circumcision

[MissJLJ]

My son has an appointment for the 22nd of this month to get circumcised. I watched a video (stupid me) on YouTube of how its done. I'm nervous now and i'm not sure if i should do it. I don't want him to feel different than his father and i know its easier to keep clean. But im just so scared now. Mostly worried about the pain he will feel and the chance that something will go wrong.  Should i be this worried? I know its done all the time. Ugh, im just freaking out :/

[sorenr]

It must just not be a problem in britain then...

[ash20096]

I asked my midwife today about it. Here they do it the day we are released from the hospital. She also said it take longer for them to heal if you wait until they are old and it is more painful for them.

[Apeydef]

It is not a myth about the cleanliness issue. My friend did not circumcise her sons and one has already had an infection and he is 10 months old. I also know someone else who's brother did not have it done and had so many problems and infections he had to get it done at an older age. Seems like it would be worse when they are a grown man.

[KTowne]

My son is 3 and I'm so glad I got it done, he got it done right after he was born, and he will NEVER remember it, he won't even remember the pain after a few minutes. Your child will go through a lot, and a lot will freak you out, but once you get it done and it's over, it's over, you won't have to stress either way, and all this anxiety will go away! Good luck with your decision hun!

[katierylenava]

My son is now 4 and I did not get him circumsised. Mostly because his father wasn't and didn't want me to. I haven't had to really clean it or anything its still at the point where it wont pull.back yet. But I teach him to gently try and do it. I haven't had any problem yet. Yes it looks difficult but when he's older he'll understand more about it I'm sure

[soon2bmamma]

Same in Canada, I have honestly never seen one or heard of anyone getting their child circumsized. Personally I don't see the point in doing it, but that's just my opinion, I'm not religious or anything

[sorenr]

DNP47 is absolutely right, here in the UK, it is only done for religious reasons, I have never even seen a circumcised penis! There are big myths surrounding the 'cleanliness' issue, boys need no more attention than girls, I have 2 sons, I have obviously had boyfriends etc and not one man I have ever encountered has had any of these horror problems I have read about on this site, I honestly think a lot of these infections are brought about by the misconception that they need some kind of thorough cleaning behind the foreskin and therefore cleansing products are used, bringing about infection. Unless I'm doing it wrong, we dont clean the inside of our privates! We have natural bacterias which do the job for us, and so do boys. Anyway, I make no judgement on those who choose to do it, I'm sure I would think long and hard about doing it if I lived in a country where my son may experience bullying or just feel 'different'. Good luck with your decision, be confident about your reasons for doing it, but if you have doubts, maybe at least postpone the operation for a while to let you consider it further :)

[DNP47]

I am completely terrified of making this choice for my son (Im still pregnant). However my husband is really pushing for it despite my opinion.  I want him to feel "normal" and not be made fun of but that is the only pro that I can see. So I am right there with you, I actually dont want to do it for many reasons, but my husband is the one with a penis and seems to be glad he is cut.

Did you know that America is the only country to do circ's aside from religious reasons? I have read tons of literature about circ's and what I found out is that it is not difficult to clean an intact penis, and it doesnt necessarily cut down on the number of infections.

I suggest you read up on the pro's and con's of the procedure and really educate yourself, then you will hopefully be able to make the choice without feeling like you are making a mistake one way or the other.

[MissJLJ]

Both his father and i want it done, im just scared for my baby to be in pain lol

[MissJLJ]

Thank you ladies. And proudmommy, that's what i'm worried about too, him hating it if its not done.

[proudmommy120612]

I had my son circumcised he is now 5 they did it the morning we were being discharged they took him and had it done then brought him back to me and the only thing I had to do was when he urinated call a nurse so they can check to make sure everything is ok. When they brought him to me he was actually sleep there wasn't any tears in his eyes he didn't seem as if he was in any pain I actually never had to give him any medication he was never fussy if I had to I will do it again I would his dad is not circumcised and he hates it he wish his parents would of gotten him circumcised as a baby.

[Morrisfamily2012]

My son is 6 days old and we left him just the way he entered this world. You don't have to clean it until it retracts on its own.

[Aud84]

If you have any doubts about whether or not to have him circumcised, I wouldn't do it. I have a 3 1/2 yr old son that I had circumcised when he was a baby, and if I could go back and do it over again, I would have left him intact. I don't think there's anything wrong with circumcision, but sometimes I feel very guilty about putting him through an unneccessary surgery with nothing but a pacifier with sugar water on it. As far as cleanliness goes, from what I've read it's not any harder to keep an intact baby clean, as it is a circumcised one. Also, I wouldn't worry about him comparing himself to his dad. The chance that he'll notice he's different at all, is very slim! Anyway, good luck with whatever decision you make! And if you decide to leave him intact, feel good knowing he's perfect just the way he is!

[kfrasher]

My baby boy is 5 wks old n I also was worried n scared for him to have it done, but he did great. He only needed a little tylenol one time a few hours after. He wasn't overly fussy. It only took abt 4 days for the redness to go away. Try to not worry hun..:-)