Hello,

I will be having a son very soon and am agonizing over the decision about whether or not to circumcise. I'd like to hear from moms who have been there -- what did you decide? Any regrets?

My husband is from Europe and it is much less common to circ. there.  I have one son no circ. Due to have 2nd child in a few weeks.  If another son will not be either.  I have not heard any medical evidence to support the need and  feel it is cruel and unusual.  Why ok for boys when so much outrage about practice for girls in some African countries?  I see it as the same thing. 

I really think circumcison is cruel. They don't even numb the area, they just tie the baby down and cut . Can you imagine how that would feel?

First let me say I had 2 sons at a time when the practice of circumcision was being questioned. Neither were circumcized and neither have ever had a urinary tract infection; which is one of the greatest rationales for having the procedure performed. I chose not to have them circumcized because I did not want my children to go through the pain involved with this procedure. My husband (now ex) was not circumsized either; due to  Southern family tradition. However, he considered having our sons circumcized because going through high school when he had to dress for gym in a crowded locker room, he felt different from the other guys. A natural childbirth video changed his mind.

Secondly, I am now a nursing student who just completed my OB rotation and I was alarmed at the rate that circumcision is still routinely performed although current evidence does not see the procedure as a necessary practice. The babies are strapped to a board, usually about an hour after a topical "numbing" cream is applied, and given a pacifier dipped in glucose to distract them which is held in their little mouths while they are constantly encouraged to suck on the pacifier. Nonetheless, these babies scream in pain. Afterward, vaseline is applied to reduce irritation from urine and friction from the diaper. If someone forgets or does not completely cover the area with the vasoline, the baby experiences burning from the urine and have a greater risk of bleeding or infection. I was sure at the time I made the right choice but now I am positive I did.

Choosing not to circumcize does involve teaching your son how to properly clean himself and how to slowly retract the #### (over time). This is best accomplished during bath time and is a progressive task which reduces trauma to the area. The incidence of rinary tract infections in males is rare because the urethra is much longer than in females which reduces the chance for bacteria to reach the bladder, where UTIs are most likely to initiate. These days circumcision is done mostly as a matter of preference, not as a preventative measure.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your impending delivery and your new baby. May God smile on his birth and bless him throughout life

wodahsajnin

 

A dad here - DON'T do it! Your son will thank you many times over.
Why?
1) The "so he looks like his dad" justification? Come now...if dad has a deformed arm or cleft lip, you're going to try to make him look like that? Obviously, God (or Nature, if you prefer) made him like that...it simply works better. For all male mammals!
2) So he won't be embarrassed in the locker room? From my experience, I don't think most boys/men care to examine circumcision status. Size, yes; but not cut or uncut. Our son (now 19) never had to change in a locker room at school - no problem!
3) UTI - a non issue. Actually, if you read the medical literature, uncircumcised boys seem to have a greater incidence of it. Our son never had the problem - but our daughter had it 3-4 times in her early years...but we didn't decide to circumcise her!
4) Greater sexual pleasure. Ok, so not an issue until later, but studies show that this is the case - most American women have never had the opportunity to know the difference and our men never had/will have the opportunity to know.
Before caving into pressure or opinion, get informed! Check out this site - it will help immensely in making that decision. http://www.nocirc.org/articles.