Are your boys circ'd?

[Pam Wilhelm]

This is so interesting to me. I completely understand the no vacs thing because I stopped vaccinating after the first few with my 2nd DD because of an awful weird coincidence where she would go into seizure shortly after getting vaccinated. I really believe they were linked since it has happened 3 times ( all within a few days of vaccinations).

 

But, what do you do in an emergency if your little one gets hurt (needs stitches, etc) or has a seizure like my daughter did. Do you handle all this at home? I would love to hear a response on this because I try to keep my kids away from doctors as well. They haven't seen a doctor in probably 3 years now since my Dd had her last seizure and the vaccines just prior to them. I just now have such a "stale" feeling toward docs now.

 

Look at that! I hijacked my own post! :lol:

 

I should start by saying that we are Christian Scientists (no...that is not Scientology). we rely on prayer for healing.... and up to this point we have had wonderful success/protection. We are not opposed to going to a doctor, should an emergency come up.... or something that just doesn't yield... but up to this point we haven't had the need. We have handled lacerations, a sprained or broken wrist, colds, stomach flu, unemployment, supply issues, marriage issues, etc..... with prayer. PM me if you want to know more.....

[Pam Wilhelm]

Five uncircumcised boys here.

 

No comment on their father! :blush:

 

One comment on vaccinations: I understand the desire to avoid infant vaccinations. Just be aware that certain vaccinations will almost certainly be required in order to enter college.

 

 

...not always. I declined vacs based on a religious exemption.... not a problem.

[Wheres Toto]

My only son is circ'd. No problems, issues, infections or regrets. It was important to DH since there have been 3 men/boys in his family who had to get it done as teenager or adult.

[dirty ethel rackham]

2 circ'd. I didn't know enough to make an informed decision. After learning more about it, dh and I changed our stance for the third child. But she was a girl so the point was moot.

[bairnmama]

Yes. My sister didn't circ her first and he had many problems. He was circ'd at the age of 5 and that was a bad experience for everyone involved. When ds was born... I researched about it, but "d"h wanted it done as a matter of course, so I agreed.

[Ester Maria]

This is one of the main reasons why I always hoped I wouldn't have boys. I knew that DH and I could never agree on this issue. Each pregnancy we were both relieved upon discovering it's, again, a girl.

[yslek]

4 boys, only one circ'd, at age 2 under general anesthesia. The circ was a side effect, really--surgery was for hypospadias. I read just recently that circ rates are falling, and now intact baby boys are in the majority. :)

[Lynnette in WA]

5 boys, all circumcised within a week of birth. I stayed right with them to cuddle and comfort them during the procedure (my husband wasn't able to do that -- I don't know why :)). There have been no issues or problems whatsoever. My husband leaned toward having them circumcised and I was just fine with that.

[shannatheshedevil]

Yes, and no regrets here.

[FeFe]

Three boys - three circ's.

 

However, just 2 weeks ago my 3 year old have to have a minor adhesion fixed. It was a bit painful but everything has healed fine. His pain pretty much lasted one day with a little soreness for a few days. I had to be very careful when buckling him in the car seat.

 

If I had any more boys I would have them all circ'd as well.

[myfatherslily]

Yes, both are.

[Oops, duplicate account :/]

Yes. My sister didn't circ her first and he had many problems. He was circ'd at the age of 5 and that was a bad experience for everyone involved.

 

My only son is circ'd. No problems, issues, infections or regrets. It was important to DH since there have been 3 men/boys in his family who had to get it done as teenager or adult.

 

First son circ'd at 3 after multiple/repeat infections... :(

 

 

First DS was circ'd (dh's choice) but at 10mos had to be re-circ'd under anesthesia. Apparently he was an innie and regardless of the meticulous care (and prescribed steroidal creams), he had multiple adhestions -repeatedly.

 

2nd DS was not circ'd for obvious reasons. We'll see what happens with him. At almost 5 he's not retracting much at all so may have to have some intervention as well.

 

I always find it interesting to come across these stories. When reading all the intact stuff and trying to make an informed decision, I noticed that often this stuff is really, really downplayed. Our four boys are circumcised mostly due to hubs preference. I gave them tylenol before and 24 hrs after and nursed them right after and then whenever they wanted. All is well. No regrets.

