Son Getting Circumcised?

Question

My son is seven months old and I am having him circumcised in two days...are there any suggestions on what to do after? Please don't say I should have gotten him done at birth...I know I should have but I couldn't afford it at the time and now that I can, I got him an appointment as soon as possible. Not having it done is NOT an option for me either. Someone told me to get tons of vaseline and baby tylenol, so I've done that but as I've never done this before, I need to know if anyone else has any suggestions... thanks in advance, to those offering advice (the good kind)

I am getting it done because I know of too many children, 5 years and over, that have to have it done due to differing opinions from doctors about whether to pull the head back to clean it or not...I don't see i as being all that clean and would rather avoid any future complications

Answer 1

First of all, you've made your choice for your son, so other people need to respect that! My oldest had his done when he was about 15 months old. We obviously would have done it at birth, but his platelets were too low to have it done. We waited til he was at least 12 months old, because the urologist wouldn't even consider it until then. Anyways, they put my son under general anesthesia and he did great. The worst part of the whole process was taking off the bandage for the first time (we sat him in a tub of warm water to help it come off, unfortunately I should have also given him lots of tylenol before that, as while the bandage is still on after surgery, it doesn't really hurt that bad since it is fully protected). After that, it was pretty much smooth sailing. The Dr and/or nurse will let you know what to do for him. It took him a while to heal, but all is well now, and I certainly do not regret my choice.

Btw, we had our younger son done when he was about 3 weeks old, and it healed much more quickly (plus, he didn't seem to be in as much pain). In addition, while talking to my son's urologist, he told us that having circumcisions done at a young age is much less traumatic than at an older age. From what he told us, he has MANY older patients come in for that procedure, anywhere from grade school age all the way up to elderly men. Obviously, grown men wouldn't willingly have it done if it was so terrible and was torture to men. Good luck!

Answer 2

Once it is done, make sure the doctor/nurse takes the time to show you how to care for it. Don't let them rush through it, ask any questions and don't feel embarrassed if you need something explained again. If you have to get it in writing so you won't forget.. We are women and these male parts are all new to us as far as caring for them medially. I did have my son's done at birth, but there is nothing wrong with waiting. Good idea on the Tylenol and yes Vaseline and gauze are needed too. You'll be surprised how quickly it heals. I was amazed there was no infection. Make sure you lube the tip well. You don't want the open wound to stick to his diaper. Once the doctor say you can stop using gauze, you may still have to use the vaseline to keep it from sticking. You also want to make sure you are moving the skin around (pulling it down) at the tip of the penis so it heals correctly. You'll also want to sponge bathe your son until it heals to avoid infection.

When in doubt always check with the doctor. If you are unsure of how to take care of it, or it doesn't look "right" to you....call. It can't hurt to make sure.

Answer 3

There's an old saying, "If God had intended for boys to have foreskins, they'd have been born with them."

"Avoiding future complications" is not generally a sound reason for amputation of a body part, which is what circumcision is. Say an affliction such as arthritis affects 3 out of 10 men in your family, and it is limited to one area of the body-- let's say the big toe. Now, the big toe isn't all that important in the scheme of things; it doesn't have a vital function, and well, your son will never miss it if he's never had it in the first place, right? Why not amputate it at birth, and avoid the risk that he will develop arthritis in it in the future?

Sorry, not sound reasoning. Amputation is a rather drastic alternative to teaching proper hygiene, don't you think? Consider donating the money you'll save by leaving your son intact-- there are many organizations out there fighting to put an end to genital mutilation.

Edit: I have two sons, the older circumcised and the younger intact. No medical problems with either, but I just wanted to give you an example of one person you know of whose son *didn't* have any problems with being intact. You're probably mostly going to hear the horror stories anyway, because those who aren't having any problems with it aren't going to go around proclaiming "I have an intact son and nothing is wrong with his penis yet!"

Also, if you ask those who felt that a later circ. was needed, chances are you will find that unnecessary attempts to retract the foreskin at one time or another are at the heart of the problem. One ignorant doctor trying to forcibly retract it at a well-baby checkup can cause problems years later, when scar tissue grows and adheres the foreskin to the glans, not letting it retract on its own. There are other problems caused, too, directly by attempting to forcibly retract. Not all of them cause immediate and noticeable harm.

