Circumcised? - don't want to start a debate
ilovemybaby wrote: just wondering...
Bee_Kay replied: Yes, Ty was.
1lilpeanut2love replied: IF we have a boy in the future we Would Definitely get him circumsized! We have already talked about that!!
CantWait replied: 2 boys, and niether of them are done. That's all I'll say to that. 
redchief replied: Both our boys are cicumsized. Not sure whether we would or not if we had it to do again.
luvmykids replied: Yes.
kimberley replied: yes, both boys are.
Brias3 replied: Yes. Both of mine are.
zdk753 replied: Both of mine are.
~Roo'sMama~ replied: Yes, Andrew is circumcised. If we have another boy he will be circumcised as well. 
ilovemybaby replied: I have noticed that about 85 percent of boys seem to be circumcised in the US. So it sounds like it's still a fairly common procedure. Do hospitals routinely do it? Like if you didn't want it done, would you have to state that beforehand? I have read a few stories of boys being done without parents consent.
I know that in Australia it is VERY hard to find a doctor that will perform a circ these days.
I am not sure if it is the same here in NZ...
My3LilMonkeys replied: I didn't vote since I don't have a boy, but I would be against it. DH and I have not discussed it though so if we do have a boy someday it's unknown.
mommymonster replied:
If you did not want it done, I would definately- definately let the Doctors and Hospital know, so you do not have any unwanted procedures occur  -I have a son and I voted "yes". My cousin had a boy and decided not too, I noticed that when I would babysit him, he always had a foul oder around his 'area' and when I brought up the 'cleanliness' of it...she was not too happy, but when in my care, I kept up with keeping the baby 'clean'. I just decided to have it done so my son did not have to worry about the extra up keep. I pretty much was a single mom and did not know much about 'boys' and how grown men felt regarding the differences, so I went with the majority. I was 17 yrs old, so at the time I thought I was making the best decission, I do not regret it, and if I have another son I would do it also, my fiance agrees.
3xsthefun replied: If we ever have a boy, yes we would have him circumcised.
booey2 replied: Yep, two boys, two circs, it used to be done here almost routinely and covered by our Provinces health coverage. But now if you want them done you have to arrange and pay for it yourself, about $100-$200 depending on the hospital and doctor.
Kaitlin'smom replied: I dont have a boy but if I were to ever No I would not, and I will leave it at that.
mckayleesmom replied: Yes...Russell had his done the day we went home. The doctor came in and had me sign the consent...took him to the nursery and he was back in an hour.
luvbug00 replied: If I ever have a boy then yes. Is cleanliness a factor for me, no. It requires the same cleaning regardless of wither there is a foreskin or not. for me it's a cultural and traditional thing..
MamaJAM replied: Circumcision of boys is an important part of Judaism....it's one of the things commanded by G-d. So - yes, both of our boys were circ'ed on their 8th day in our home surrounded by family and friends.
MamaJAM replied:
At the hospital I delivered in -- they brought a standard form if you had a boy that you had to sign to have it done (around here the ped's generally do it). We didn't sign because our boys were done by a Mohel (Jewish doc who specializes in ritual circumcision) in our home when they were 8 days old. We didn't sign the consent form at the hospital and also made sure to tell the nurses and our docs that it was not to be done there.
But - generally - anyone around here who wants it done and isn't Jewish gets it done in the 1-2 days after delivery while they are still in the hospital. most of the peds around here do circ's routinely.
MyLuvBugs replied:
Ditto. DH and I have discussed it, and I said since I don't have the parts, it's not up to me to decide. That is the primary decision of my DH if we ever have a boy. 
PrairieMom replied: I voted yes, and I would do it again.
Okay, that being said, it isn't a routine procedure here, you can have it done in the hospital I think on the second day. I had to sign a permission form and they asked me if I wanted it done. The Ped. did it in the nursery. They used a little anestesia.