[delaney]

All 4 of mine are circ'd, and if this one is a boy, we'll do it again. No regrets, no scarring, no troubles, no issues!

:iagree:

ETA: I recently discussed this with my oldest, age almost 15, and he said he was glad he is the way he is.

[dirty ethel rackham]

First DS was circ'd (dh's choice)

2nd DS was not circ'd for obvious reasons. We'll see what happens with him. At almost 5 he's not retracting much at all so may have to have some intervention as well.

 

 

It is completely normal to not retract at age 5. Many boys at age 8 are not fully retracted. If the ped. urologist says otherwise, he is not very informed on intact boys, which is not uncommon here in the US.

[mommyto4]

No for all three of our boys.

[i.love.lucy]

4 boys, only one circ'd, at age 2 under general anesthesia. The circ was a side effect, really--surgery was for hypospadias. I read just recently that circ rates are falling, and now intact baby boys are in the majority. :)

My son was also circ'd at about 8mo for the same reason, but we would have done it anyways.

[AngelaNYC]

No circ here. Didn't circ my girls, either. No regrets, no issues, no infections, no problems.

 

 

My boy is. My grandfather developed some kind of cancer and had to be circ'd at 50. He said the pain was excruciating - much worse than any other surgery he ever had. So when he found out I was having a boy, he asked me to have him circ'd. .

...And my dh had to have his appendix out and my MIL had a double mastectomy - both as adults. I don't think removing these things at birth would have made sense. ;)

[lionfamily1999]

Both my boys are and we have no regrets :D

 

 

 

My daughter isn't, but then (shrug) neither am I ;)

[ciyates]

DS made the decision at 12 to do it. He walked bow legged the first day and was fine after that. No big trauma.

[mommyofthree]

One son. Not circ'd. No regrets.

[LittleIzumi]

It is completely normal to not retract at age 5. Many boys at age 8 are not fully retracted. If the ped. urologist says otherwise, he is not very informed on intact boys, which is not uncommon here in the US.

Exactly. Some don't retract until age 13. Before age 5 I wouldn't even think twice about it.

[jenniferlee]

3 boys no circ.

 

homebirth - just didn't see the point of doing any differently

[angela in ohio]

My ds was twice, as it had to be re-done after he had surgery for hydroceles. Dh made the decision; I had no opinion whatsoever.

[smrtmama]

Two intact sons. I would never do something so barbaric and unnecessary to my children.

 

While my very smart and sensible (circ'd) husband was completely on board with leaving our children intact, it wouldn't have mattered to me if he had wanted them circumcised. I would never have consented to it and did not consent when my first husband insisted he wanted my oldest son circumcised. Dad can do whatever he wants with HIS penis, but he isn't cutting anyone else's. Not in this family.

Edited September 11, 2010 by smrtmama

[mama2cntrykids]

Yes, but my ex-h *insisted*. It was not my choice...

[kokotg]

I always find it interesting to come across these stories. When reading all the intact stuff and trying to make an informed decision, I noticed that often this stuff is really, really downplayed.

 

The thing I keep in mind when reading stories about boys who needed to be circumcised later is that pretty much every such story I read is about boys in the US. I suspect an American urologist's opinion about when a boys "needs" to be circ'd is much different from a European doctor's. Obviously, I wasn't there and don't have all the information about any particular case, so I'm not presuming to second guess any of the stories related here, but I'd be very interested to see stats comparing how many boys have circumcisions for medical issues past infancy in the US versus in countries where circumcision is very rare. I've heard about boys who "needed" to be circ'd because they weren't retracting at age 5 or 6 or 10 or whatever (completely normal) or because they got a UTI (the treatment for a UTI is antibiotics, not circumcision).

Edited September 11, 2010 by kokotg
spelling

[kamom]

2 boys that are circ'd,

and 6 brothers that too!

I believe if we had a dozen they all would be. My dad's family did not cic. and then one of the first grandsons had a bad infection and had to be circ at an older age, thus all the family started doing it.

Now all my family is and dh has strong feeling about doing it also.

[TinaBlue]

DS is intact, and any future sons will be as well.

