[mom2lexi]

Since I had a daughter, I never had to think about this kind of stuff, but at my last appointment, my doctor told me that they do circumcisions, but it costs more to do it at the hospital than it does to have it done in the office. So it got me thinking about the procedure.

What are your opinions on this?

Have any of you elected not to have your son circumcised? If so, why?

One of my younger brothers was never circumcised and once he hit middle school, it was really embarrassing to him when he had to shower in front of the other kids. Although no one ever said anything to him about it, he said he felt like they were all staring at him. He finally had the procedure done about 4 years ago. (He is 26 now.)

Just something I was thinking about....

[~Got Pink~]

We would have gotten DS #1 circumsized, but it would have costed us $400 ($200 to the hospital & $200 to the dr) and DH had just been inbetween jobs.
DH still wishes we would have done it for the boys, but we didn't do it for any of them.
Its alot more common now to not get it done then it was a long time ago. Out of my friends boys, my boys, my 2 nephews & the 2 boys I babysat, (a total of 11 boys) only 2 of them had it done.
If my kids want it done when they're older, they can make that decision themselves & we will still pay for it (We feel its our responsibility as their parents).
I just feel 100% better knowing it will be their decision to get it done to stay "intact"

[preciousgiftsmama]

We will absolutely be circumsizing our son!! Never a doubt in our mind. Every male in my family, including my 2 younger brothers, are/were circumsized.

Nothing for us to even consider, its a done deal at the hospital before I even bring little Ty home

[~~Que~~]

We circ... but we will wait till he is at least one week old.

[sethsmum]

Nope. Its just not done in the UK unless there is a medical or religious reason. The only guys I know that have had it done are Muslim or had to. If any of my boys want to when they are older then they can but I wouldn't do it to them unless it was absolutely necessary

[Daffodil]

I'm going to have my son circumsized, if I ever have a son. Tradition and religious reasons.

[Alison79]

I have one son who was, one that was born with a natural circumcision and one who is intact. If this baby is a boy we will leave him intact. My first son had an issue with his and after that we decided to leave them intact. If they choose to circumcise later in life I am perfectly okay with that, but I didn't want to be the one making the decision for them.

[sferle]

I didn't want to worry about infections or having to pull back the forskin , so I opted to have it done because of cleanliness

[Tammy5]

We had our boys circumsized. We decided to since my husband had it done and it is a tradition in our family.

[starrsgirl]

I still don't know what to do!! Ultimately, I will let DH decide. But I don't feel strongly either way on this one.

[clouise]

I'm glad it's a girl so we don't have to decide!

My son is circumsized. I was very much on the fence, but my dh wanted it done, and I decided to let him make this decision. I was there when it was done though and it was very traumatic. They gave him some pain medicine but it was clear to me that it did not work...I don't think the doctor waited long enough for it to take effect. My newborn son remembered it for like three days and would cry whenever I went to undo his onsie and change his diaper...that seemed like a super long time for a baby. My advice is that if you want it done to really look into the pain medications available and make sure your son is comfortable. I really didn't ask any questions, and if I had to do it again I would for sure.

[BethyLou]

We are definitely getting Garrett circumcised. It is tradition for our family so I had not even considered not doing so.

[Karlie]

I really think it's an unnecessary surgery and it breaks my heart that tiny babies are still being put through that. My brother required a blood transfusion after his and he nearly died at a few weeks old. All for an outdated tradition!

[babynay]

I'm with Liz - hubster's vote will weigh heavier on this one cuz I don't have a weiner.

Luckily he does

[daisygarten]

My uncirc'ed boy has never had any issues with cleanliness or pain or self consciousness-- which may come later, but it does for everyone anyway, right?

I suggest you do some reading about it. In the US its been an unquestioned procedure since about 1890-- when a doc recommended radical circumcision (removal of the entire foreskin, rather than the tip, as practiced in Judiasm) because he assured parents it would reduce or eliminate masterbation.

Here's an informative article for American parents who decide not to circ: Protect Your Uncircumcised Son: Expert Medical Advice for Parents | mothering

[cbnurse04]

My 2 year old son is circumcised, and this baby will be, also. I watched a couple of circumcisions in nursing school, and they were not gruesome. The baby hardly flinched. I think it's important for boys to look like their family members, and needing a circumcision later in life is much harder on an adult than a newborn.

[BethyLou]

I have done a lot of reading on it and asked my pediatrician. She confirmed what this website stated, that unless there is a medical need circumcision does not have to be done but there are benefits. The rates of UTIs and STDs are higher in uncircumcised males. There is a very small chance of complication but I agree with cbnurse, the chances for complications of a later circumcision are higher.


Circumcision: Medical Pros and Cons--Infections, Disease, Hygiene and Cancer on MedicineNet.com

[nevergivingup]

My husband is, my son is, and this baby will be too. It has never been a question for us. I know it hurts them, but I don't think that they will remember the pain later, and it is much harder and painful when they are older.

[Beaker]

No medical reason for it. The cleanliness thing is bogus. I left my kid intact and have never regretted the decision. However, I have nothing against people who do circ.

But I think decisions like this one should be thoroughly researched by the parents.

[iMama]

I will not be having my son circumcised -- with proper care, cleanliness is not an issue, and I don't want to run the risk of having something go wrong during the procedure (medically or cosmetically -- sometimes problems can occur).