Circumcising boys - has anyone got experience of this?

[Marty8542]

Hello all,
My husband and I have recently returned from the US, where our first son was born. As is very common in the States, our son was circumcised as a newborn, as a matter of routine.
We now have a second boy on the way, and he will be born in London. I just found out today that if we wanted our son to be circumcised, we'd have to arrange this ourselves and get it done privately on an outpatient basis. I've done a little looking online and can see that there are a few private clinics that offer newborn circumcision to parents who chose this for their sons.
Before I decide on where and when to get this done for our second son, does anyone have any experience or suggestions as to how best to chose which clinic, which method, at how many days old, etc?

Your sons foreskin, ask him when he is older if he wants it chopping off.

"Whatever" right back atcha.

I don't think anyone will help you here.

Why not wait and ask him when he's older? Do you think he won't want to?

OP, if I were you I'd look at getting it done back in the states, if possible. It's much more routine there and medical personnel will have far more experience, plus you won't have to encounter looney-tunes intactivists.

Don't worry, the nutters always come out in full-force on these threads. I live in Canada and my boys were circumcised in our GP's office as newborns (and so was DH).

please let nobody come on here and talk about cleanliness. I find the religious nut cases who think God wants them to chop healthy bits off their babies less offensive than the people, who say it's "cleaner". As if men are somehow incapable of washing.

The irony of being referred to as 'bullies'... Errrmmm who wants to cut your son's foreskin off, certainly not me?

I see this is your only thread on MN (under this name at least). If you've name changed why, if it's all so normal and acceptable? If you're a new poster you need to know you are not going to get the answers you seek.

Maybe people are so against it for a reason.... maybe the nutters are the ones chopping parts of their children off for non medical reasons....

Do they give the babies anaesthetic?

You won't get any answers here as far as I can see. DS 1 had to be circumcised at the age of three because he kept on having infections, the foreskin had fused together with the tip of the penis, it was an operation on the nhs and on that day he was the youngest on the ward. Many of the boys were 8 to 12 years old and I was glad that the problem was detected early. As far as I know, you will have to go private for a new born.

Intactivists

Good grief, I've heard everything now.

So anyone who is against unnecessarily cutting pieces off someone too young to give their consent is a "loony"?

OP, if I were you I'd look at getting it done back in the states, if possible. It's much more routine there and medical personnel will have far more experience, plus you won't have to encounter looney-tunes intactivists.

Yes it is more routine in the US, although the practice is falling. There are approximately 120 neonatal deaths per year as a result of medical circumcision in the USA. A small risk you might say, but certainly not one I'd take for the 'his penis will look like his Dad's' reason.

I'm hiding this thread now. I feel sorry for your little boy.

I am not a "looney-tunes intactivist". I know some loony tunes intactivists and I am not one of them.

I am just someone who thinks you do not perform unnecessary surgery on someone unable to consent. Simple really.

Nutters?

I'm not the one wanting to cut a baby's willy for no reason. Oh sorry, for tradition.

I'm sure there are websites where you could find advice on the availability of genital mutilation in your area?

Like Google, for example?

I've just put the name of my home town followed by circumcision into Google, & several organisations & individuals appeared, who'd be quite willing to carry out this form of mutilation.

I'd try that.

Obviously I wouldn't; I'd confine my unnecessary procedures to a body I actually own, but if I were planning to cut bits off my child, I'd start there.

Thanks OscarWinningActress.

Haklyt, I think people are entirely free to talk about cleanliness. It is one of the reasons people have for Circumcising. Smegma is something that is not found on a circumcised penis, only on an uncircumcised penis. Can an uncircumcised penis be kept clean? Yes. I'm not disputing that. Can smegma be found on an uncircumcised penis? Yes, if it is unwashed. Can smegma be found on a circumcised penis? No, regardless of whether it has been washed recently or not.
Circumcision is therefore cleaner.

You obviously plan to circumcise, but your cleanliness argument is just rubbish.

Can dirt be found under unwashed finger nails? Of course it can. Do we routinely pull them out rather than just wash under them. Er, no!

Please re-consider OP. Let your ds decide for himself one day. All the men in my family (dad, uncles, cousins etc) have been circumcised due to cultural reasons and everyone was expecting me to have ds circumcised too. But I refuse to have it done because I can find not one good reason to have it done. Even though I have been brought up to think of it as normal, the moment I had ds I considered how absurd it is and how I could never put my ds through unnecessary pain and permanently change a part of his body - what right do I have to do that?

WTF, OP?

So because you think there's a chance your baby won't wash his penis when he's old enough to do so, you're prepared to cut him?

I'm bloody back...

Seriously! Smegma also collects around the clitoris and in the folds of the labia. Have you been circumcised OP. Thought not. Genital mutiliation, male or female is wrong. I know they're different but non medical circumcision is wrong. FULL STOP! I'm so upset you can't see that for the sake of your children.

I should probably cut my youngest's nose off. You'd not believe the bogey she hooked out today.

Marty that really isn't a very good argument.
regardless of whether it has been washed recently or not. Why would your ds' penis not be washed regularly?

Poor baby. Imagine being thrust out of a warm, soothing, safe womb into a blazingly bright, noisy, busy, confusing world and being subjected soon afterwards to excruciating pain without anaesthetic for no reason other than to satisfy your parent's 'cultural' beliefs.

Leave HIS penis alone!

I have 3DSs and DH was brought up in a country where ALL the boys have it done and in fact he has been the subject of much mirth that his son's have not been 'done' by his relatives and countrymen over here. Meh! If the DSs want it done, they can choose to have it done when they are old enough to make their own decision.

She'll do it, though won't she?

Because it's not her genitals, so it doesn't matter to her.

I think I'm one of about 0.0001% of Mumsnetters who doesn't have a problem with circumcision . Having said which, as the mother of girls, it is not something I have had to think through for my own children. The only circumcisions I have experienced were performed by a mohel in the home, but I believe in some areas doctors will help. In fact, some mohels are doctors, so you might want to ask your local synagogue.

Rhonda - Yes, she will. Because culturally she has accepted the idea that it is a flap of skin with no purpose and lots of downsides. As evidenced by the rubbish 'You can fail to wash and still stay clean' argument.