Circumcision. Did you do it? Why? Why not? Thanks!

Question

Currently 34 weeks along and having a boy. We are discussing circumcision. 
My husband is NOT circumcised and we are currently having discussions on weather or not to do it. 
Note: We are in no way religious. :) thanks!

Answer

We circumcised our first and will do it again for our second. I’m a nurse and have seen firsthand the complications men experience later in life when uncircumcised. Also I’ve seen young men go through the surgery in their teens and young twenties and it’s absolutely awful. Yes it’s painful for them as babies (the initial numbing injection and the soreness afterwards) but we would rather deal with the pain up front than when their penis is more sensitive later on.

Answer

I have yet to see a REAL LEGIT reason to perform a painful cosmetic unnecessary surgery on a newborn child. 
It’s no harder to teach a boy how to properly take care of his penis than it is to teach your daughter to properly take care of her vagina and menstruation. 
I’m not performing an unnecessary surgery on my brand new baby just to MAYBE save them pain later. There’s a LOT of painful things that can happen in your life. I had to have brain surgery and it was excruciating - and look - I’m okay. I think grown men can handle havin to get circumcised later in life if they ended up MEDICALLY NEEDING IT. 
That’s what pisses me off, is it’s a SURGERY and there’s no medical need for it. 
Your kids gonna break arms, sprain ankles, get strep... like your kids gonna have pain in his life. Normal pain. Your kid may come down with some other crazy thing that needs medical intervention. Like what happened to me at 13 and I needed an invasive brain surgery. ITS ALL OKAY. THINGS HAPPEN IN LIFE. 
The thing is, I could have been diagnosed with my brain condition as a baby. But I’m damn well happy I could have my surgery as a teenager rather than a baby, because at that point I could understand it. 
Idk, I’m not for putting babies in shock and through unnecessary pain just cuz they won’t remember it later. Remembering pain doesn’t mean crap. It’s not traumatizing when you’re older and can understand it - IF IF IF IF IF IF IT EVEN BECOMES NECESSARY 
IF.
*IF*

Answer

I won’t, it doesn’t seem necessary. I don’t like the idea of cutting off pieces of genitalia for aesthetics or easy cleaning purposes. Women have to clean themselves, it’s no big deal. And it causes them a lot of pain, even with the local pain meds they sometimes give the baby, the recovery is painful and it’s a lot for a brand new baby to go through. And it’s becoming less popular so I don’t think it will be a big deal in locker rooms the way it has been in the past.

Answer

We didn't circumcise our first and won't do it with our second. Reason... we interviewed 3 doctors before choosing a pediatrician and all of them told us that there was no evidence of circumcision being healthier or better. 
We didn't want to hurt our baby for no reason

Answer

No we didn't with our son. And so happy we didn't.  He is absolutely perfect the way he is and I couldn't ever imagine hurting him the minute he came into this world nor ever! My husband isn't cut and he takes very good care of his and it's cleaner then any cut guy iv ever been with. He has never had any infections or any issues with being intact. And it's proven that being cut is just cosmic. My son is being tought how to properly clean himself and he is already so good at it. He is 4.

Answer

Honestly if your hubby is not,  then you’ll have an easier time of it, should you decide not to. My husband is, so neither of us feel prepared to care for an uncircumcised penis, plus I did my own research and feel that the risk of injury and infection later in life outweighs the pain of the procedure. When they’re babies it’s a quick snip when they’re adults it’s major surgery. But ultimately it’s a personal decision for your family and I don’t feel that either way is wrong!

Answer

Once I learned that circumcision is not status quo around the world, and that billions of men have perfectly normal healthy lives with natural penises, I just started to feel like it's a cultural decision more than anything... And my husband and I don't want to do it just because it's the cultural norm here in the U.S. (although slowly decreasing in popularity).

Answer

I think anyone who does this is disgusting

Answer

We are. I was on the fence after watching American Circumcision on Netflix. It makes me cry to think about it happening. But I also work in an OR and see younger boys all the way to elderly men have to get it done later on because of complications of not doing it. But my child’s dad was very adamant about our son being circumcised. He kind of felt like that was the dad’s only thing they get full say so in. I think generally people follow what the dad has had done.

Answer

You do not have to circumcise a newborn, you can wait till later in life. Tbh I would personally do it for religious reasons, however I respect mothers who chose not to do it. I’ll list some of the other reasons why I personally think its better to circumcise. 
1. It is way more hygienic + way more easier to clean your child’s penis when he’s circumcised. 
2. Bacteria could hide between the penis and the foreskin causing infections. 
3. Its harder to keep an uncircumcised penis clean later in life when he’s a man and he sweats a lot during the day. 
4. Uncircumcised penises come with a risk of phimosis. 
5. UTI and penile cancer risks are higher with uncircumcised penises. (Though they are both rare)
I know the thought of having your child go through surgery is awful but medical care has evolved soooo much + during the surgery the baby will only feel the pinch of the needle used to inject the numbing drug + after the surgery you’ll be surprised how fast it heals. 
However, if you are still not convinced then it is also a good idea to have your son decide on his own when he’s old enough. 
Do what you and your partner feel is right, at the end of the day you are the parents and he’s your responsibility.

Circumcision. Did you do it? Why? Why not? Thanks!

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