Uncircumcised versus Circumcised Baby Care(ie still has foreskin or lacking foreskin)

Pediatrician answers: How do I clean my baby's genitalia? Should I retract it myself?

We Americans have been indoctrinated with the belief that whole babies require inordinate amounts of cleaning. Is this really true?

How to properly care for your uncut baby(It's easy!):
http://www.cirp.org/pages/parents/peron1/

Protecting your Uncut Son from Medical Personnel:
http://www.mothering.com/health/protect-your-uncircumcised-son-expert-medical...

Reversing the epidemic of forcible retractions:
http://www.kindredmedia.com.au/library_page1/only_clean_what_is_seen_reversin...

FAQs About Foreskin Care: http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/DOC/faq.html

How do I care for my young son's intact penis?

The intact penis needs no special care.

The foreskin should never be retracted by force.

During the first few years of a male's life, the inside fold of his foreskin is attached to his glans, very much the way the eyelids of a newborn kitten are sealed closed. The tissue that connects these two surfaces dissolves naturally over time - a process that should never be hurried.

The foreskin can be retracted when its inside fold separates from the glans and its opening widens. This usually happens by age 18. Even if the glans and foreskin separate by themselves in infancy, the foreskin still may not be retractable then because the opening of a baby's foreskin may be just large enough to allow for the passage of urine.

The first person to retract a child's foreskin should be the child himself.

A very young boy usually pulls his foreskin outward. This is normal and natural and no cause for concern; he won't hurt himself. Once a boy discovers that his foreskin is retractable (a wondrous discovery for an intact child), he can easily learn to care for himself. Telling your son about retractability beforehand will keep him from becoming alarmed the first time his foreskin retracts.

When a boy is old enough to bathe himself, he can wash his penis when he washes the rest of himself. Simple instructions may be helpful.

1. Gently slip your foreskin back (if it is retractable).

2. Rinse your glans and the inside fold of your foreskin with warm water.

3. Pat it dry if you like.

4. Slip your foreskin forward, back in place over the glans.

At puberty, you can let your son know that with hormonal activity comes new responsibility, including genital hygiene.

FORESKIN RETRACTION

What is phimosis?

The Greek word phimosis means muzzled and is used -- often incorrectly -- to refer to a foreskin that cannot be retracted (for whatever reason). A comprehensive discussion of phimosis is beyond the scope of this pamphlet. What parents should know is that almost all babies have non-retractable foreskins, that this is normal, and that the foreskins of most males become retractable by the time they are 18. It is also important to know that many adult males with non-retractable foreskins are perfectly happy with them that way. Adult males with non-retractable foreskins who would rather their foreskins were retractable can easily and safely stretch their foreskin opening until it is large enough to slip comfortably over their glans. A non-retractable foreskin is not, in itself, an indication for circumcision.

What happens if someone retracts my son's foreskin prematurely?

Forcing the foreskin back can be very painful and can cause problems.

Tearing the foreskin from the glans leaves raw, open wounds, which can lead to infection.

Raw surfaces on the foreskin and glans can heal together, forming adhesions.

Small tears in the opening of the foreskin can heal to form non-elastic scar tissue, passibly causing acquired phimosis.

The foreskin can get "stuck" behind the glans (paraphimosis). By squeezing the glans, the foreskin can be brought forward again, without circumcision. "The foreskin therefore can be likened to a rosebud which remains closed and muzzled. Like a rosebud it will only blossom when the time is right. No one opens a rosebud to make it blossom." - H. L. Tan, M.D.

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[freedom0f5peech]

The basic message here is...

If he is intact, you don't have to do anything.

If he is circumcised, you have to take great care to be sure infections and fusion of the wound does not occur.

The solution? Leave him intact!

[rayray695]

Oh my goodness! I can't BELIEVE how many mothers have told me "You know you're going to have to take special care for it if you don't get him cut!" It didn't make ANY sense to me. After my son is born I thought to myself a lot "Wow, this is messy enough without having to worry about an open wound!" Use logic, people!

[holarc]

INCORRECT facts here! Very few boys naturally retract by 3 or 4! Actually only 50% of boys naturally retract by 10. The rest are usually naturally retracted by teen yrs, occasionally even later. Again, the boy is the only one who should manually retract, when he instinctively feels and knows to explore this. Not from being told to!

[OyonTheAdept]

@smonroy45 i would have kicked the doctor's ass. seriously.

[ACABbear]

@smonroy45

what the fuck? You need to find a new doctor that isn't completely retarded. At that babies age the foreskin is still fused to the glans of the penis. That's straight up like ripping your fingernail of the nail bed.

[Zuggible]

@smonroy45 That is NOT normal. Whatever you do, DO NOT FORCE IT! This can cause infection and even scarring. You really should contact your clinic about the incident. As to whether you should be retracting it, it's not really necessary until he's fully able to do so himself.

[smonroy45]

OMG my pediatrician forced back my baby's foreskin at his last appointment (4 days ago) when I asked him how I was supposed to be cleaning it. I had never pulled back the skin, and my baby started screaming in pain. His doctor put his diaper back on and hurried out of the room and when I checked my son afterwards it was actually bleeding! I showed the nurse that came in and she told me not to worry and to make sure I start pulling back the skin to clean it. What do I do???

[trident3b]

pity american doctors (nearly all of them) on youtube feel this childish need to hang a device around their necks to suggest some sort of authority. It reminds me of every employee over there, they're all "vice presidents". "Irrtated and raw" he says? It's been damn well mutilated! Americans make me livid and absolutely ill regarding this subject. One video after the other regarding genital mutilation, they ALL come from the US, the home of mass mutilation (after the religious).

[feministsAreCorrupt]

@lp42884life "Calm down yall. In about 10 years this will be a moot issue and circumcission will be rare."

No without a substantial public protest. Given the strong culture for infant penis sculpting, a ban on male circumcision is in order, just as a 1996 fan on any form of female circumcision, included removal of only clitoral hood or a ceremonial pin-prick, was needed to stop the practice in a tiny fraction of 1% minority.

[aMarinedaughter]

I have raised four adopted son, one circumcised and three intact. Intact care was very simple, like this doctor says. My circumcised son's foreskin stump had all ready stuck back down when we got him. Our doc pulled it loose, which was horrible! I tried to keep it from reattaching, but it just resulted in more pain. I finally decided to leave it alone. It healed and, when he was two, what was left of his foreskin loosened on its own, just like it would have if it had been intact.

[aMarinedaughter]

This is great! There is really no excuse for physicians not knowing that it is wrong to force back the foreskin of a baby or young child. The American Academy of Pediatrics has been very straightforward on that for decades, yet some American physicians still insist on inflicting pain and injury on children this way. Any parent whose physician advises, or performs, any kind of retraction of an infant's foreskin should file a complaint against him/her!