This summer, I was talking to the head honchos at Babies 'R Us about doing a seminar on a Tuesday night as a trade for displaying my brochures. I was trying to be creative, get people thinking outside the box, so I suggested a class on circumcision. There were a couple of people standing there, and an older woman said, "Oh, that would be good! They could learn how to take care of it afterwards." I told her that, no, I wanted to teach about NOT circumcising. Her entire disposition changed. She became defensive. She paused for a minute and said, "Well, that would be fine, as long as you present both sides." Ironic that she wanted both sides presented now, but not a minute ago!
When I was pregnant with Daymon, I was all about the drugs, remember. But when it came to reading about the procedure and recovery of this type of surgery -- and that's exactly what it is -- I started to ask questions. I couldn't imagine putting my baby through this. Is it necessary? Do I, medically, need to have my baby boy circumcised?
The answer is an emphatic NO!
Let's talk numbers for a minute: Only about 10-15% of all males worldwide are circumcised, the majority being Muslim. In the US, the rate is about 50%. That usually surprises people that it's that low. In some states, Medicaid has cut spending by not covering circumcision, which is considered to be cosmetic surgery. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is notoriously conservative, has said to "leave it alone."
The definition of circumcision reads, "the permanent removal of healthy tissue."
OK, so what is the foreskin? It counts for about 80% of the penile covering. It consists of more than 3 feet of veins, arteries, and capillaries; 240 feet of nerves, and more than 20,000 nerve endings. It acts as a protection for the glans, which is actually an internal organ before circumcision. Like eyelids, the foreskin provides moisture and protection against infection. At the time of birth, the foreskin is attached to the glans, or penis, like a fingernail is attached to the finger. As the child grows into puberty, and then adulthood, the body will produce smegma, an antiviral and antibacterial substance between the penis and foreskin. It is white and forms in tiny "balls." Smegma contains protective enzymes called lysozymes, which are also found in tears and breastmilk. The foreskin is self-cleaning.
An intact male, or his parents, should not pry the foreskin back in order to clean it. Gradually, over time, it will begin to retract. A boy doesn't need help with this! Some boys will be fully retracted by a year, others 5 years, and others will be well into their teens. Rinsing with warm water is adequate. Cleaning with soap actually would destroy the beneficial bacteria, just like douching does in women.
There are some other interesting tidbits about circumcision that I'd like to share:
*Boys who are circumcised have a lower pain tolerance that boys who are not, and even lower than girls.
*Circumcision severely interrupts sleep cycles and patterns
*About 1/500 circumcisions have surgical complications (infection, severe bleeding, complications from medications) and about 1/500,000 will result in death.
*Circumcision causes the penis to be about 25% shorter.
*Better sex for both partners when male is NOT circumcised.
Finally, what do they do with all those forskins?! It is actually a multi-million dollar industry. They are used to produce artificial skin, wrinkle creams, and moisturizers. It is also used as research material and as raw materials for a type of breathable bandage.
I feel like the information I've given you here speaks for itself. If you would like more information, feel free to comment and we can keep the dialogue going. As always, Mothering is a great resource on this topic. I will also mail out a lengthy circumcision packet to anyone requesting one.
This is my advice if you just can't decide: Your baby will be given Vitamin K at the time of birth (unless you are at home and then you will make the choice to give it or not). It is given so that his blood will clot sooner. If you choose to circumcise, he needs to have been given Vitamin K. If not given Vitamin K, he will be getting it through breastmilk and his body will start producing it on day 8. In Biblical times, circumcisions were done on the 8th day. Interesting. (On that note, the law of circumcision was taken away and no longer exists.) It is probably easier to send your child to the nursery to be circumcised when you have not bonded with him. My recommendation is to wait those 8 days and then make your decision. You will find two things: The pee comes out just fine, and you can't imagine putting your sweet baby boy through this unnecessary, medically unjustified procedure.
Oh yeah, in the end, Babies 'R Us said that they didn't think there would be enough interest in the topic of circumcision. Half of all new parents, every year, will have to make this decision for their baby boy. Not enough interest?
No comments: