Circumcision

I got my twins circumcised due to my partners cultural beliefs. My mum was saying the exact same thing saying it’s cruel and a form of GM. We got it done anyway as I didn’t want to wait any longer (3 months old). My mum was upset and didn’t speak to us for a couple of days but she eventually got over it. For the healing for the babies - it wasn’t that bad. It took around a week for the ring to fall off. Salt water baths every day. They cried worse on the second day (only cried badly once) other than that they slept for most of the time Pop me a message if you would like and I can talk you through my experience of it all!

I got my boy circumcised, your baby your choice. Your mom shouldn’t be looking that hard on your baby so… it’s up to you

It is a form of GM. My opinion will always be that unless you are circumcising your infant due to cultural/religious beliefs , there is absolutely no reason to do it. There’s literally no benefit to circumcising your baby, if they want it done as an adult they can do it then but what’s the point if not for cultural reasonings?

I got my son circumcised on Saturday and he is healing very good. He is 5 months old. My son only cried for the first day and was fine second day.

I got my son circumcised at 2.5 weeks old. It was difficult seeing him in pain but he really only cried the day of, and it healed in 3-4 days. We decided to have him circumcised because it reduced the risk of certain male cancers, reduces the risk of UTIs, and reduces the risk of cervical cancer in their future female partners. There weren’t really any cons other than the initial pain but it was well worth it in my opinion. When considering whether to circumcise or not, we couldn’t really find any pros to not having him circumcised but found pros with circumcision so we went for it. If you do decide to go for it, I would strongly recommend you research the doctor who will be performing the procedure and make sure they have good reviews and lots of experience

Yes I got both my boys done if not cleaned right they can get a bad infection some boys as they grow need it done as a teen or adults I know someone who got it done at 14 because of health problems down there better to get it done when they are young

It's entirely up to you. If there's no medical reason, cultural belief or religion, personally I wouldn't do it

I did it for both religious and cleanly reasons. I’ve known many men who had constant UTI infections as kids and had to get it done at an older age for medical reasons. Better to do it when they can’t remember. Your choice, but I don’t agree it’s mutilation. Do you!

A Rather simple & unbiased breakdown of facts https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/childrens-health/circumcised-vs-uncircumcised

We got our son circumcised and plan to do the same with our twins next month. We get it done within a few days of birth and I don't think my son even noticed anything, he never acted like it hurt him at all. There's differing opinions on whether or not it's beneficial, so I recommend you do your own research and see if it's worth it to you. It personally was for me because from my research it reduces the risk of UTIs by 10%. That's not a huge percentage, but two of my family members had to have it done as adults because of frequent UTIs and it's more painful and a harder healing process the older they are. People say that not circumcising doesn't cause issues if you keep everything clean, but that isn't the case with UTIs. I'd rather get it done as a baby where he won't remember the pain, than not get it done and him have to get it done later in life and it be more painful and him remember it.

We did not circumcise our boy because the risk does not outweigh the benefits in my opinion. The biggest reason people tend to circumcise is hygiene, which is a bit silly to me, we just plan to teach our boy how to clean himself. Girls need to learn to keep their genitals clean and healthy, boys can do the same...the double standard is odd. There is a lot of good information through the AAP, NIH, CDC and NHS depending on where you are from.

From bad experience with family members’ /family friends’ kids and my own personal research I didn’t get either of my sons circumcised also about cleanliness it is 100% about personal hygiene and teaching them as they grow how to properly clean themselves cut or uncut🥰 cut ≠ cleaner

We didn’t circumcise our boy, it’s not common in the UK at all unless for religious reasons. For us we didn’t see the need to circumcise when it has no medical benefits, you wouldn’t have surgery to remove the clitoral hood which is known for utis etc. if you teach your boy proper hygiene and how to take care of and clean his penis properly he won’t have any issues, cut does not mean cleaner and no infections it’s purely down to hygiene. I would never judge someone for choosing to do so because what you do with your baby is none of my business, I think just research the procedure like what’s actually done and pros and cons of both from a medical professional and make your decision based on that x

I did not because I also see it as genital mutilation, it’s completely cosmetic. It’s kind of like saying “if you remove your right arm you reduce the risk of cancer in your right arm. Your right arm will never get dirty!” I just couldn’t subject my son to that pain for such a non-medical reason. Let’s just teach our sons how to clean and take care of their bodies, they are capable! We oddly had lots of opinions from our male family members and I kindly said “please stop thinking so hard about my son’s penis” and they kind of got embarrassed and never asked again 🤗

i see it as a form of genital mutilation so i wont ever be getting my current or future(if i have more) boys done.

