circumcised or not?

Question

Soon to give birth. Should we have our son circumcised? Would love to hear from other parents out there and what they did?

Answer 1

You'll get answers from two distinct camps here.

I personally believe it's a human rights violation. There's scant evidence to suggest that it has any benefits whatsoever, and most of the arguments in favor of it involve hygeine (easily taken care of), religion, or ill-informed rumors of it preventing disease. Doctors will suggest it because it's a quick surgery that they can make $200 on. There's really no point.

Answer 2

It's really good that you're wanting to be educated about the decision of whether or not to circumcise. I have an excellent site for you to go to www.nocirc.org Everything you want to know about circumcision is on that site. I would say the one and only reason at this point in time to have a little boy circumcised is so that when he's in school, his penis will look like the other boys. As time goes on, and more and more parents decide NOT to circumcise their boys, that will no longer be an issue.
I hope this helps!
Mary

Answer 3

I did not have my son circumcised. It's really uneccesary, the supposed health benefits are just that, supposed.

Common arguments for circumcision:

*It's cleaner
*It's better looking
*He won't get teased in the locker room
*He'll look like dad/brother/uncle/cousin/grandfather etc.
*It prevents HIV and/or AIDS
*It will prevent masturbation
*It's healthier for the partner
*It's easier to take care of

Arguments against circumcision:
*It's genital mutilation
*It is painful
*It can delay motor development due to the trauma
*It can be botched (there are instances of the glans being damaged or even completely severed - these botched surgeries have resulted in at least 4 sex change operations on infants in the united states)
*The site can become infected (after all it is an open wound being bathed in feces and urine, with little or no air circulation)
*It's a cosmetic surgery - much like breast augmentation, lip implants, eyelid lifts, etc. - always done with the consent of the participant
*It can wait until the child is old enough to make his own decision
*Only 15% of males worldwide are circumcised
*Most of those 15% are in the united states
*It is about a 50% 50% thing even in the united states now, of all males currently being born, only half are being circumcised
*Unless you're Muslim or Jewish, there are no GOOD reasons to do it!


Just so you know, my son was not circumcised. He is 6 months old, has never had a single problem. No urinary tract infections, no poop "getting inside"...

The foreskin is actually a sphincter muscle. The anus is also a sphincter, and if you haven't made the connection, it prevents things from entering where they don't belong. When your baby pees, the sphincter is forced open by the urine stream just enough to let urine pass, then clamps back shut to prevent anything from going in there. So no danger of poop going inside. Also, there are no "special precautions" to take with an uncircumcised penis. You DO NOT pull the foreskin back, it is COMPLETELY UNECCESARY and even harmful. You simply wipe down over the penis with a wet wipe when changing. You bathe the uncirc'd pee pee the same way you bathe fingers, toes, ears... Just a little soapy washcloth as you get around the leg folds, belly button, and everything else. I can't see how gently washing a fresh wound, then putting vaseline, then gauze, then checking the diaper for "Anything more than a grape-sized amount of blood" (in case your son starts hemmoraghing)... is easier.

The whole locker room/look like dad argument: Come on people. First of all, by the time your kid gets to the "locker room" there will be other uncircumcised boys there. About half his friends will have them, half will not.

And another plus: UNCIRCUMCISED BABIES DON'T PEE IN THE AIR! You know how you've heard of covering a baby boy with a cloth diaper while changing him, so that he won't pee everywhere? Well, that simply does not happen with an uncircumcised baby. It's because the foreskin PROTECTS the sensitive head of the penis, and prevents that shock of cold air from triggering the baby to wet. I have NEVER been peed on, and I know other moms who have said the same of their uncircumcised son. A

Answer 4

My oldest was circ'ed 10 years ago. I did it blindly without questioning anything.

As a nursing student a few years later I witnessed a circumcision and realized how brutal it really was. I swore then and there that I would never have that done to any of my dear sons again.

All I can say is that you need to think about it long and hard - it seems you already are and that is great.

