i decided not to have my son circumcised-need feedback

ukstudent · Oct 27, 2006

Do not pull it back. It can cause scar tissue to develop, attaching the foreskin to the gland. Which will then cause a medical reason to circumcise at an older age:sniff: :bluecry1: . It will naturally release as he grows older.

cari rn · Oct 27, 2006

This is an obviously very personal decision everyone makes for themselves and their sons. You need to do what you feel is right for you and him, no one else can tell you what to do. If you are in doubt, do the research and then decide. It's never too late if you change your mind and decide to do it, but if you do it without being sure, there's no going back.

I've been told you don't pull back an infant foreskin, but, each to his own I guess.

PeachPie · Oct 27, 2006

Good for you!!!!!!!!! I find it barbaric to do that to a baby. Teach him how to clean himself as he gets older, as men aren't taught how to properly clean themselves. That's why you'll find skid marks in underwear and towels.

allnurses Guide · Oct 27, 2006

Do not pull the foreskin back right now - the hospital was right.

Talk to your pediatrician too.

Congrats on making this decision - I wish my dh had been of the same mind. All 3 of my sons are circumcised. My two oldest, 23 and 21 are GLAD and when I talk to them about being not circumcised, they say they would be very mad at me if I had not had them circumcised. But I think that is because most boys around here are circumcised.

steph

TazziRN, RN · Oct 27, 2006

If we'd had a boy we planned on a circ, even if we had to pay cash for it.

ParrotHeadRN · Oct 27, 2006

Do not pull it back. It can cause scar tissue to develop, attaching the foreskin to the gland. Which will then cause a medical reason to circumcise at an older age:sniff: . It will naturally release as he grows older.

That makes SO much sense to me, I believe that is what happened to my son. He was not circumcised and I cleaned him in the manner I was taught, not to pull the foreskin back. When he was about 3 months old, I was cleaning him and his foreskin just popped back! Scared me to death. He did develop what I now believe were adhesions and had frequent episodes of painful swelling and infection of his foreskin. He had to be circumcised when he was FIVE. It was one of the most traumatic experiences of his, and my, life! The doc told us he would quickly heal. For TWO WEEKS he stayed home from school in so much pain. A scab would form on his meatus and would have to come off when he peed, and he would just bleed and scream. It got so we had to put him in the tub every time he had to pee.

To the OP, if you were talking about your son when you said your friend pulled the foreskin back, just keep good watch over it. I am not really pro-circumcision, but I always said if I had another son I would have him circumcised immediately due to that awful experience. Who knows what scars THAT experience left on my son? If your son's foreskin is still intact, just make sure to keep it so until it retracts naturally.

Good luck! Aren't little boys great?? :)

PH

Melina · Oct 27, 2006

It is a personal choice, but I think of it as my son's choice, not mine. I decided I don't have the right to choose what parts of my son's body he gets to keep and which get chopped off. If he ever wants to have the procedure for aesthetic reasons, I will be happy to arrange it (don't think he'll be asking for that any time soon!). Circumcision is not as common as it used to be, so he may never feel the surgery is necessary.

~Melina

OB_or_NICU_hopeful · Oct 27, 2006

Here's my advice, but I'm not a nurse.

I have two uncirc'd boys. I NEVER touched the foreskin and I think it was a mistake. NO, I don't believe you need to routinely pull it back, but I think you should gently peek at it from time to time. I took the "don't touch it" advice a bit too literally. My oldest is almost five and he still isn't fully retracted, whereas my youngest is (turned three in July). I started checking his around 16 months. Obviously I don't know that it made a difference, but he's NEVER had problems and my oldest has.

santhony44, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 27, 2006

It's your decision whether or not to circumcise.

As for the foreskin, usually around 3 or 4 I tell parents to gently retract and clean and to teach the kid to clean every day.

Some still get some adhesions but not usually anything I don't expect to take care of itself over time.

I have seen pediatricians do this, and do not let one do this to your son: yank the foreskin back to break the adhesions.

I saw one do this once to a kid (not my son!) and I was horrified. The kid screamed (this was a 4 or 5 yo boy) and I am sure was totally traumatized. Not only that, but where they rip apart, you have raw spots. Guess what happens? Right, they heal back up stuck together! Totally unnecessary trauma to the kid.

Barbaric.

TazziRN, RN · Oct 27, 2006

It is a personal choice, but I think of it as my son's choice, not mine. I decided I don't have the right to choose what parts of my son's body he gets to keep and which get chopped off. If he ever wants to have the procedure for aesthetic reasons, I will be happy to arrange it (don't think he'll be asking for that any time soon!). Circumcision is not as common as it used to be, so he may never feel the surgery is necessary.
~Melina

The problem is that in older children and men it is a much more painful procedure, requiring way more pain control than Tylenol can give to newborns. And in older males there is the added problem of avoiding an erection. My brother was once in the hospital in a 4-bed room with a chest tube, the other three were soldiers who'd had circs done. Each was given a can of spray (cetacaine, perhaps?) in case an erection started, so sutures weren't pulled out. Those cans kept my brother awake all night long!

MVH119 · Oct 27, 2006

Circumcision except for religious reasons is unheard-of in the UK unless there is a definite surgical indication for this operation.

My two sons are uncircumsised and perfectly healthy although I do not inspect the nether regions of my 17 and 13-year old on a regular basis!! :):):)