@Jade I did think that, but so many people advocate for it!

It’s entirely up to you what you choose to do, but it seems a pointless practice in my opinion! I’d not choose to put my son through the stress of being circumcised just because others advocate for it

I see it as GM, however if its a necessary medical procedure due to a health issue or cultural then its different

@Leona that’s pretty much what I thought, I’m from the UK and barely know anyone who has it, all of the research says that it has an impact on UTIs and that it reduces the risk, but as long as he keeps it clean I don’t see the problem with keeping it? In my opinion I do believe that any elective surgery should be a choice for them when they’re older, but I just had so many people telling me to do it 😅

@Ariana hahahahahhaha! “Please stop thinking so hard about my son’s penis” 🤣🤣 I will be using that from now on when people try to convince me to do it!!

With my husband we weighted a lot this decision, because in family no one is, my mom thinks it’s GM as well, but my husband’s family is Muslim so circoncision is in their culture. My husband doesn’t care about religion, so he was open to the idea of not doing it. He likes being circoncised himself, he found it easier as a kid after doing it (in our home country France, we have to wait by the law until I think 3-4years old) So we did a lots of research and it appears that chances to get STD and especially HIV are significantly reduced by circoncision However we live in a Muslim country where there are very good specialists, so we could trust it would happen in the best conditions. We also did it at 1month (it is better before 3weeks but we weren’t ready..). Horrible the same day, he cried so so much after the procedure, I was crying too, it was so hard to see my baby like that.. but the next day he was himself again and didnt seem bothered at all.

I personally left it up to my husband. He himself is circumcised and so his his oldest. He however changed his outlook on it when we found out we were having a boy. So we didn’t do it. Personally we see it as GM and completely unnecessary. Both of us are also really big on personal hygiene so we’re set on making sure that our little guy understands the importance of it once he’s older.

I agree with your mum! My boys are uncut just the way they were born. Unless for medical reasons there’s no need to do it, just teach them to clean properly when old enough and you shouldn’t have any issues. My oldest is nearly 17 too never had a problem. Also none of the men in my family are circumcised and they’ve never experienced issues either

There are health benifits to it, according to google it isn’t seen as gm compared to gm on females. My insurance sees circumcision as a medical procedure rather than cosmetic. We did it for multiple reasons, we saw it as health reasons like mental illness less risk of uti’s and std’s as well as allot of men that have said they wished their parents did it when they were babies and underwent the surgery as adults.

I was strongly against it but ended up doing it at 7 weeks because it was important in my partners culture. The doctor that did it told us that he has done lots on adults as well who have expressed resentment for their parents for NOT getting it done as a baby. I’m not sure how common having resentment FOR having it done is. It does help with hygiene and stuff but that doesn’t mean being uncut is unhygienic just takes some additional cleaning. Most kids go through a hygiene strike phase at some point though as well. It’s up to you at the end of the day but realistically IF it ever needs to be done or he decides he wants it done - it’s definitely easiest to do as a baby.

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-and-ethics-on-circumcision/?fbclid=PAY2xjawJMLcxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpv5jvbn2U2dGit_8bKkchhEpuqu77F-p3pHtXd4huk3W1_AkXhn9SfpV9A_aem_mmy_rbyudS_1hsaPh-BO2A

It is absolutely your choice, however personally I don’t believe it’s right to mutilate a baby unless there is a medical reason for circumcision. The commentary around cleanliness is a cop out I think, just teach them to clean themselves properly!

My husband wanted our sons circumcised and I think he deserved more of an opinion, having a penis and all.

My ex husband wanted it done because it was cultural, I didn't agree. It really was unnecessary in my opinion but he was adamant. He presented the biblical angle so agreed we would ask our pastor who made it clear it was of the old testament and then he piled on the family pressure. The kids seemed okay with it, quick and simple procedure we had the plastibell (I think it's called) method. But honestly waste of time & money.

Well, your mom is right about the mutilation. I don't believe there's a need to cut a baby at birth. It's not medically necessary. My son is 4 non-circumcised with zero problems

In Europe nobody does it. There's absolutely no need. Can't believe some people argument "it looks so much better so doing his future partner a favour" 😱🥺

There’s plenty of women and men who make fun of and joke about how ugly an uncircumcised penis is. While not everyone agrees, it’s widely known to be “less attractive” so... that is definitely a thing

If conforming to societal beauty standards is your thing and you’re disgusted by something 100% natural, maybe take a look inwards. When your son grows into an adult man, he will find an adult partner who does not give a fuck what his penis looks like 🫶🏾

