Where to arrange a circumcision

[dawnharvey68]

If we have a boy, we plan on having him circumcised. But it's proving exceedingly difficult finding someone to do it where we live.
My husband was born in the USA where pretty much all boys are circumcised routinely before they leave the hospital and it seems strange here that it is so difficult to arrange such a simple thing.
I'd be interested to hear if others found it as difficult.
It seems quite a common problem in the UK, finding someone who will perform a newborn circumcision, so I a support group for those trying to sort it out:
health.groups.yahoo.com/group/babycircuk/
All I have been able to find so far is that if you are in the south of England/London area, you are particularly well served:
Luton: www.circumcision-agency.com/
London: www.circumcisions.co.uk/
London: www.theportlandhospital.com/
London: www.samedaydoctor.co.uk/links.aspx
Reading: www.circumcision-uk.com/
UK Mohels: www.lubavitchuk.com/services/religious/mohellist.shtml
www.mohel-circumcision.co.uk/
www.londoncircumcision.co.uk/
plus probably others that would appear on a search.
Does anyone know of anyone else that will perform them?

And as for whether or not we as parents are entitled to make decisions for our youngchildren -- of course we can. That's our job. My parents chose for me to have surgery when I was three. I'm glad they did. I wouldn't be very happy with them if I was still cross eyed. Did it involve pain, yes it did. It wasn't horrible, but the procedure involved an eye surgeoan going in behind my eye and tying the muscle in a knot. And it was sore for a couple of weeks or so. But, they made the right choice on my behalf. (incidentally, they also chose to have my brother circumcised). And he hasn't complained any. In fact, I know a few guys in America who are very unhappy that they were not cicumcised as babies (weren't born/raised in America).

So, just as you boy might grow up and wish you hadn't had his willy trimmed, he may also grow up and wish you had.

I knew you'd find this thread, Eleu .

Avoiding work.

But, what I reallt want to know expat, is why after only a few months you can describe the curve of his willy? Tart!

It did! It curved downward when it was . . . not supposed to.

He still thought he was king stud, but um, no.

He was a major twat besides that.

BBS - if your ds does need a medical cicumcision it will be done on the NHS, in an operating theatre and under a general anaesthetic for a genuine medical reason. In that case, it's not a cosmetic procedure, it's a medical necessity (hence the need for referrals, diagnosis and so on).

My cousin had a cicumcision at 10 for this reason.

Personally I wouldn't say that he is deformed/had been mutilated. His op was necessary in order for him to have a functioning penis (sexually - without pain).

Similarly, sometimes girls have a medical problem where the vaginal opening is fused, and sometimes it is necessary to open this in an operation. This again isn't mutilation - it's a necessary medical procedure.

Having the cicumcision done "because it's cleaner" "because there's less risk of STD's" "because his father had it done" is not an acceptable reason in my opinion. And none of these apply to your ds. Hope all goes well with your ds

In broad principle it's the same FMG and male c and I think the analogy helps people realise male C may be pretty awful too although I accept the damage done by one is much worse. But some FMG is just cutting bits of the labia off without removing the clitoris and in that case you're tidying up for aesthetics just like in male C so it's not an entirely inappropriate analagy and people choose to justify both practices wrongly in my view on religious not just cultural grounds.

In some ways it's like the age old debate about whether you baptise a baby at birth or go for adult baptism when they're old enough to decide.

bbs, I am in the same situation you are. There may well come a point in the future when my ds will need circumcision. I will fight it for as long as I feel it is in his best interests, however.

There is such as massive difference beyween an older child needing a circumcision for medical reasons and parents chosing to circumcise their healthy newborn in the name of religion or otherwise (sometimes even before the poor child's even breathed his first breath!)

There are differences in motivation yes, but the end result is the same. A circumcised penis. And references to "mutilation" and "deformity" would apply to my ds as much as any other circumcised child.

Of course, they wouldn't apply, but other posters apparently feel that they would.

well, yes, it is a deformity because it is not as nature intended. And it is a mutilation imo, and needs to be justified by real medical need.