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: No and I'm Jewish. But DH is Dutch and it's not common in European countries. I felt it was more important Wil is just like his father and grandfathers, than for religious reasons. The doc asked me after the delivery. I don't remember if I signed anything, maybe I did.
redchief replied: Here either the pediatrician, the OBGyn or a certified rabbi does the procedure. There is a form that you must sign to have a boy circumcized, and they ask if you desire circumcision. It isn't an opt-out procedure, so there is no form you have to sign to NOT have your boy circumcised.
ilovemybaby replied:
Yeah it won't smell if you keep it clean  You are just meant to clean with warm water (or clean with soapy warm water and then rinse off with just water). You don't have to move the foreskin either. When they are 5 or 6 (when the foreskin is retractable) then you just make sure they retract it a little at least once a week and clean as normal.
My dad is not circumcised. My husband is though.
We are not doing it. Both hubby and I agree it isn't necessary.
We are Christians and it was a commandment from God in the OT. It doesn't apply anymore. I know a lot of Christians and the Jewish still get it done anyway.
I will never judge anyone for having their child circumcised. It's personal choice.
Personally, I do not think I could handle it.
In some Muslim countries they circumcise girls too.
PrairieMom replied:
Yeah, they do that in a lot of Aferican countries too, but IMO that is a TOTALLY different subject.
CantWait replied:
I don't know your cousin, but I will say, not being done is no extra upkeep at all especially for a baby under 3. Baby boys are not even suppose to pull back the foreskin at all until the age of 3. It there was an odor, I would say it was simply from lack of washing the baby in general.
Even with men it's as simple as pulling the foreskin back and cleaning it out, it takes all of seconds to do.
I know it's a choice thing, but I would just let you know that washing it isn't a concern until a certain age. HTH.
jcc64 replied: Dh isn't, and neither are my 2 sons.
Really have no clue what you're talking about with "the foul odor"- and I suspect it wasn't related to his lack of circumcision. Maybe she didn't bathe him often enough?
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
ITA, I've never heard of having to clean it any different than you would a circ one.
amymom replied: I voted "Yes, Against my will" only because that was the best choice to fit my circumstances. My son was circumsised at age 4. We chose not to at birth for many reasons, one of which (not the most pressing but one of which is that my DH is not.)
My son has blood in his urine. He has since he was first tested at two yers old, and still does at his testing every 6 months. This is the reason that the urologist recommended the circ at 4 yrs old. Very long story made short: The circumcision did NOT fix any problems that the doctor thought it might. This did not make mom very happy. If anyone wants details just ask.
Odd story, When my son was born if you wanted the baby circumcised the OB's did it. My OB's office accidently billed me $75 for the procedure, which as you all know would have taken a few minutes. When my son needed it done at 4, It included general anesthesia, took about an hour (felt like forever) and the bill was over $6,000. Scary, expensive stuff!!!!!
MamaJAM replied:
Not to start a fight -- but felt the need to clear this up a bit. The reason most Jews have their sons circ'ed is because it is commanded of us by G-d in the Torah. As a Christian you call the Torah the "OT" -- but to Jews it's not an 'old' book because nothing can (or does) replace it. To us - all 613 commandments in the Torah apply today.
luvbug00 replied: mamajam I think what ilovemybabay ment is that in christanity it is believed circumsision is no longer required (along with other things that used to be required by the old testament) upon the death of Jesus..
it's just what I have heard in my circ debate boards..
MamaJAM replied:
Yes - I know exactly what she meant....I only commented since she lumped Jews in at the end of her statement. To Chrsitians the 'Old Testament' doesn't "apply" anymore -- but it's not an "old" book to Jews...therefore it does still apply to us today. The two groups are not the same. Many people don't understand that there IS a difference -- therefore I felt the need to speak up.
ilovemybaby replied:
That's what I meant.
I realize Judaism is completely different to Christianity.
But I was saying for me personally as a Christian, we believe God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for all our sins and that meant that we don't have to do all the things we did in the OT like sacrifice animals and circumcize boys. I mean, I'm sure you still don't sacrifice animals right? 
Anyway, I won't get into this though because I have strong opinions and beliefs about this.