[sagira]

One ds, intact. No pain, no regrets. If my unborn child is a boy, he would be left as God made him too.

 

Where I come from originally, nobody is circumcised unless they were Jewish. Care of the intact penis is not something that is discussed very often or understood by the general population. If left alone, everything should be fine. I heard a few people insist in trying to retract it (to "clean" it), or doctors forcibly retracting at an early age. It's this sort of action that could end up in infections and the such. I agree, UTIs happen in girls too. Antibiotics are the answer. Thankfully, neither one of my kids (one boy, one girl), have had UTIs.

 

An intact penis has a sliding action, and lubrication, which makes intercourse pleasurable and "smooth" for all parties involved. I see it akin to women's fluids. Yes, they're not the neatest or the.. most deliciously fragrant (:tongue_smilie:), but they are normal. And healthy.

 

BTW, my dh has been circumcised. Not his choice, but done soon after birth.

[Audrey]

The other post on this board got me thinking. This is NOT intended to start a debate. Please know that! I just worry all the time whether I made the right decision. I had a conversation with my DD17 the other day asking me why I never circumcised my boys. I explained to her all my reasons and why I thought I made the right decision. Many of you know after my other post that she may have to make her own decision in 9 months with regard to this which is what brought up the whole conversation between us.

 

So, did you circ your boys or not? You don't have to list reasons behind your decision because, again, this is not a debate. I'm just curious how many circ their boys and how many don't.

 

 

No. Absolutely no reason to do it. He was perfect just the way he was born. :001_smile:

[cjbeach]

It is completely normal to not retract at age 5. Many boys at age 8 are not fully retracted. If the ped. urologist says otherwise, he is not very informed on intact boys, which is not uncommon here in the US.

Good to know!!! Thanks!!

[snipsnsnailsx5]

All five of my boys are not circ'ed. It started with my first one. I really didn't have much information. I asked my midwife and she answered that it was mostly a personal decision or for religious reasons. It didn't seem like I had enough information that compelled me to want to have it done. I was a very young single mom, and so it was totally up to me. My mom didn't have my brother circ'ed either, so she didn't have much advice to give me about it.

So I chose not to have it done.

When I married two years later and I became PG and we had a boy. My DH is circ'ed and he wanted his son to be circ'ed. However, when we found out that its not covered by insurance, it suddenly wasn't as important to him. haha

After that he never even wanted any of the next sons to be born to be circ'ed. We never even discussed it, and his stance on the issue now is that it's not necessary. An issue came up with my 8 yr old (not related to being not circ'ed) that he had to go to the urologist. Even the urologist said that there really wasn't big reasons to get circ'ed. Personal preference mostly.

[Slartibartfast]

My son is not circed/intact

 

I think you made the right decision. :)

Edited September 11, 2010 by Sis

[HappyCrazyMama]

2 boys, no circ.

[hsbaby]

Nope...we have 1 boy:). Dh wanted to, but listened to my reasons and finally agreed not to.

[Marie in Oh]

we have two intact boys. Any future sons will also reamain intact. I think as it becomes more and more common in the US we will see less and less problems. The problems come from doctors telling moms to retract and clean it as infant. THis is bad info because it just introduces bacteria to the area. You are supposed to just leave it alone. That's what we do and we've had zero problems. I don't view it as barbaric, just unnecessary.

[Oops, duplicate account :/]

3 boys no circ.

 

homebirth - just didn't see the point of doing any differently

 

All my babies were born at home (the last three water births) and we circumcised. :confused:

[mycalling]

5 sons, all intact. 6th son due in 3 1/2 wks and he will stay intact also. No problems. They're retracting at different rates, btw.

It is completely normal to not retract at age 5. Many boys at age 8 are not fully retracted. If the ped. urologist says otherwise, he is not very informed on intact boys, which is not uncommon here in the US.

:iagree:

I've actually never met an intact boy/man who needed the procedure done for medical reasons later on, but I have known many (sadly) circ'ed boys with issues because of their circumcision. One with a large growth that will have to be removed post-puberty (poor guy).

[BigMamaBird]

Yes, my son in circumcised. We chose to do it for cultural reasons, health reasons and it was dh preference. If we have any more sons we plan on circumcising them too.

