https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:07:25 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-194707 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 07:39:09 +0000 looch 194707@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: thanks for the info! I thought I might be doing something wrong for a moment. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-194611 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:19:14 +0000 ohapostrophe 194611@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cyneswith: this this this. I just don't get it at all! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-194315 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:53:18 +0000 mrsmenow 194315@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If we have a little boy this time around we will have him circumcised. Dh feels strongly about it.</p> <p>I have seen the procedure done and am a nurse so I feel I can definately handle the after care. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-194301 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:45:22 +0000 katmmad 194301@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It was a rough decision for us -- my mother told me of her memory of having my brother circumcised, and how her hours-old baby came back to her "shaking from head to toe." We ultimately decided to get him circumcised because my husband is, and hey, at least you could say you look like dad. (Although really: how often do fathers and sons really see the other one... but no matter.)</p> <p>Anyway, my baby didn't seem to react poorly to it at all. He slept so soundly afterwards that I was worried they'd given him some pain meds, but no -- they said that's just how some babies react.</p> <p>I never saw him bloody. Everything healed well, we put ointment and gauze on it as directed, and after a few weeks it was normal. I haven't thought about it since the day we had it done! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-194148 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:01:26 +0000 MegWag 194148@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Here in England it is not the social norm. My husband is Jewish (though not practising) so he is circed, but we decided against for our son. My husband was anti to begin with, but left it up to me. It would have been a huge rigamarole to have it done here and in the end I decided matching genitalia wasn't a good enough reason. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-194121 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:51:31 +0000 rachiecakes 194121@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: aw, poor DS :( I don't think that happens too often though<br /> it is funny how there are trends with generations of baby-raising whether it's breastfeeding, circumcision, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-194105 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:47:00 +0000 MrsMccarthy 194105@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i let my husband decide since he understands penises better than i do and has one of his own. it's a hard call. in the end he decided we will. i think its just personal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-194094 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:43:16 +0000 sslm 194094@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am leaving it up to DH and I am pretty sure we won't be circumcising any boys we might be blessed with! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-194085 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:39:53 +0000 Honeybee 194085@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How do you and your husband normally resolve differences? If you feel strongly about circumsion, I don't think you should necessarily give in just because your husband has a penis; you should come to a conclusion you're both happy with.</p> <p>Personally, I did the research on circumsion, and I didn't care either way; my husband felt strongly that DS should be circumsized, so that's what we did. I actually watched the procedure, and it wasn't so bad. The first few days afterward, we usually changed DS's diaper together, just because there was a lot going on, and someone needed to keep his hands/feet out of that area (lol), but he was completely healed within 7 days of the circumsion and it didn't seem to bother him at all. If we have another son, we'll probably get him circumsized as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193962 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:27:01 +0000 mrs. wagon 193962@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: @rachiecakes: We were seeing signs of re-attachment with what was left of the foreskin (which is quite a lot) and the head of the penis so our pedi sent us to a urologist. He said that sometimes when a circumcision is conservative or when a boy is uncircumcised this can happen, so we'd just have to push it back once a day and make sure it was clean inside. He said it was no big deal, but to me that's a lot more maintenance than doing NOTHING, especially when you're dealing with a cranky toddler. </p> <p>I don't remember asking for a conservative circumcision though. :( I'm over it now, not like we're going to do anything about it now that he's older, and the urologist said he's fine, but it sucks that we had it done and dealt with the healing process and still have to deal with reattachment worries as if he was never circumcised! </p> <p>Also, I have heard that the trend when our generation was babies was to be circumcised, and now the trend is to not. So like everything in raising babies, there are trends... ! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193943 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:15:34 +0000 rachiecakes 193943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: I was told specifically not to do this and that in a few years it will retract on it's own and not to worry about it, just keep the area clean.. hmm..<br /> Obviously we didn't circ, hehe.. I actually don't have any friends that have circ'd their boys though a lot of the men I know are. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193940 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:14:38 +0000 Lozza 193940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is circumcised. DH is Jewish, so that definitely played into it. If it were up to me, I'd probably skip it. We didn't have any issues/complications- we put ointment on it while it healed, but other than that, we've never had any issues with maintenance.<br /> @mrstilly I used to work in int'l HIV prevention, and one of the PIs I used to work for would get really frustrated with all the circumcision initiatives. Her point was that it took away from directing resources and attention towards behavior change that would reduce HIV risk, but one of the things she'd say was that no one ever contracted HIV from being in a room alone with his foreskin. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193914 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:03:28 +0000 looch 193914@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: really? you have to peel back and wash under the foreskin of uncirced boys? At what age does this begin? We were told we didn't have to do any kind of special care. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193905 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:52:36 +0000 mrs. wagon 193905@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh I also just wanted to point out-- without proper cleaning and care, you also have the chance of infection and the foreskin attaching to the head of the penis. So either way you have to be vigilant. Circumcised you don't really have to worry about it after it's healed, but uncircumcised you have to regularly peel back and wash under the foreskin... and then you have to teach them how to maintain it themselves. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193903 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:52:16 +0000 mrsjyw 193903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I generally feel the same way as you, but I don't have a strong enough opinion on to do or not to, whereas DH does; so I'm leaving the decision up to him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193900 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:49:38 +0000 Shimmer 193900@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Generally, I feel the same way you do - that it's unnecessary and painful. I've participated in a few circumcisions as a nursing student. When I originally asked DH what he thought, he deferred to me, but when I prodded him for how he actually felt about it, he said he wants our boys to be like him. He doesn't have very strong feelings about much, so I felt that his decision should stand.</p> <p>Marriage and parenthood require compromise so our boys are going to be circumcised. I have very rarely heard of infections/complications with proper care - which I can easily provide. So that's that, I guess! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193886 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:43:14 +0000 mrs. wagon 193886@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I left it up to Wagon Sr. and he opted to have Wagon Jr. circumcised. I was terrified of the wound so I didn't change a single diaper the entire first month. He was healed in a few weeks. He screamed his 2nd day home and I thought it was because the wound was infected... we took him in and it turns out he had lost an entire pound because my milk hadn't come in yet. So we supplemented with formula and he was fine. </p> <p>Turns out they left a "generous ring of foreskin" so Wagon Jr. doesn't even look circumcised. And he was so fat, his fat was pushing the skin forward even more and it somewhat reattached. We had to see a urologist when he was 12 months to make sure he didn't have to get surgery. Turns out it resolved on its own, which I guess happens a lot, and now he just looks a little less circumcised than other boys. Sigh. </p> <p>So in the end we do have to maintain it (peel it back and clean the stuff that collects in there) which he HATES. but we went through the circumcision anyway, seems like for nothing... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193867 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:31:40 +0000 cyneswith 193867@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The "looking alike" thing baffles me - small child penises look nothing like the adult versions, circumcised or not. And once my son is old enough to "look like" dad, why on earth would they be looking at each others' penises? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193551 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:28:49 +0000 Alivoo01 193551@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're currently TTC, but this topic has come up a few times. I just think it's unnecessary pain, but the hubby is circumcised and has the mentality that he wants his son to "look the same". We still have opposing opinions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193546 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:25:54 +0000 Mrs. Pen 193546@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Since I was the one researching EVERYTHING, not DH it was my job to discuss (ie, persuade him!) it with him. Our midwife felt VERY strongly against circumcision so we delved into why and found out the history and I also formed the same opinion about it as you, that it's not even necessary. DH was actually a lot harder to convince because he couldn't fathom our son being different, but i told him this goes way beyond looks. It was hard for him to take himself out of the equation and look at it logically, but when he did, he agreed with me (it took a couple months) and we didn't circumcise. We've had no issues whatsoever. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193515 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:11:19 +0000 Clementine 193515@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We circumcised our little one and I thought he was in a so much pain because he kept crying after his circumcision. What actually was the case was that he was starving, once we supplemented with formula, he was good to go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193281 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 01:36:15 +0000 looch 193281@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didnt circ because in our hospital, it is major surgery with anesthesia. </p> <p>I tried to leave the decision to my husband, but he insisted we make it together, so we opted not to circ even though my husband is circed. He didn't buy into father/ son needing to look alike either. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193205 Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:46:30 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 193205@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Both times I was going to leave it up to the Mister... but neither time did we have to make that decision. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193180 Sun, 17 Jun 2012 20:54:49 +0000 cvbee 193180@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I feel the way you do and luckily DH asked me what I thought and he said he felt the same way too. I did say it was his decision, since I don't have the parts to understand. </p> <p>So, we didn't cut him and I'm really happy about that. I don't know much about penises, but this week at our LO's 2 month appointment the doc pulled back on his foreskin and said to me that it looks like it will retract naturally on its own soon....something to that effect. He said sometimes they are tight, but his is not. </p> <p>I am glad I was not having to deal with learning how to care for a newborn AND care for a cut penis at the same time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193141 Sun, 17 Jun 2012 20:08:59 +0000 mrs. bird 193141@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're still TTC, but we've talked about it, and feel the same way you do. It's not medically neccisary, we don't have religious reasons to do it and I think more &amp; more people are choosing not to, so I don't think they'd be teased for it when they got older. I don't believe I have the right to permanently alter my child's body without a good reason, so for us, it's not something we will be considering. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193138 Sun, 17 Jun 2012 20:06:54 +0000 mrstilly 193138@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had DS circumcised. It came down to wanting him to look like his father. It was something I let DH make the final call on, and he felt more comfortable with circumcision, especially because of the higher rate of STDs in uncircumcised males. </p> <p>DS didn't seem to be in a lot of discomfort, but he slept most of the first week. It took a while to heal, and we were using vaseline on gauze pads for about three weeks to keep it clean while it healed. </p> <p>It wasn't a big deal either way, and I think if we have more boys we will circumcise again, but I haven't given it much thought. I just don't imagine having one son circumcised and the other not. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/circumcision#post-193123 Sun, 17 Jun 2012 19:40:29 +0000 cyneswith 193123@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH and I haven't talked about it much yet, though the end decision is in his hands. I don't plan on bringing it up until after our next appointment, and I don't think we'll be having an in-depth conversation until August at earliest.</p> <p>I do NOT want my baby in unnecessary pain, and I do not want to handle bloody, sore bits. I don't want the risk of complications (which are much higher than the chances that our LO will medically need to get cut later.) It's not part of our religious beliefs (then I'd be fine with it.) It became popular for social reason instead of health reasons. I don't believe in cutting off healthy parts of healthy babies for no reason other than "well, I had that part cut off, and I turned out OK."</p> <p>I know that at the end of the day, though, it doesn't REALLY matter. I've changed diapers for both intact and cut baby boys, so I know that it won't matter after the first few weeks. I don't personally know anyone who thinks circumcision has negatively affected their lives.</p> <p>Has anyone else been in the same boat? Did your LO end up circumcised? If so, how fast did he heal? </p> <p>Can anyone comfort or commiserate? </p>