Over here it costs between $400 and $500 for a circumcision. I don't know about everyone else, but we don't have that kind of money. If doctors really thought it was that necessary they would not charge for it at all.
ilovemybaby replied: Also, to clear things up... the OT does still "apply" to Christians. Not all the commandments, but certain rules set by God ... like homosexuality being a sin. If we were to disregard everything in the OT we wouldn't have a religion.
It's not like we just throw out the bits that we don't want. We use both the OT [B]and] NT.
MamaJAM replied:
For each of our boys - we paid $350 - that included the circ (anesthesia - the proceedure - and follow-up care) and the ceremony. I dont' know if our medical insurance would have covered any part of it if we had them done in the hospital...since it was a religious ceremony and was done in our home - I never called to ask.
MamaJAM replied:
As you said in your reply before this one....this is not a topic to be covered here. I also have strong feelings on the subject. And - I too know all about the Christian faith (heck, I was a Christian for a large part of my life before we chose Judaism). Let's just agree that we disagree and not get into all that here.
Mommy2Brendan replied: Nope my son isn't circ and he will never be.
For those who didn't circ your son's please do not pull back the foreskin even when a doctor recommends it and don't fall for the too tight need to pull back talk at the age of anytime younger than fourteen .
Never ever let anyone but your son retract (pull back his own foreskin)
A boy foreskin becomes retractable by age of sixteen and there is no need to force it or clean under there when it's not retractable.
I would be mad at the doctor who circed the boy at 4 yrs and had to pay 6,000 and the problem wasn't fixed a doctor who mistakenly believed foreskin caused the problem which did they ever do any tests with the dye to test for VCUG ?
huggybugboy replied: Miles was circed and I hope I never have to do it again. I left the decision up to dh, because he is circumsized. It was horrible (for me), especially at 7 days postpartum 
Lets pray for girls!
BAC'sMom replied: Yes both my boys are.
pinniy replied: Yes, Trei-Trei is. They did it the morning after he was born. It was covered by my medical insurance; thank you Tri-Care!!!
~*Just Me*~ replied:
 It's awful what is done in some parts of the world.
Prairiemom - just how is it different in your opinion?? Has ANYONE actually researched this before having it done?? Did anyone watch a video of the procedure before subjecting your son to it?? Yikes!!
http://www.nocirc.org/
http://www.cirp.org/
http://www.noharmm.org/home.htm
http://www.noharmm.org/comparison.htm
http://www.circumcisionquotes.com/video.html
JP&KJMOM replied: My son is and the decision was 100% my DH's.
ilovemybaby replied: I don't know if I already told you about our decision. We decided we are not getting it done. Not to mention the fact that we would have to pay about $400 for it. We don't have that kind of money.
If it was really so necessary then I don't think we would have to pay for it KWIM?
Thanks for all the replies... but I don't want to start an argument so can we just leave this post now? Thanks.
luvbug00 replied: first off trying giving some no bias links.. 
secound this isn't supposed to be a debate so Lets all drop it!
3_call_me_mama replied: Cameron was circ the morning after he was born. We had to request. it wasn't an OOPS we just cut part of your baby off without your knowing or askign or consenting thing. (IMO anywhere that that does happen is just a place lookign for a lawsuit!) Our Ob did it, and it was teh plastibel method. There was no extra care required, no bleeding or anything like that he wasn't even cut. The ring fell off about the same time teh umbilical cord did. It was a decision that we made as parents and really wasn't cultural, religious or otherwise. It was jsut somethign we thought was doen to males at birth. If it had cost extra out of pocket or we had to go in and get it done at a few days/weeks old etc we may have not deicded to do it. but we don't regret our decision. And can't really say we woudl make teh same decision with the next if it's a boy. As far as those speaking of odor.. umm it really shouldnt' have an odor unless you don't properly bathe your kid. Foreskin or not. And about retracting.. I do believe if a child is left intact, that no one other than that child/person should be retracting the foreskin. (May sound hypocritical since someone had ot retract my son to circ him but i feel those that leave in tact do it for a reason, jus tliek others circ for a reason and it's not soomething that anyone else should be messing around with). If we have a boy this time we may look further into it and make our decision then. But i totally understadn teh cultural/religious reasons that some do it just as I understand those that choose not to.