[ereks mom]

Now, I don't know the "intactness" (or lack thereof) of most of the men in my life, but of the ones I do know about, the ones who weren't circumcised early in life had to have it done later, and it was quite traumatic. One of those was my dad, who was a homebirth.

Edited September 11, 2010 by ereks mom

[Oops, duplicate account :/]

The men I know who weren't circumsized early in life had to have it done later and it was quite traumatic. One of those was my dad.

 

Supposedly, this has to do with the dr. or whatever saying it needs to been done when it didn't, etc, etc. ;) I'm sure there is some education that needs to given to the medical proffesion and parents regarding uncircumcised boys in a circumcised culture (supposed to be changing). BUT,I find rather suspicious that these situations are so easily explained away. :confused: BTW, I have no religous conviction on circ.

[Pretty in Pink]

My oldest is circ'd; the other three are not. My dh wanted them circ'd but did not feel strongly enough to push the issue, apparently.

[Caitilin]

3 boys, all perfect as the day they were born. :)

[kokotg]

Supposedly, this has to do with the dr. or whatever saying it needs to been done when it didn't, etc, etc. ;) I'm sure there is some education that needs to given to the medical proffesion and parents regarding uncircumcised boys in a circumcised culture (supposed to be changing). BUT,I find rather suspicious that these situations are so easily explained away. :confused: BTW, I have no religous conviction on circ.

 

What I find suspicious is that one hears so many stories about men or boys who just had to be (according to their doctors) circumcised later in life in the US, when in, say, Finland, where circumcising infants is virtually unheard of, the rate of circumcision later in life, according to a 1996 study, is 1 in 16,667.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_circumcision#Less_than_20.25_4

 

I'm just saying that when one views circumcision as a last resort instead of as a routine operation, the standards for when it is "needed" change considerably.

[Mom2J112903]

Yes J is circ'd and all future boys would have been as well.

 

My FIL was not circ'd at birth and had a *very* traumatic experince as an adult when he had it done, for health reasons.

[Pretty in Pink]

I'm just saying that when one views circumcision as a last resort instead of as a routine operation, the standards for when it is "needed" change considerably.

 

:iagree:

[parias1126]

What I find suspicious is that one hears so many stories about men or boys who just had to be (according to their doctors) circumcised later in life in the US, when in, say, Finland, where circumcising infants is virtually unheard of, the rate of circumcision later in life, according to a 1996 study, is 1 in 16,667.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_circumcision#Less_than_20.25_4

 

I'm just saying that when one views circumcision as a last resort instead of as a routine operation, the standards for when it is "needed" change considerably.

His is NOT a debate thread and I specifically asked that it no be turned into one. Why is there always just one person that has to turn a question into a debate? We are all moms who want what's best for our children. End. Of. Story.

 

Thanks for all those that responded. I do feel secure in my decision to not get my boys circ'd and we have never yet had any problems because of this choice. It just really got me thinking again since there will soon be another baby in my house.

Edited September 11, 2010 by parias1126

[kokotg]

His is NOT a debate thread and I specifically asked that it no be turned into one. Why is there always just one person that has to turn a question into a debate? We are all moms who want what's best for our children. End. Of. Story.

 

Thanks for all those that responded. I do feel secure in my decision to get my boys circ'd and we have never yet had any problems because of this choice. It just really got me thinking again since there will soon be another baby in my house.

 

I didn't "turn it into a debate." My first response in this thread was merely an answer to the question. Both of my other posts have been specifically responding to another poster who did not just answer the question, but suggested that people who did not circumcise their children were failing to take into account anecdotes about boys who needed circumcisions later in life and then posted again making the same point. I apologize if my comments were off-topic, but I'm not the one who started the tangent.

Edited September 11, 2010 by kokotg

[Carrie12345]

My first boy is. I let my ex decide.

My second boy is not. I insisted dh do some major research before he was born.

My third son will not be.

 

While I don't carry (much) guilt around for agreeing to do it the first time, not doing it has been a decision I'm much more content with.

[6packofun]

All 3 of our boys are circumcised. I'd make the same choice again. We personally think that intact is unattractive, among other reasons. Sorry, God. LOL