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It's funny you should say that, a GF of mine got her DS done and had to get her DH to take him in cause she couldn't bare to see him in pain!!!
Another thing is most Dr's won't do them now and if you really want to alot of them wait till they are 12 months so they can go under...why do that??? My sister had her circumsision(sp?) booked in when she found out she was having a boy at 20 weeks!!! But I am the same as you each to their own i say...
Jan xx
Josh isn't circumcised and I have discussed with him cleaning under the skin. It will only pull back as far as it does. I got him to make sure the other day that it was coming back. My inderstanding is that you don't force it It will release and come back in its own time. If it doesn't come back all the way eventually then it may need to be looked at by a dr.
cheers michelle
When they do start to clean under it, it does take a few days to go all the way back as it should, and the glans is very sensitive the first few times too. I just get Lindsay to splash the warm soapy water over his once he has pulled it back, because it is not like it needs scrubbing or anything.
They talk about this in the book, Raising Boys in the section for mothers (the topic is something like, is it okay to clean around his genitals or something) and I will have to go back and check it, but I am sure it said something like it retracts at around 3-4 years of age? And it's okay to clean it then and show them how to do it etc but it said not sooner as when they are younger the skin is still attached to the penis? Gosh can't you tell I am new to boys?!
I never even attempted it until a few months ago because of what i was told and I didn't want to damage it at all, but lucjily there have been no problems and all is well.
You girls might be able to help me, although I really should know as I have 3 boys already. Noah's foreskin seems VERY tight. I remember with my older boys their foreskin would retract quite easily. Noah's on the otherhand it is quite an effort to retract it and when it is the top of his penis goes prple, I am not talking pink, or red, purple and it gets erect. I am thinking that the foreskin is so tight that it is stopping blood flow to the tip and that is why it is getting hard and so purple. Now yes I do know that you need blood flowing ot make it hard, but I think it is trapping the blood in there IYKWIM?
Do you think it sounds like it needs seeing to?
I would hate to think that he will need a circ especially now at 4 years old.
Trish, I would consult my GP on this one. Hope it's easily fixed without the need for surgery.
Definately go and see a GP about it. It may be nothing and it will correct itself in time, but better to be safe than sorry.
I know Harry's retracts as I have seen him do it in the bath! The other night I asked him if he knows how to clean it, as DH has showed him, but he got all shy about it! I told MIL as I thought it was cute that he got shy but then I got a lecture about how you never need to clean under there and just let it be, and most boys will inadvertantly clean it when they play with it in the bath etc etc etc. I also got the whole, "I know, I had three boys" bit. Never mind that her youngest boy is now 21 so she is hardly in the know about these things. I told DH and he just laughed and said she has no idea.
I know this thread is a little old now but still thought I would add my 2 cents.
Evan is almost 4 & I would not even try to retract his back. I often wonder if his foreskin is rather long though as you can (well he can) pull it back but he isn't actually exposing the head of the penis. When he was about 2 almost 3 I think he had this lump under teh foreskin & I though WTF??? It looked like a big bit of rice. i thought maybe it was a gland or something. It wasn't painful but it wasn't there before. i took him to the MCHN & she tried to tell me it was the seam of the penis & not to worry about it. Again I thought WTF? You stupid women! for one it was downthe side of the head of teh penis & it wasn't there a day or so ago! Anyway I just acted dumb & left it at that. I took him to the Dr who told me it was smegma & that I needed to pull his skin back to clean it & if I couldn't clear it, he would need the chop! I was like NO WAY. Anyway she gave me cream to rub on it after I had pulled it back in the bath. the cream was to take away teh pain & inflamation I would cause by doing this! This just didn't sit right with me so I didn't do it. I contacted a wee wee specialist at Westmead chilldrens hosiptal & explained the situation to him (via email) and he was nice enough to take the time to reply to my email. He was unable to give me direct personal advice for Evan but directed me to the following & also offered to cal my GP to update her on the current recomendations. This is what he refered me too
I HTH's because it sure did me! I personally think leave it alone!!!:
The foreskin
The foreskin covers the tip of the penis (glans). It extends from the skin that covers the shaft of the penis and has a thinner and more sensitive inner surface that is attached to the shaft where it joins the glans. As well as its sensitive inner surface, the foreskin protects the tip of the penis. Under the foreskin, the skin of the glans is thin and moist.
When a boy is born, the inner layer of the foreskin is normally stuck to the glans and the foreskin cannot be pulled back (retracted). As the boy grows, the inner skin separates and the opening becomes more elastic so that by the time he is fully grown he should be able to retract it without discomfort. Some boys can do this by the time they are three to four years of age. Others may not be able to do this until puberty. As the foreskin separates, dead skin cells form collections of white material under the foreskin (smegma) which may look like cysts. This is normal.
Trish Iwould say that his just isn't ready to come back yet. the head is probably going purple & hard because your forcing it back. I would talk with your GP if your worried but just leave it alone if there isn't a problem. you may cause one by checking if there is one KWIM. Also just so everyone knows, having your boys circ'd isn't the only option to "fixing" a fieskin that wont retract. I know that many use eostrogen creams to help. But of course talkwith your GP about it & if its not before puberty & there isn't any sign of pain/infection don't stress!
Ok girls...well i have a 12 years old who has been unable to retract his foreskin and has been to see a specilist who informed me they are infact a self cleaning organ same as vaginas and are best left to their own devices...so the smegma actually collects and then cleans itself with usual showering and good hygene..he has had no problems not even one urinary tract infection as there is a hole left for urine to escape..he has never complained of soreness nor redness and has happily gone along with everything as it is..the specialist said that as he reaches puberty and has more and more erections the skin will eventually come away, leaving no scaring..if by a certain age things don't take their course then we are to look at other options like creams etc..
To date he has never asked as it is of no concern atm..
Hope this helps..
Jan xx
That is so great to know Jan..makes sense!
Jo
Thanks for that Fiona. We haven't been near it or tried anything at all since my OP. I think I just thought there maybe a problem as I remember my older boys retracting alot earlier. Maybe they were just better at playing with it ;)
This thread is great girls, and has helped me heaps, my son was the same as you described Trish and I have been quite worried about it but am so glad to hear that it is not so much a problemlike I thought it might be, we leave it alone and heve never really forced it back we have tried a few times but as Trish what Trish explained about her son happens to Peiter so we have just left it alone he is not in any discomfort at all and never complains about his penis being sore or anything so it must be fine, I really think they should give you a booklet when you leave hospital if you have had a baby boy as this is something I had never really heard discussed and it is hard to know what to do
Hi, not sure on ages as I dont have a boy of my own, however SIL has an appointment with a pead-surgeon in Aug to discuss whether her little boy needs a circumcision or not. He turns 2 on 28 Oct. She has an older boy who is not circumcised and my belief is that they wont be doing it to any of their boys unless medically neccessary.
Apparently it is easier to check now rather than have them go through the trauma of having a circumcision in high school.
Glad to hear that you were able to was the little man Sherie despite the tears.
Love
Thanks Helen. the tears were more because he was a bit confused/embarrassed about the whole issue and not because it hurt IYKWIM? and now he is a champ at cleaning it.
Poor thing being embarrassed. Better age though for it than for the girl issues down the track. Oh I so hope everything happens when she is home and not at school or out.
Love
I had a Doc try and pull my DS foreskin back at 3 months old when he had nappy rash :eek: I had to tell her not to try, because he wasnt old enough, and you shouldnt attempt it until they are well over 2yo. She didnt have a clue :rolleyes: