Circumcision

**WeThree** · 08-04-2005 22:19

Im afraid for some people it is a flippant decision, 'oh well his dad is done and we want him to look the same' what the? I know for some little boys it ends up becoming necessary, several boys in my family have had to have it done due to tightening of the foreskin, but i think people should just wait and see, like i said i dont know how anyone can let somebody do that to their darling new baby for no reason(or for some really stupid reason)

**myf** · 09-04-2005 09:58

I guess the reasoning for most would be to avoid problems later on in life.
Whilst doing extensive research myself prior to my boys procedure I came across many sites with conflicting arguements. I also came across a site whereby grown men were discussing thier late in life circumcision which was REALLY interesting.
Due to the decrease in numbers of new borns being circumcised there has been a significant increase in adults and young men needing or wanting the procedure, this is a major op. by this age, and an inconvenience.
It's all food for thought when trying to make the best decisions for our little men!

**WeThree** · 11-04-2005 12:13

hello everyone. i have been doing some thinking and i just wanted to apologise for butting in and giving my opinion on this thread, it should be for people to give and receive advice about circumscising their children, not a place for me to vent my disapprovals, so although my opinions havnt changed, i am sorry for voicing them here, it is not an appropriate thing to do and from now on i will try to stick to subjects that are relevant to me

**ccc** · 15-04-2005 10:04

I have read the posts here and would like to comment...just be careful what you read! The Australian Pediatric and medical groups do not recommend routine circumcision and there are good reasons why they don't recommend it!

Very few boys and men ever require circumcisions(medicare stats prove this), and now in most cases where there could be problems such as a tight foreskin, alternate procedures can be done without the need for a circumcision!

As for Dr. Russell, I know a nurse friend of mine in Brisbane and she has told me that several babies and older boys have had to be admitted to hospital with bleeding problems and post complications from his circs! She says its not a pain free procedure and complications do occur! Dr. Russell is very well known as a pro circ activist and naturally gives out very misleading and biased information , he wants to make parents feel comfortable with their decision! He is not a specialist, just a GP! However, he has manipulated the media well through television such as 60 minutes to present his case! He has managed to convert some families in beliving circumcision is a simple painless procedure with added benefits! Talk with the majority of specialists and you will see he is so very wrong!

Remember, the foreskin has a pupose and function and luckily very few babies are circumcised today. My husband has commented to me, the foreskin is easy to keep clean and look after. I believe this is true also with my 3 boys!

Sorry if I have upset anyone, I know this is a sensitive issue, but i like others to know the truth and i believe boys should not have to go through this painful procedure, especially when official australian medical groups don't recommend it!

**myf** · 20-04-2005 00:04

I felt the need to draw conclusion to my boys circumcision tale as today saw our follow up consultation with Dr. Russell. All was well, as was to be expected.
Dr Russell asked the boys how it had been and both told the stories, laughing the whole way, of where and when their 'plastibells fell' off.
The boys had experienced some discomfort for a couple of days whilst the plastibells separated from the skin with itching being the main complaint. Their penis' swelled up and were quite red but I was told by Dr Russell that we would experience this. Once the 'Bell' fell off, it was a bit like losing a wobbly tooth, hanging on to each thread and then all of a sudden it was gone and everything went back to normal remarkably quickly.
Funnily enough my lads didn't seem to remember that last bit of discomfort (the only bit of discomfort they experienced) as they laughed and told their stories today!
I'm not going to pretend that it was as easy as it sounds, I attended to my boys for 2 weeks sitting them in salt baths each day and making sure they were clean, dry and protected with antiseptic at all times. It was an effort. But well rewarded as we didn't experience any problems whatsoever.
My advice to those who are contemplating circumcision for their boys is to do it when they are babies, it is better for ALL involved (see reasoning in previous posts). To those of you who like myself made the final decision when your boys were alittle older, make sure you follow all the post procedure advice and be prepared to see it through until circumcision is complete, be patient it could take a while.
Don't be scared to call up for advice.

