removed, the Dr. uses her thumb and forefinger to push the remaining skin back toward the back of the penis which is now its perminate position. Most circs in the 1950's and 1960's were done with the gomco clamp. It removes the maximum amount of foreskin and results in a neat tight circumcision.

Another method used is the plasti-bell. The penis is prepped as before and the foreskin slit to the coronal rim. Again the foreskin is flipped back over inside out behind the head. A small plastic cap is placed over the penis head and the foreskin returned to its forward position covering the cap. The cap has a groove in it which a string is tied tightly around foreskin resting in the groove. The foreskin on the distal end is trimmed off with scissors and the cap stays in place and will loosen up and fall off on its own in about 10 or12 days. The down side to this method is it doesn't remove as much foreskin as the gomco clamp. It gives an extremely loose circumcision resulting in the head being about half covered by loose skin. Most women would just rather have it cut off and be done with it.

I have two sons which I did have circumcised and both were done with the gomco clamp.

Answer 6

I would recommend circumcision, your little guy is very young and it is a perfect time to circumcise.

Try this link and click on the video:

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=1802

It shows the most recent circumcision information on aids.

This link is a bit graphic, but shows the kind of infections a boy can get from not being circumcised:

http://www.androlog-urolog.ru/content/balanit_ris_eng.html

and this video has some good overall info:

http://loveandhealth.worldgroups.com/Article.cfm?Topic=2&SubTopic=30&Article=171

I had my sons circumcised after my youngest brother had tons of problems with his foreskin and needed to be circumcised!

Your son will be okay if you don't circumcise, but it is much easier on a baby and its a good preventative step to future problems!

Lots of love,

Sara
[e-mail]

I've done a lot of research so feel free to email me if you need anyone needs some advice.

Sorry for the misunderstanding below, african men (not african american men).

Answer 7

PLEASE, please, please DO NOT circumcise your child!
For those who say it doesn't hurt, please view this video of an actual circumcision: http://intact.ca/vidintro.htm (you can download the video at the bottom of the page).
For those who say it's recommended, cleaner, healthier, they HAVE NOT done any research or read any current studies.

Long story short - I am an OB Registered Nurse. I am a mom of circed and uncircumcised boys. I am currently obtaining my Master's Degree and doing clinical research on routine infant circumcision in both the hospital and office setting.

I've posted my story and information on this site numerous times.Basically, I had a son (before I was a nurse) and he was circumcised because I just thought it was the thing to do (the way so many misinformed people on this site think). He almost bled to death during his circ and required a stay in the NICU to recover. I later go to nursing school. I learn circumcision is no longer recommended by any medical organization in the US or the world, and at best, it's considered a "cosmetic" procedure that carries risk of pain, disfigurement,infection and bleeding.

I've seen many circumcisions in school, and later in my OB department. I've seen the procedure done both ways - Gomco clamp and plasti-bell. Both are barbaric and cause pain. Most doctors don't use anesthesia or topical anesthetic. Even when they do, the baby still feels it. It would sort of be like having your leg removed with only getting a shot of lidocaine (except circumcision would be more painful since the penis has far more nerve endings than a leg or any other body part).

I later remarried. Even though my current husband is circumcised, our two younger sons are NOT circumcised and their penis' were left INTACT! They have not had any health problems, infections, or any other trouble with their foreskins or urinary tracts at all! Washing them or changing diapers was never more difficult than washing/changing my circumcised son.

Please trust me on this. I have nothing to gain by saying it. It a doctor recommends it without medical justification (chronic infection, etc), he has something to gain. It's called $300 profit from doing the surgery. Then I'd recommend finding another doctor. The other people telling you to do it, or that it's healthier, easier or either very misinformed or just plain ignorant on the subject matter. Taking care of an intact son isn't any harder than washing your child's ears. I suspect some of the mother's here would have their kids ears removed so they wouldn't have to wash them if they could find a Dr. to do it. BTW- a persons ears are FAR more likely to get skin cancer than a persons foreskin is to get penile cancer.

I've been reading past clinical studies and conducting my own research for 4 months straight for my Master's. There is NO REASON to ROUTINELY circumcise your infant son.
I appreciate that you even took time to ask and try to gather information. It shows you are a good parent and are trying to make an informed decision. I wish all the other parents out there would do the same.
Please watch the video before you decide. Also know there are millions of men and boys, in both the US and world wide that have been living healthy, clean lives (currently and for millions of years) with a foreskin. Please leave your child the way God and Mother Nature made him. Please.

Answer 8

My hubby is circ'd.
We chose to leave our son intact.

There is NO strong medical reason for it. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends AGAINST routine infant circumcision. It is really just a cosmetic procedure. Would you circumcise a baby daughter? If not, why cut off part of your son's body?

Check out the links below.

Children are smart. They understand that not all people look the same. Looking different from dad or from friends will not confuse your son. He will understand because not everyone has the same eye color, hair color, body shape, weight, height, adults have pubic hair and kids don't, mom has breasts and no penis.....kids are SMART. Don't underestimate him. I guarantee that if you explain it to him when he is older he will THANK you for NOT doing it to him.

My son is 7.5 years and has had no problems from being left as God/Nature made him. As far as I know he's never even asked his dad about it.

There is NO special care for an uncircumcised child. Just leave it alone. DO NOT try to retract the foreskin. It would be like ripping off one of your fingernails as it is still attached to the head of his penis at this very young age. It will retract on it's own by the time he is school aged. Then all he has to do is rinse it with water in the bath.

If you teach good hygeine and safe sex, there is little chance that there will be a problem. Most of the rest of the world DOES NOT circumcise. It's close to 50/50 here in the USA now.

Answer 9

Are you thinking of giving your son cosmetic surgery? If he asks you later on why you cut his foreskin off, what will be your answer?

"The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says the benefits of circumcision are not significant enough to recommend circumcision as a routine procedure and that circumcision is not medically necessary. The American Academy of Family Physicians believes parents should discuss with their son's doctor the potential benefits and the risks involved when making their decision."

Answer 10

I left both my sons incircumsised..more ppl now dont get it done..theres just no reason to other than religion. Even my doctors said it is fine not to and more and mopre arent doing it...my son keeps clean both of them..:) so thats not a problem either..y risk it and any complications with that>?