Questions & Answers

Thanks jazzy and lala. I agree. We shall discuss it later today with my hubbster i mean. I appreciate the neutral standpoint

Lol @ Caren. Getting his shots vs getting extra skin cut off are ENTIRELY different. His foreskin isnt going to kill him. Vs chicken pox or some actual virus. Please think before you type. I said unnecessary pain. Not pain as in something that could save his life as a shot. Theres nothing wrong with foreskin.

I never said i didn't want their opinion on circumcision. But someone telling me to not even think about it cause im not a male isnt an opinion, its just stupid.

Actually, a lot of people are surprised to find out how unnecessary shots and things they give/do to newborns are. Circumcision is the same - unnecessary, but commonly done. That doesn't mean it's horrible if you skip it, or just one of the crowd if you go ahead with it. The gook they put in babies' eyes for instance, is mainly used as a protection from STD's the mom could have. That seems pretty unnecessary to me. My hubby and I are trying to do all the research we can and do as little as we can to disrupt the natural process. No shots, no eye gunk. But yes to circumcision because of our beliefs (it's not mandatory, but if it was good for them, it must be good for us), plus we'd like our son to be like his dad, not feel different.

I understand your apprehension, but try not to worry about it too much. Whichever way you decide will turn out ok. It is relatively rare for a baby to either get an infection from the circumcision or get recurring infections from NOT being circumcised - although both happen occasionally, of course.

The AAP is even on the fence about it, leaning slightly in favor of circumcision. Here is a quote from their website:

"After a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence, the American Academy of Pediatrics found the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks, but the benefits are not great enough to recommend universal newborn circumcision"

So, yes, you and your hubby need to come to a decision, but don't let anyone judge you or make you feel bad for whatever decision you make! My husband and I have decided to have it done to our newborn son when he arrives in a few weeks.

I am going through the same discussion with my husband. I feel like we are doing everything we can to keep our son safe and happy, and doing this seems to go against that idea. I feel like the people saying the baby doesn't feel it are insane. They can feel it, otherwise the doctors wouldn't do things to try and comfort them. And its more than just a prick, its cutting the skin off of an organ, similar to cutting the skin of the end of your pinky. Shots are considered necessary, so you wouldn't skip them just bc you skipped the circ. Its also not 100% chance your sons will get infections later. Learn to clean them right! I've done a lot of research on this, so to say a man automatically has more knowledge is silly, he was an infant when it was done! I think you & your husband should look online, watch youtube videos of the procedures, and get to know the types of circ available. Also research how to clean a healing circ vs foreskin. Good luck & educate yourself either way!

I believe that it's important -- for your relationship -- to come to an agreement. In my opinion, if you make the decision on your own, I'm not sure how your significant other would feel about not being a part of the decision and vice versa (but I don't know you or your significant other, so I'm not saying anything as a fact). The boys are his as much as they are yours. And like the other person said, perhaps you should take a look at the culture you're surrounded by (if that matters to you). No one should tell you what to do with your children. But you and your significant other should come to a decision together for the sake of your relationship (in my opinion).

well um think of it this way. Your baby daddy is a man and he probably knows more about this than most women. My hubby has told me some horrid stories that his one older brother was not circumcised and he got a lot of infections growing up. Basically the skin increases the amount of bacteria that grows in the area.You say you do not want to cause unnecessary pain, but there is a pretty good chance that if you do not get it removed then he will definitely have unnecessary pain when he is older and gets any kind of infection. As a baby the pain is not really much of anything, but the kind of pain he will feel when older could be really bad depending on the kind of infection. Also if it is not caught in time, infections can lead to sickness, surgery, and even infertility when older. The choice is that of you and your significant other to decide, but just because you do not want to cause a little pinch does not sound right. Does that also mean you would not take him to get shots?

Totally agree with Giddypingu. I'm in the UK and would never even consider it. None of the uncircumcised men I know have contracted infections/had any foreskin problems; in the UK, most GPs would say the health benefits aren't strong enough to justify the procedure. It seems like unnecessary harm to me. Having said that, my friend did meet an American girl who wouldn't sleep with him because he wasn't circumcised - so if it's a big cultural problem, it might be something to consider...

I'm strongly against