My youngest son is 12 months old and is NOT circ'ed.

http://www.notjustskin.org/en/index.html
http://www.circumcision.org/

Oh, wanted to add that the whole "Do it b/c daddy is and you don't want to look different!" -- first off, I don't know many dads and sons comparing their parts. Secondly - I thought my DH WAS circ'ed and found out after 4 years of marriage (long, funny story) that he was NOT. So - it doesn't always look that different. His mom had to show me naked baby pics for me to believe that he wasn't.

The "locker room teasing" thing doesn't fly with me either. Statistics show that 52% of babies in the US are now NOT circumcised... so in 15 years in that locker room, it'll be the circumcised boys who will be the oddity. NOT the intact boys.

Answer 5

I would never circumcise ANY child. Most importantly because its not my body to have cosmetic surgery performed on. A foreskin is not a birth defect, and therefore does not need to be removed at birth. Second; most important is that IT HURTS! I don't want having his genitals ripped and cut to be one of my child's first experiences with his sex organs. Thirdly; the foreskin has a function and purpose. It is protective, keeps the glans moist and supple, keeps feces and debris out of the meatus, and later will provide an important gliding mechanism during sex. Who am i to take that away from my son and his future partner?

You will hear a lot of American myths in the answers here. But please remeber that 85% of the world's men are NOT circumcised and do just fine.

Answer 6

I have girls, but they both have all the parts they came with. If I ever have a boy, he will stay intact too. I have never heard anyone use the "circumcision prevents masturbation" argument. Weird. Anyway, if you're worried about the locker room effect, only half of the baby boys born in the US right now are being circ'd, so don't worry about that. He won't look like Daddy for a long time, so don't bother doing it just so your sons look like their dad. As for cleanliness and STDs, just teach the boys to keep themselves clean and use condoms. You will do that anyway, so why bother with a surgery? You know? They're perfect the way they are.

Answer 7

My son was born on August 18th 2006, and was circumcised about 3 days later. We had it done while he was in the hospital. It was definitely one of the hardest things I had been through, (granted I had just given birth). It tore my heart to know that he was in pain, but on the bright side, his crying only lasted about a minute and the doctor gave him one of those Dum Dum suckers after wards and that calmed him down.Our main reasoning behind my son's circumcision was that my husband is uncircumcised and wished that his parents had gotten the procedure for him. My son had a ring circumcision. I believe there are two different types. After the procedure, all I had to do was use a little bit of water from a medicine dropper to help keep the diaper from pulling on the wound when I changed him. The ring fell off a few weeks later and everything went perfectly. Granted, for the last few days, the ring does sometimes hand off, but don't be alarmed, that just means it's about to fall off! I recommend doing a little research on the different doctors in your area who perform the procedure or even get a referral from your health care provider. It's good that you are trying to make this decision ahead of time instead of after the fact. With all of your hormones going crazy, the last thing you need is to make a decision about something as important as this.

Answer 8

I agree this is a personal issue. There are pros and cons on either side. My nephew is uncircumcised, but that's due mostly to him living in Europe, and doctors there wouldn't perform the procedure.
If you're worried about him looking like other boys as he gets older, that might not be an issue. Lately, it seems more parents are opting for their children to be uncircumcised, or there is a good mix of uncircumcised and circumcised children.

Answer 9

The decision is up to you and the father, but my son is 3 months old and we chose not to circumcise him. I personally would never circumcise any son of mine. I am a nurse and witnessed the horror of a circumcision in school and after that I swore that I would never let my son go through that, it is cruel!

Answer 10

It's a decision that needs to be made between you and your husband, but we decided not to circumcise. I wanted my son to be left the way that God made him, we're not jewish or muslim, and from the research that I did it's not supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics. From what I read, it's basically just a cosmetic procedure. You can teach your son to keep it clean, if he's at risk for std's he really needs to be wearing a condom, and nowadays everything causes cancer and I'm not worried about those 2% of the population that have penile cancer. Seriously, penises are like noses, all men have them, but they don't all look the same. Are you going to make your son have plastic surgery on his nose so that it looks like everyone else's?

Answer 11

I am the mother of 5 boys all circumcised. I believe it is healthier for them. Studies indicate it cuts the transmission of some STD's.

I would never tell someone they HAD to do it. I have friends who's kids are circed and some that arent. It is a completely personal decision. You do what you think is right for your family. Who cares what others think?