I'm due with a baby in September, and the ultrasound tech says that she "thinks" it is a boy. Since we already have a daughter, I did a bunch of research about baby boys, especially about circumcision. My fiance and I have decided not to have our baby circumcised if he is a boy, but for some reason I've been having this (irrational?) fear that they're going to whisk him off to do it anyway.
So, moms of boys, they DID ask you, right? Or was it something you had to specify to your OB before delivery?
Please don't turn this into a circumcision debate.
2010-07-06T07:54:50Z
Lol, Beth thanks for making me feel completely relieved and totally stupid at the same time. Of course you would have to sign something, wouldn't you? I forgot how much paperwork there was involved with having a baby. I'm going to blame this one on the hormones!
Beth2010-07-06T07:51:51Z
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Yes, they will ask you, and you have to SIGN a consent form in order for them to do it. If it makes you feel better, just let your ob know that you don't plan on circumcising. They usually do it the day after delivery, so you can even mention it to your postpartum nurse.
They will ask you & you are right that you will have to sign consent, but there is another thing to keep an eye on if you live in a high-circ area & that is retraction. I cant' tell you how many time sin my boy's lives that I have had to protect them from having some nit-wit Dr or nurse try to pull back their foreskin. I never ceased tobe amazed about this one...but WATCH them all the time & do all the diaper changes yourself if you can. Also - watch for anyone else that will help with care, your mom, your mother in law, relatives, grammas, etc...MANY were told in their era that foreskin has to be retracted & most don't' know that is NOT correct. So just be careful & be vigilant. There used to be stickers you could buy online to go onto the diapers that say "I am intact do NOT retract"...LOL I am not sure if they make them anymore or not. I just had my husband print off some on sticker paper on our computers & ours said "Hand off my dipe - that's momma's job!"
If you are curious to read this is from the site Doctors Opposing Circumcision about stories where boys were retracted by medical staff: http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/info/info-forcedretraction.html Make sure you husband is aware of this potential problem as well. Even with my three year old I have to be careful when he has a physical to remind them he is intact & so far not retractable. I swear Dr's are idiots on this subject in much of our country.
Yes they will ask you. You don't have to have your mind made up before the baby arrives, they don't do the procedure until the day after the baby is born, sometimes the day they'll be discharged. You as parents have to consent to the procedure. If you don't want it done, you don't have to. Since you have your mind made up now, just mention it to your OB.
It's the same as any other procedure, they MUST have consent in writing. If they just whisked every baby boy off and performed the circumcision, they'd be sued out the wahzoo.
However there have been mistakes where boys were circumcised even though their parents said no. This is really rare though nowadays -- just make sure you repeat several times that you do not want your son to be circumcised.
But they probably won't even take your son out of your sight -- if they do, ask them what they're doing.
Also, and this is very important, make sure doctors know not to force back his foreskin. The foreskin on a baby boy should never be forced back.
They used to whisk babies away for routine circumcision in the 1950s, but that didn't last very long!
Today, they often encourage you to leave your son intact, so trust me, there is no way in hell that they would circumcise your son without your informed consent.
I'm glad you're leaving him intact.
Check this out btw. If you buy one of these onesies for your son, the doctors will know that you do NOT want your son's foreskin retracted! You have no idea how many "medical professionals" don't know jack shite about male anatomy, and go around retracting boys' foreskins and causing them pain and infections. http://www.cafepress.com/+anti-circumcision+baby-bodysuits