Star & Sky Doula services

Dear readers,

If you’ve just found out you are having a boy, congratulations! How exciting ♥️

Now comes the question so many people will ask you, do you plan to circumcise?

I’m writing about this question because it can be quite a polarizing topic, even between couples, and can have a significant impact on mother and baby’s health during the postpartum period.

The role of a doula in these circumstances is to help lay out the “facts,” or what is scientifically known, so that families can make their own informed decisions.

Here are key pieces of information that I believe each family should take into account when considering whether or not their baby should undergo circumcision.

1. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), there is no difference in health and cleanliness with or without circumcision and problems such as irritation can happen either way. (Johns Hopkins)
2. While some evidence shows there is a slightly higher risk of urinary tract infection in uncircumcised children, the risk of UTIs for all children is less than 1% and females are four times more likely to experience UTIs than males. (Johns Hopkins) (nocirc.org)
3. Circumcision may offer some protection against sexually transmitted diseases later in life, however less invasive options such as using condoms offer even greater protection. Some studies show that incidences of HIV are similar wether circumcised or not. (Cambridge.org)(evidencebasedbirth.com)
4. Circumcision is a surgery — causing injury that takes multiple days to heal. This often disrupts sleep patterns and could impact parent-infant bonding. (cirp.org) (National Library of Medicine)
5. The skin of the baby’s penis is very sensitive after a circumcision, so contact with his diaper can be painful. Pain while urinating can last anywhere between four to fourteen days, and the penis often starts to look like it’s beginning to heal after seven to ten days. (MyHealth Alberta) (Johns Hopkins)
6. While the rate of risk associated with circumcision is quite low, many serious complications are possible. A few examples include bleeding, amputation, infection, or sometimes even death. (med.stanford.edu) (National Library of Medicine)
7. Studies suggest a link between altered emotional processing in circumcised men and neonatal stress. This may be due to the impact the experience of pain has on their developing nociceptive system, as clinically significant pain responses are elicited even when anesthesia is used. (National Library of Medicine) (UCLA Health)
8. Many parents choose circumcision because they feel it is the cultural norm, however U.S. rates of circumcision have been going down due to it being more a cosmetic surgery than a health related one. (National Library of Medicine)
9. The foreskin of the penis serves multiple purposes that it can no longer perform once removed. One major function of the foreskin is to protect the glans, otherwise known as the head of the penis, from chafing and injury. (MedicineNet)
10. One more thing a parent may want to consider is whether they are comfortable with the exposure to anesthesia that is needed for the surgery. While a single brief exposure should not cause long term effects, receiving anesthesia on multiple occasions or for more than three hours before the age of three is known to cause issues with memory, learning and behavior. (UCLA Health) (hss.edu)

When it comes to raising an uncircumcised boy, be comforted in knowing that there is no need to wash underneath the prepuce (foreskin) until it is easily retractable. In normal penis development, the foreskin will become less attached and more retractable over childhood and adolescence. (Mayo Clinic) (evidencebasedbirth.com)

Also, keep in mind that once a circumcision is done, it cannot be undone. Many men opposing newborn circumcision maintain that it should be the boy’s right to choose whether he becomes circumcised later in life.

If you’d like more information about male infant circumcision, I suggest looking at The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists FAQs page, found here!

Edit: I’ve recently had a reader who directed me to a really great resource called yourwholebaby.org. Please take a look at this site! I find “The Six Steps to Understanding Circumcision” page to be especially educational. It allows you to see what it looks like to be intact, watch a circumcision, hear from doctors on the topic, and more.

Best wishes,

Destany

Star & Sky Doula