Well, that makes me feel much better about the whole thing

Eleusis, sorry you had to have (ie was necessary) eye surgery when you were so young. Obviously your eyes were not normal, there was a deformity, hence your surgery. It is stating the obvious to say that routine circumcision on a healthy new-born with no medical problem is a completely different and unnecessary surgery.

OK so some males wish they had been circumcised. Fair play to them, if they truly want to be circumcised, and understand the risks, they have their own free will to get it done themselves. It's a bit hard to reverse the situation though if a male is circ'ed as a newborn and wishes his parents hadn't made the decision for him.

I'm in the same situation you are! just because you are in that situation dosen't mean you suddenly think it's not what it is. It doesn't change your view of it suddenly!

TBH I don't think that the pejorative "mutilation" applies in a situation where circumcision is done for medical needs. It's an operation, and a necessary one, done by a surgeon. Same way as I wouldn't say that a woman who had had a mastectomy had been mutilated, or had a "deformed" chest as a result.

I totally agree with mm22. I can't believe this is still routinely carried out on newborns. The hygene reason is ridicolous too. Why not trim the tongue while you're at it to stop all the nasty unhygenic slobbering of the early years. Come to think of it, a little nip and tuck of the ear lobes too for neatness, and for those with wide feet, like my kids, do they really need their little toe?

Some may find this extreme, but I find circumision extreme and shocking.

ridiculous.

I also agree with mm22bys - for every 10 men who say "yippee, I'm so glad I was circumcised" what about the 1 who wishes he wasn't - it's too late for him, isn't it?

I can't do links but there is a site called mothersagainstcirc.org which gives lots of information on the risks etc.

I think finding that site and reading stuff about it was what made my mind up with regards to my own ds. I accept that he may have to be 'done' at some point but I don't accept it has to be now or any time soon. I want him to make his own, informed decision.

Apparently, even when there seems to be strong medical need, nothing can really be decided properly until the age of 15, as things can still sort themselves up until then.

Until the boy's penis has finished growing, it is actually just guesswork on the surgeon's behalf as to how much skin is removed - too much removed will make erections painful, to little will lead to adhesions / skin bridges.

Another reason to not do it to a young child!

Saucy,
"Third, the foreskin is most likely to be exposed to inflammation due to repeated friction, especially during sexual intercourse."

not reducing the friction for the woman sadly....is it....my dh is circumcised and it amkes me sore

It's definitely a barbaric conduct to do to a baby who can't have his say about it!!! I come from a very jewish family and refused to do it to my son without any medical justification. My father didn't speak to me for months and refused to even look at my son. I was in terrible turmoil of course, but when it came down to choosing between my father or my son - there was no dilema there! In Israel EVERYBODY circumcises their sons (well, almost everybody) - it's something that is never doubted. It's just done. I always thought it's not natural to cut off a healthy piece of a baby's body - and when it came to doing it to my own son - I just couldn't do it.

I have lost the will to read the whole thread, by now, lol...on the point that I posted about earlier...Saucys point 5 also ties in with that...antoehr reason why dh often leaves me sore I don't think it's a positive at all, and I don't htink he thinks it is neither, as it can take him a very long time to have an orgasm ebcause of the circumcision

Another thing...I am pretty sure there is a very good reason WHY men have foreskin, and I am also pretty sure that there is a equally good reason that the foreskin can't be pulled back until the child is a bit older....surely tehre are reasons for that...protection possibly?

As someone else mentioned, I really can't understand why it is a religious practice at all, as surely it means that your god made a design flaw there...also, if foreskin was such useless thing...wouldn't evolution have taken care about it by now?

DS is going to have to be done as his foreskin balloons when he urinates - DH was done at 18 when he first had sex and it split - he went in as an emergency - left the poor girl at home covered in blood wondering what the hell was happening - he has suffered for years with problems due to the trauma - in his head more than anything - so I am torn about DS thinking it may stretch or grow as he grows but DH is adament that he does not want DS to go through what he has - years and thousands of pounds of counselling!!

Some men use weights to try to regrow their foreskins.

how old is your ds Twinkie? I am clinging to the fact that my ds's dad had problems with his as a child/teenager and was meant to be 'done' but never was. He has fathered 4 children with no problems so I'm hoping ds's will sort itself out too.

The consultant is giving it another year or two with my ds before I have to make a decision.