Finally I must add one last piece.
It would seem that as 'man', we no longer walk on all fours.
We no longer hunt for our food in forests or sandy planes with spears and lassos butt naked. 'Man' has developed and adapted remarkably over the ages!
Why, we no londer need an appendix!! Amazing!!
Due to the fact that most men wear at least one set of dax most times of the day, do they really need a heap of foreskin too!?
For those of you who are so opinionated, have a thought to where the foreskin originated and why?
By the way, circumsicion does not remove ALL the foreskin just that useless dangling bit on the end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**StormAngel** · 21-04-2005 10:53

Hi

I think it's a personal decicion that should only be made by parents.
My son was done at 3wks old (he's now 11) and he cried mor when getting immunised than having the circumsision done.
I have no real opinions either way, if you choose for or against it's entirely up to you!!

**Lallas' Mum** · 21-04-2005 11:44

Originally Posted by Matt16

myf,
I read through all your replies here and I have come to a conclusion that might be wrong, but I suspect you have an obsession about your sons penises. I mean you talk about waking up in the middle of the night about it, about hearing your kids tell you about it, about how your kids were lying there playing their game boys not even having a problem with it.

To a male like myself, I find your replies really false. I know I certainly wouldn't be playing a computer game while some starts cutting a part of me, and not neccessarily my penis, but anything.

GET REAL. Oh and GET OVER IT (the obsession of your kids penises).

Matt16,
I think you'll find that it is not an obsession with penises as such. It is an obsession that every mother (and most father's) have - their child's well-being. This forum is helping people decide whether it is best to have their sons circumcised to help avoid things like overtightened foreskins, infections and of course the god aweful tears and damage to the foreskin. Or whether it is a totally unnecessary excercise that does nothing except cause pain and hurt to a child.
Mother's especially obsess over whether they are doing what is best for their child or not. Whether it be about their penises, daycare or even what they eat, a mother will always be concerned about decisions that can affect their childs well being especially major decisions. And let's face it - circumcision is a pretty big deal.
This forum is helping others to "get over it" by discussing pros and cons and sharing other peoples experience. It is helping other people make up their minds on what they believe is best for their child.
Matt16 please don't feel like I'm attacking you as I am not. I'm am just trying to shed some light on how a mother views things. It may seem like we dwell on things (and we do) but that is what makes men and women different I guess.

By the way it is good to see you sticking by your new family.

**Tannie** · 21-04-2005 23:36

I'm facinated why so many people - men and women seem to think uncircumsised penis's are so "dirty" and how difficult it is to "clean" them or to teach a boy to clean his penis properly??

I mean - as a nurse, I've cleaned all sorts of penis's in all sorts of situations over the years and it just ain't that darn difficult

I'm sure any little boy of normal intelligence and behaviours could complete this task daily without too much grief and unless left unclean for a long period of time, from what I can tell, an uncirc'd penis is no "dirtier" then a circ'd one........all of em can get pretty rank if not washed regularly

To me it's no different then teaching a child how to do most of their hygiene needs - I think it would be much harder to teach a child how to properly clean their teeth then a penis! What about teaching girls about their period and how to deal with that? Many girls now get their period at age 9 or 10 - I would think that's a much harder task to prepare a child for then teaching a boy how to gently retract his foreskin and wash it regularly.
T

**myf** · 22-04-2005 18:43

matt16
I feel you have totally missed the point to my postings. Either that or you haven't really understood them? I felt it necessary to describe what, how and where in relation to an older boys circumcision. If you have misconstrued this as an obsession with my sons penis' then that is you misinterpretaion.
My hope is that I have been able to shed alittle light on this subject for other mothers who maybe searching the net for similar information as I was prior to my boys procedure.
As far as saying that my postings are false????
I'm not in the habbit of lying and considering you do not know anything about me I think the attack on my personality was totally uncalled for and certainly unjust.

**Milly** · 28-04-2005 23:02

Hi there!

A hot topic indeed. Infant Circumcision as a routine procedure is no longer recommended in Australia. It has been on the decline for over 25 years. The stats are falling and it is not medically necessary!

Anyway, here is a link of interest for those contemplating it:

http://www.circinfo.org/

Please think about this seriously before making the decision!