CosmetologyMommy replied: Aidan is and if another boy was to ever come our way he would be to.
MamaJAM replied:
Glad you were able to come to a decision that works for you. 
ilovemybaby replied:
Thanks MamaJAM.
mummy2girls replied: yes i had Jordan circumsized..
Edward's Mommy replied: Edward is and all of my boys will be. No matter how much you tell a boy to wash that area really well, they never really understand until much later. JMHO. And I think it's better in the long run because I read somewhere that if a boy isn't circumcised he will have a higher chance of getting cancer. And it would eliminate the pain had he decided to do it himself if I hadn't. I even asked my dad's opinion on this and he said it's better hygenically. (sp)
JAYMESMOM replied: My step-son is because my husband and his ex-wife decided to - so not really my decision. Ya know.
But if "we" have another baby and it is a boy he will not be circumsised. I don't see the necessity IMO but dont necessarily see anything wrong with it.
My2Beauties replied: I didn't vote because I dn't have a boy but I would have him circumsized.
Boo&BugsMom replied: Both our boys are circumsized.
Miranda1127 replied:
i believe your ob does the circumcision (sp?), mine did. i had to sign a "release" form i signed it at my 37th week check up.
Also i did a good deal of research on it and would have prefered not to have done it, but dh was very much against the idea of non-circumcision so we had it done.
HuskerMom replied: Keith is, I told Dh it was his decision cuz that's more his area of expertise. The only reason Dh isn't is cuz the doctor's didn't think he was going to survive when he was born. He was very early and it was a very difficult labor. But luckily he survived! 
kimberley replied: this is an old thread 
Boo&BugsMom replied: My OB circ.'d both the boys. The ped's usually like to "remain their friend" so they don't do any of that stuff. The nurse in his office even does all the immunizations instead of the doc because he doesn't like to give the children bad memories about going to see the actual doctor. He likes to stay on their good side.
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I am not at all trying to start a debate, but for those that believe it to be hard to clean...how is it any harder than cleaning a little girl? We are starting to show Wil how to clean it himself, but for Wesley, both DH and I just pull it back a little (peds recommendation) and wipe. Takes less then a second to do, just like wiping a little girl IMO. And secondly, I have been with DH for over 10 years now and he has never, not once, complained of an infection down there. You obviously know which way I lean. Just wanted to add my 2 cents, from experience that is...
luvbug00 replied: like i said before i would and lars agrees. I have been in a debate board about this for exactly 1.5 years and it's a never ending battle with pleanty of dead severly beatten horses!  Really there is no "right" answer IMO. whatever you feel is best. but i do find the cleaning excuse not the best as cleaning a girls privites should be done just a thoughly as a boy circed or not.
DansMom replied: Daniel's not circumcised.
BAC'sMom replied: Both of mine are and I wouldn't have it any other way.
gotoneson replied: My DH and I were both raised Jewish and we had DS circumsized during a religious ceremony in our home 8 days after he was born.
If I were to have another son, I would circ, but in the hospital.
Beyond not being necessary, what is the arguement against circumsizing?
GotOneSon
ladybug13 replied: My DS is circumsized. I left the decision up to dh. Dh is circ'd so I think he was for it because he doesn't have any ill feelings towards being circ'd himself. I really didn't care either way though I do think that DS appreciates that his parts look just like daddy's!
jcc64 replied:
Imo, you kind of answered your own question. Why cut off a body part without a very good reason?
I do want to add that since I was making this decision 14 and 11 yrs ago, there is now significant evidence that being circumsized reduces the risk of HIV transmission during heterosexual sex, and that probably would have made my decision more difficult to make. But based on all the info available to us at the time, there wasn't a compelling enough reason to do it.
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