I am personally of the opinion it's mutilation. From my perspective the cleanliness is a spin in that if you cut of any part of your body you no longer have to clean that part so yes.. its easier to clean as there is less. But I'd also have less to clean if I cut off my leg too 😅 Attractiveness wise, there are plenty of people out there who don't care about that- and if a partner no longer wants to be with you over that specific thing then they probably aren't the right person for you. (For reference I am UK based, and have both circumcised and uncircumcised males in my life)

Why is it that everyone thinks they have some right to an opinion on a babies genitals? It's rude, disgusting, and honestly nobodies business. My son penis is not up for public discussion or for complete strangers to judge and push their opinions on. How or why people decide how they want to raise their child is their concern, their rights, and people need to respect that. As a parent, you do what you feel is right for your children.

@Alexandra so you’re mutilating a baby because you don’t like how it looks? Right… of course people are going to be shocked at that comment. The cleanliness comment is also just not true, teach them to clean themselves properly and it’s fine!

@Alexandra bit weird you think that I want my sons penis to look attractive…

@Naomi I’m a 20 year old ftm and just about everyone I know was asking me if I was going to do it, I was totally against it (and still am) but I had no idea if it was the right thing to do or not. I was just asking for advice.

let’s be honest here - uncircumcised or not, penis’ look like naked mole rats.

@Incognito, i completely respect you researching into what's best, but asking completely strangers on a chat app is probably not the best way to go. As you can see, people have very strong opinions, and some people can be straight out rude. Honestly, it doesn't really matter either way. It's what you feel comfortable with, and what you decide is best for your baby. No one had a right to tell you what to do with your child. If you have concerns speaking with your partner or health visitor.

@Naomi honestly, getting advice from people who have made the decision on it one way or another, in my opinion, is the right way to go about it. This app is supposed to be a safe space to ask questions, give / receive advice, and make friends with other mums. If this isn’t a safe space to ask those questions and share options and opinions, then god help me cos I need a space like that.

@Naomi no one is telling me what to do, they’re just telling me their experiences. I appreciate you probably don’t care or don’t want to be a part of this, so then don’t comment.

@Naomi apologies if I’m being rude, it’s not my intention

No. It has absolutely zero health benefits (despite what people claim! The science is simply not there to back it up!) It's rare to actually be done in the UK and most of Europe. With some people's attitudes, they must believe all our men are walking around with STDs and in constant pain 🙄 I have three boys, all are happy and healthy with everything they were born with. Teach them to clean (as you would teach a girl to clean herself!) It is not necessary. Don't mutilate your child.

@Kirsty Thankyouu!! I couldn’t find anything to say it has health benefits but everyone kept telling me there was!!! I was under the impression that it was done for religious reasons or when the child is older and chooses to do it 🤷‍♀️

It grinds my gears so much when i see the claim "its healthier/cleaner" The worst one is when someone claims they are less likely to get STDs, how dangerous is that!? Like "oh you don't need to worry about safe sex because you're circumcised" 😲 How stupid!

I didn't have strong feelings about it other than it being very normalized in the culture I grew up in, and my spouse was cut, but when we found out we were having a son we did a lot of research and decided not to do that to him. Science does not back any of the "it's healthier" claims, and someone needing to put 3 seconds of effort to wash themselves properly in the shower is not a reason to chop off parts of their body. And it's becoming less and less common all over the world, and ideas about it are changing, and there's less and less social pressure to look a certain way as time goes on. I hope by the time our kids have grandkids that no one is doing it any more it's frankly barbaric. Even culturally reasons tbh. FGM is also a cultural thing, and I'm not ok with that, so why would I be ok with literally the same thing on a boy for the same reasons? both are chopping off sensitive bits of the body because someone thousands of years ago with no scientific or medical knowledge said so. Make it make sense.

It's a personal decision. Y'all need to stop bashing people for their choice.

@Angie I know! When I see this comment it’s so so so gross… like what kind of parent looks at their child’s privates and says “I want it to look better” screams pedo

The appearance thing doesn’t matter to me, but I do want to just provide a perspective. In the same way you wouldn’t name your child ‘Bubba’ or something else cutesie because while it’s cute for a baby, it isn’t for an adult- is the same concept for choosing to or not to circumcise for appearance. I pray to god no one is looking at their baby’s genitals wanting it to be “more attractive,” but rather thinking about them as a grown person to prevent any bullying or insecurity that may arise as they become sexually active. Babies grow up! We aren’t making these decisions for our babies thinking about them as babies. And YES if anyone chooses not to be with them because of the way their penis looks - this person isn’t for them and that is a shit human BUT these people exist. Our sons may be exposed to unnecessary insecurity whether we think that way or not.