To Circumsize or Not

My Pediatrician told us that it was really a matter of personal choice. The only difference is that uncircumcised males have a slightly higher statistical chance of getting testicular cancer, but there is not enough of a difference to make it a cut and dry case. We went for circumcision mainly because my husband is circumcised and so my son will look like his daddy!!

L. P

I never gave it a thought. My son was circumsized when he was born. To me it just seems right and better to do it, so I never considered not doing it.

He has had no complications whatsoever.

We did it with both of our sons, and it was a hard decision to make. I think what put me over the edge, aside from the sanitation and health benefits, was that I know too many grown men who have made the choice to do it on their own. I cried when they took my sons to do it and just held them like crazy when they came back. I do feel horrible about it because I know it can't be pleasant, but they do numb the area and it is better to do it early if you want to do it than to wait. Good luck though, it is a hard choice!

I see you have a TON of responses already, and I didn't go through them all, but I just thought I would add my two cents. Is the baby's father in the picture? If so, I would just do it if the father is.....plain and simple. That way there is do difference when your little guy sees his daddy, while potty training or whatever reason...walking in on him or I don't know......just to make sure your son feels normal.
That is what I have always kept in mind.
God Bless!

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This is from a medical newsletter I get every day. Good luck.

I am sure you will get a lot of opinions about this, but here is my opinion--I used to assist with the circumcisions when I worked as a RN. As long as your doctor uses some kind of local pain control, EMLA cream or lidocaine, and the hospital usually also lets the baby have some sugar water, they really don't experience that much pain. Now those that don't believe in pain control, well, those babies do have a harder time. My son came back to me right afterward and did not look distressed at all. And they won't remember the procedure at all when they are older. I had it done for my son after my nursing professor told us how her 13 year old son who was uncircumcized had constant infections and had to have it done at 13. Now there was tremendous pain the older they get, so to those who say let the man decide when he is older, he will experience a ton of pain when he is older. Plus, I have heard enough of my friends joke about the asthetics of the being with an uncircumcised guy. There is also an increased risk of passing on HPV when uncircumcised. I know some babies have complications like adhesions, that need further follow up, but in the grand scheme of how often this procedure is done, it is rare. Good luck in the decision making process, and if you do decide to have it done, make sure your OB uses a local anesthetic and takes his time.

I was on a fence post about this too. I didn't want to cause my child any unnecessary pain, but my husband brought up an important issue. He said it would make the children uncomfortable to be different from daddy and from other children his age when he goes to school. My uncle was not circumcized, and he started developing a lot of urinary tract infections once he got to about 5 and my grandmother was no longer washing him. They aren't going to clean themselves like you would. He ended up having to be circumcized at about 7 or 8, and it was very traumatic for him.

I've heard it said that there really is no benefit to circumcision, and I've heard it said that there is. Medical voices are divided on this issue. I decided to have both of my sons (now 6yrs old and 18mo)circumcised simply for aesthetical reasons. I didn't want them growing up feeling different than the other boys in the locker room so to speak.

If it's the pain you're worried about then don't worry any more. Hospitals nowadays do it while baby is sleeping if they can, they numb the area, snip, baby cries for a minute (because there's still a little pinch they said) then drifts off back to sleep. That's the way it happened with both of my boys and they were back in my room with me in less than 15 minutes where I could nurse them for comfort. They don't even seem to notice after that.

All that being said, do whatever feels right to you. As you know, it's the first of many decisions you will have to make on your son's behalf.

Is the father in his life? If so, eventually he will compare himself to the male figure around him. If that person is circumsized, then yes, if not... he won't know there is a difference until adulthood and by then have some maturity to reason it.

I did circumcize for the cleanliness factor and such, but the male in his life is circumcised. As much as you don't want to think about further down the road right now, eventually this boy will need to be potty trained and taught to wash.

Like others have said. This is a personal decision, so I pray you will continue to weigh all factors, knowing that the pain will not be remembered if you choose to do it. It hurts us more than they will ever recall.

Blessings.

C.,

There are very good arguments for both sides despite what anyone says. I have a friend that is Jewish and for her it is a religious reason for her son to have been circumcised. For others, it may be health reasons. For me it was because I did not know how to handle it otherwise. Kids have thrived both ways so it is a personal issue and it is up to you. I know this is not the answer you're probably looking for, but keep searching and you'll find your answer. God Bless.

Hi C.! I am glad you are planning ahead. I know you have a lot of responses, but I had to tell you my experience, it is quick I promise. My boys are 4 and 6 and they are perfectly healthy and happy boys with what God gave them. I did not feel the need to put them through any pain as an infant for no reason. We have never had any issues with hygeine. I know you can read all these responses, but deep down you know what you want to do for your son.
Good luck and congratulations on the baby boy!

If you are even a little bit torn about it, don't do it!! I was the same way -- I was basically trying to find a reason good enough to justify doing it. I didn't find one. (I am a Christian, but I believe that Jesus fulfilled the Law of the Old Testament, so we aren't required to circumcise anymore, if people are trying to use that argument on you. I only mention it b/c I heard it quite often.)
There are a LOT of fanatics out there on both sides of the issue, so it is difficult to get a straight answer.
My son is 23 months old, and is not circumcised. I don't regret it at all. He can always have it done later if he feels the need.
One word of caution -- if you are AT ALL thinking you may have it done, DO NOT watch the videos of circumcision. You will get sick.

(Congratulations on your little one, by the way!!)

Both my husband and his brother had to be circumcised in their teenage years. There was no question that my #1 would be circumcised at birth. #1 had no complications.
Do your little boy a favor and do it when he is too little to remember. Having it done at 18 is NOT fun.
LBC

This is very controversial these days. I think alot of moms may chose to not circumcize due to not wanting to cause pain or religious issues. Otherwise why not just go w/ the flow. If your hubby was circumcized, then I'd just do the sons as well.
Personally I find it alot cleaner, no issues there. No chance of infections either. They wont remember the pain and its over in minutes. May I ask why you are contemplating this?

We decided not to circumcise. My husband wanted to have it done but I just couldn't stomach it. The bottom line for me was that it felt unethical to perform cosmetic surgery on someone who can't consent.

And I am so glad. I could not imagine, after he was born, watching him be wheeled away to have a piece of him chopped off. I freaked when they had to take a blood sample from his heel! he & his little noodle are perfectly fine now, no issues!

.. I want to add too that I was worried about him being unusual, but it turns out that most of my friends have left their boys alone, too, and I've seen a lot of foreskins in the swimming pool locker room! I think the trend has turned.

I have two boys and also had to consider this issue. Ultimately I decided on yes. As you stated you know the health reasons which honestly was enough for me. As far as pain neither of my boys ever seemed to experience discomfort after the small procedure. It is done in the hospital before you leave and then you just put vaseline on it to ensure it does stick to the diaper. It is cleaner, a man is less likely to contract a STD if circumcised, it reduces some cancer, and if you do not and as he gets older decides he wants to be circumcised - now that is traumatic! I also hate to say it but I did not want him to look different, granted maybe boys do not do a line up and compare but at some point the comparison will be made even if it at home when he looks at Dad and wants to know why he is different.

C.,

I don't think anyone can answer that one for you. I had both my boys done and it hurt me more than it did them I think but it healed very very quickly. You should discuss it with the father and come to a mutual decision. Good Luck with it.
KRW

My opinion? Circumcize. I had my now 6 month old son in a birth center where they do not circumsize- we were planning to have it done in the weeks after he was born. At 12 days he came down with an infection - fever of 102. We brought him to the hospital and they had to work him up for source of fever - spinal tap and everything. It was awful. Turned out he had a urinary tract infection (UTI). Uncircumsized neonates are 3 to 5 times more likely to have a UTI that those who are circumsized according to the urologist who I saw (after my son had to spend a week in the hospital on IV antibiotics). Get him circumcized to reduce the risk of UTI. Save yourself a stressful week in the hospital.
from emedicine.com
"Neonatal circumcision decreases the risk of UTI by about 90% in male infants during the first year of life. The risk of UTI in a circumcised infant is about 1 in 1000 during the first year, whereas an uncircumcised male infant has a 1 in 100 risk of developing a UTI. Given this risk, 111 healthy male infants must be circumcised to prevent 1 UTI. The risk and long-term effect of scarring due to 1 preventable UTI in a male infant are not known.

hi C.,
good for you for thinking this through now. when i was a young mother i just accepted my doctor's advice about 'hygiene and health' which has been pretty definitively provent to be a non-issue. and 'all the men i know are circumcized'. as another poster said, all boys and men have differences, and there are a lot of hooded turtles out there too.
there's not much i would have changed in my life, but if i could go back i probably would decide not to have bits of my children cut off for no sound reason. they haven't suffered any damage from it and everything works fine, but without a compelling reason to do something like that, in retrospect it seems kinda nutty.
khairete
S.

Hello C.,
This is a difficult decision for some parents when they find out they are having a son. Other parents just think of it as a routine thing that is always done and don't know they have options or don't question the "norm" due to feeling inferior to doctors.
My son is 4. He is not circumcised. My husband is.The hospital that my MIL had him in did not give her the choice when he was born otherwise he would not have been. His brother is not circumcised and is now in his late 40's and just fine.
This is how I personally view circumcision:
First of all: My son was born that way and I am not the one to question his body and make any "corrections" I see fit. His body is his and his alone to change.
Secondly: There is more evidence now that it is not necessary for any reason Hygeinic or otherwise.
Thirdly: It is no more risky to have your child not circumcised than it is to give birth to a girl. Girls will most likely have some sort of infection in that region due to excess folds of skin. Certainly a parent would not cut anything off of the girl child to prevent possible yeast infections later in life, right? So to me this is the same arguement for boys having excess skin in such a sensitive region.
Fourth: A child comes into this world from the comfort of the womb which is dark, warm and very secure and when removed from that they already feel insecure and scared so I personally did not want to expose my son to the trauma of being bound and cut.
And if you get a chance to look at actual photos of the procedure you may just agree with me because it is barbaric in my opinion.

The best thing I can tell you is to...
Research, Reseach, Research all the information you can. Discuss, discuss, discuss. And do not let someone guilt you into a decision that doesn't sit right in your heart, either way.
My father who is also circumcised is the one that brought the subject to the forefront of our minds when he asked if we were going to circumcise or not.Originally we were of the opinon that it is always done and have him look like my husband would be best but my Dad pleaded with us to NOT have it done. He quoted Doctor Dean Odell and asked me to research his site (which I did) and also researched other sites as well. They are finding that by the time my son will be in highschool the percentage of boys that are verses boys that aren't will be either 50-50 or more towards the uncircumcised. So the arguement that the child will feel "different" than their peers or even their own father doesn't hold anymore. Even some Jewish faith based families are making the decision to Non circumcise which I thought was very interesting.

If my son decides later that he wants it done then it will be HIS CHOICE and he will be better equipped emotionally and mentally for the procedure instead of coming into this world and having pain or discomfort be the first thing he experiences not to mention the care it takes to keep it clean afterwards.
I could quote studies and give info but ultimately you need to do the research for yourself so if is really your decision and not just something you feel you have to do to go along with what others are doing.

Good luck with the decision and just remember that no matter what you choose, you still love your child and are a good mother. If you weren't a good mother you would not be questioning these decisions and wanting to find out what is best for him and your family. The simple fact that you are looking into this shows your dedication to your child in wanting the very best and wanting to make the most informed and beneficial decisions for his life. Good for you.

Sorry this is so long but I have become very passionate about this topic since researching all the info and am glad that more mothers are at least questioning the practice now more than ever.

Hey C.:

I chose to have my son circumsized but more for personal reasons than health. Most doctors today will tell you that it is not a necessary procedure for health. My dr. reported that my son did not even wince during the procedure. There are some risks involved but I understand them to be very minimal and rare. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor for an informed conversation about risk, need and preference.

Hope that helps.

I read the book called what Your Doctor may Not tell You About Circumcision. It's good and will help you with your decision.
Mother of one whole happy boy and two happy girls.

C.,
I had both of my sons done at birth but I know many dont do it, here is a personal experience to think about that may or not help you in your decision. My dad who is now 58 yrs old was not done as an infant, I can remember when I was in high school he was getting infection after infection fron not being clean after urinating so he had to have to procedure done to prevent the infections. He was not a happy camper for almost a week after having it done. I htink this may be why I chose to have my little guys done as infants. Good luck in making your decision.