Answer 4

My doctor used an anestethic cream on my sons penis before the procedure, so that eased my mind some. You could use either vaseline or bacetracin ointment (Sold over the counter), it is an antibiotic ointment, for the aftercare. Definately get the little gauze pads to cover the wound so his diaper won't rub on it. Your Dr. should supply you with those. My son never cried when urinating during the healing period, and his recovery seemed to go fast. I had a friend who had to delay her sons circumcision until he was a year old because he had a shortened urethra and they had to let it "grow" before he could be circumsized! Don't feel bad about the wait, sometimes it happens.

Answer 5

Also, have those little gauze pads on hand. You'll need vaseline too. What I did was put a dab of vaseline on the gauze the pad. Then, I put the pad on his penis and closed up the diaper. That way nothing sticks to him as he heals.

Also, I did NOT use baby wipes at all on the area.

For cleanings I'd use a diluted solution of honey chunks (sensative) in a regular spray bottle. I'd spray on a wash cloth till it was completely wet and squeeze it over him. Please note the water was not at all soapy. Just a little bit in there to cleanse him. You can just use plain warm water as well.

I got the honey chunks from an ebay seller. They are awesome! My son had ecezema on his face and this was the only soap that didn't break him out in hives.

Answer 6

My son was circumsized at birth. The instructions for me were to slab on the vaseline at all times. To apply the vaseline- you rub it on small squares of gauze- do not apply directly to penis! And then place the gauze over the penis. Change the diaper as soon as it's soiled, and replace the gauze and vaseline. Do your son a favor and rinse his wipes thoroughly to get all the soap and scent out- it will burn and sting him bad (buy unscented wipes- but still rinse them). Run the wipes under warm water before use to soothe. Other than that- just get very precise directions from the doctor. I'm sure I missed some things here. Good luck!

Answer 7

The doctor should give you a cream called Bacitracin ointment. This will be what you should use for circumcision site care. I would also get a diaper that would give your son a little room to be comfortable in and Tylenol. I'm sure your doctor will give you a prescription for a stronger med if it is needed.

Hang in there he will probably be a little sore for a few days.

Answer 8

You are having your son mutilated because some doctors are too stupid/greedy to know how to handle an intact penis?

Pediatrics. Researchers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine found that acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) does not reduce the pain during and immediately following circumcision. "The pain of circumcision is too severe to be controlled by a mild analgesic," they concluded, even though most circumcisions in the U.S. are done without any pain killers. Babies do experience great and persistent pain during and after the surgery, based on crying, increased heart and breathing rates and other measurements, which also seems to interfere with breastfeeding in some babies.

Did you know that a circumcised boy is 22 times more likely to have complications before he leaves the hospital than a boy that is not mutilated?
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/105/1/S2/246

Did you know that last year two million patients of US hospitals got staph infections and ninety thousand of them died? Did you know that US hospitals admitted to giving one million patients the wrong medications last year. You would risk your son getting a drug resistant staph infection for a totally unnecessary surgery.

Did you know there is a high rate of sexual problems for circumcised males? For 20% the loss of sensitivity is so bad that they have difficulty with sexual enjoyment and performance. One out of three has problems such as too much skin removed, painful erections, or bleeding from intercourse.

Decreased penile sensitivity and increased erectile dysfunction were the most frequent complaints reported by men who were circumcised as adults. Half reported no benefits from the procedure and two out of five reported harm, according to a study by Dr. Kenneth Fink and other researchers in the Journal of Urology (May 2002).

Amputation of the foreskin removes more than 70% of the nerves and nerve ending of the penis. Can you imagine having 70% of your nerves that feel pleasure removed?

One hundred thousand men are spending a great deal of time and money on "foreskin restoration". They cannot get back a true foreskin, the nerves can never be replaced, but if they can grow enough slack skin they can protect the glans and regain some sensitivity and sexual function.

More and more men are rejecting the reasons for their being circumcised as infants or children an feel a great resentment to those that allowed it to be done to them.

Can you imagine your grown son asking you, why did you have me circumcised? You thought I couldn't clean myself? You thought I had to look like someone else? Mom your reasons are all b.s.

Why did you mutilate me?

Answer 9

my friend got her son (1 month old) circumsized about a week and a half ago. They told her to put vasaline or neosp. on it, either works and you can put both if you want. and you just have to make sure you pull the skin back everytime you change the diaper and clean it. I noticed the other day that his privates was doing MUCH better. He also didnt cry that much when it happend but with your son being 7 months it could be a different story.

Answer 10

We had our son circumcised around birth. Everyone said to get the vaseline ready. However, the doctor did it with a string and tied it around the head. He told us we didn't need to use vaseline; he was right. He did not scream one time when he urinated.

See if you can do this instead. The tip fell off in 3 days and it looks great.