circumcision

Sorry about the spelling, DGS has hidden my reading glasses again !!!!!!

I suffered from this as a baby, and was circumcised... being a hefty baby I burst the stitches and nearly bled to death! Fortunately a nurse spotted it in time and all was well. If it's necessary, it should be done, but I would not support it for any superstitious purposes - then it becomes mutilation.

DS had this problem and had, as you describe, 'the full monty'. It has never caused him any problems.

I do not think the alternative was available when he had it done in the late 1970s so can offer no opinion on that.

When I was a paediatric nurse we used to see many young boys with phimosis and, more recently as a general nurse, grown men also.

As the doctor will have to operate to 'slit' I'd be inclined to go for circumcision for two reasons: the problem could return as he gets older, and he will need an anaesthetic whichever procedure he has.

Best to go with the 'full monty'.

How old is your grandson Felice?

It is not normal to be able to pull back the foreskin of a little boy is it? Aren't they often semi-adhered when they are little?

He is 21 months, his foreskin is about half a centimetre longer than his penis, and he has had some redness and it seems to irritate him, my DD and I are going to the doctors tomorrow morning to discuss it, SIL is working away for a couple of days.

I had my son circumcised for the same reason. He's now in his four ties and seems happy with it.

JessM I understood that the foreskin is not automatically retractable in the early years and it should not be attempted. I probably got that from Dr Gordon Bournes most excellent 1970s book "Pregnancy."

Leave well alone unless they are problems seems to be the general advice.

I can't help thinking the foreskin must be there for a reason and not just to keep the local rabbis and Mohels in business.

www.kidshealth.org.nz/foreskin-care

That is correct but in some children there can be problems and quite nasty urinary tract infections can happen, DDs father had the same problem and after ending up in Hospital age 2 with a very severe infection and had to be circumcised.
We shall see what his very experienced Peadeatrician says tomorrow morning.

My husband had to be circumcised when he was about 8 and I suspect it ha affected him more than it would have done when he was a baby. A chap I worked with had to be circumcised when he was in his 20's and didn't find it a pleasant experience!

One of my GSs had repeated urinary infections and had to be circumcised at the age of 3 without complications and has had no further problems - now 8.

I have noticed a couple of asides in comments with regard to Religion and tradition, we are Scottish Presbyterians and I don't think anyone will find any reference to ritual circumcision within our faith.
Both of my sons were born in the 70s' and I remember the Health Visitors in both cases telling me that I should gently pull back their foreskins a little in the bath to make sure they were not too tight. There are many and varied books and opinions on baby care out there.
Thanks for all the comments and experiences.

Sounds like a normal one to me felice I never tried to push back the foreskins on my DS's as this practice could cause soreness. Ah yes I read Gordon Bourne as well when I was an NCT teacher.*nelliemoser*.
My GS seems to have fully retracted his (by age 3) but he is more interested in it than his dad or uncle ever were...

My DDS1 had no problems when younger but had to be circumcised when he was 21. His little boy, now 5, is being circumcised next week due to a 'tight' foreskin. His mother told me that if I had had my DDS1 'done' when he was younger he wouldn't have had to have it done at 21!!!!! Literally teaching granny to suck eggs. He didn't need it done, never had infections or problems. The only time I took him to the doctors (running with him in my arms) to do with his penis was when he was 18 months and I had noticed a horrible beige mush in his nappy. The doctor took one look and asked 'Has he had a digestive biscuit?' 'Yes' I replied, thinking that he has peed digestive biscuit 'Well, it dropped into is wet nappy and disintegrated'

My DDS1, when circumcised slept with my net food cover over his 'bits' to keep the sheet off. I never used the thing again.

My DDH had to be circumcised in the 40s because he wet the bed!!!!!!!

wot???? oh I thought you'd written "in his 40s" for a minute there...

So did I JessM but then reread it.

Jess

When DH was in hospital having a hernia repair, almost all the other men in his ward had been admitted for circumcision operations. Most of them were in their 30s and 40s

did they have a special offer on that week?

DS had a reaction to an antibiotic when he was five which caused his penis to swell so alarmingly that he was admitted to hospital for a week. Once we were reassured he was on the mend, we joked that if you wanted to visit, he was in bed no. 3,4 and 5!

That's very unkind merlot

Ah bless him. But it does bring Viz comic to mind - the character who had to carry his testicles around in a wheelbarrow.

That would be Buster Gonad, with his 'unfeasibly large testicles'.

Funny stuff!