circumcision

[Jesselou]

I was just wondering if anyone has considered circumcision, And what your thoughts of it are. We are trying to decide the right thing for our son, not us. Most of the males our age that we know are circumcised, as is my husband and most of his male family members. I am on the fence really, as I cant relate, not being a male myself. A lady my mother-in-law works with, has constant problems with her son with infections and he is not circumcised. I do realise that you need to teach your son to clean himself but is this something I should consider. There is a specialist near us that does perform these every day, and my friends son was done there without any dramas. But I don't Necessarily want to base my desicion on her though.
Jess

[meow]

There is no way I would get it done unless it became medically required. My H wasn't done and has never had a problem... yet I know a few men who have had problems with it being done and I really feel for them because it's not reversible.

When considering it for your son too- don't look at the men around you who are done but rather the boys the same age as your son... he would be more concerned with looking like his peers than the older generation. And as it's becoming less common I would think not being done would be fine in that respect.

[Pretty Butterfly]

These days only one or two boys per class are done. Majority are not. When my aunt went to get her son done, the doc said " your looking for the Butcher, he's down the block". I never forgot it. I do family day care and have had no circumsised boys, and none of mine are. Good luck with your decision, its a hard one!!

Studies have proven that uncircumsised have an equal amount of infection as circumsised, which is partly why its generally hard to have done. Up here you have to go private or travel away...

[slyder]

Jesselou, do a search for 'circumcision' in the search box. This topic has been covered numerous times previously and you'll get lots of information from those threads. Hope this helps.

[Doing my best]

Hi there,

Just wanted you to know that are not alone in being confused as what to do. In some ways I hope that I never have a boy as my 3 brothers are all done and DH isn't, so it will be an even harder decision.

My brother and SIL decided that they wanted to get their son done, but couldn't find a dr willing to do it without medical reasons. It was really hard for them to accept, but they did.

I agree with the other posts, that your son will want to fit in with his peers, rather than being the same as Dad or his uncles, but you also have the other side of family all being circumsized..

It is not going to be an easy decision for you, but you will make the right one for you and your family. GL with the birth..

[Rumpleteaser]

I have to admit, I have wondered what I would do too. As I have found that many of the men I have know are circumcised, my DH is circumsied, but I'm aware that it is generally not done these days and agree that is should be based on what the children are having done these days and not what was done in the past. I did have an ex who was circumsied as a child/young teen due to infections and he seemed a little traumatised by it. I have seen it get done, without anaesetic and I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, even if it was done with anaestic, the "local" stings anyway. My thoughts are that little boys are born with foreskins, it must be there for a reason, it could be considered a form of mutilation. Female circumcision is definately a major taboo in western society, not to mention how it is often done in developing countries (but that is a differnt debate).
Though many of you wouldn't know that artifical skin (which is used in some burns situation) is grown from the basal cells of forskins, and that 1 foreskin can make a football field worth of skin.
Anyway I guess I don't plan to circumsise any sons I have, though I know my DH has said he would like his boys to look the same as him. So will cross that bridge when we get to it.

[~Raven~]

My DH isn't and my three boys aren't either. None of them has ever had an infection if that is something that concerns you.

I do know of someone who had her son circumcised and he did end up with an infection and needed to be treated with antibiotics.