REALLY need your input on a sensitive issue moms

mommyhelga - to snip or not moves in and out of vogue. Right now I think there is a move away from it - moms are opting out of any medical intervention if it can be helped, in any form, so circumsision - out of choice -does appear to be on the wane.

When my son was done in 2001, it was pretty common then, and it seemed the norm, so I did not meet any resistance to my decision at the time.

I was very worried about how uncomfortable he would be - the only crying he did was when they took him away from me. When they brought him back, he latched and fell asleep fairly quickly. The "snip" did not seem to be a problem and he was not on any pain-killer medication.

He did not seem to be in any discomfort afterwards, and there was no problem when I changed him. The skin "fell" off about 10 days later with no interference from mys ide. It was so non-problematic that we did not even go back for a check-up.

But I guess it would depend on the child, on the experience of the doctor, and I would imagine not all procedures are problem free.

Not that I am staring at young boys willy's - but my son has mates who come over to swim, and nakedness does not seem to be a problem.

Based on my rather small sample group of my son's friends, about half of them are snipped - again I am not actually asking to look at each of them, I am basing this on observation when the boys are going au'natural.

Not sure how prevalent it is.

Yes I agree that we have to make such big decisions as parents!!

I was also put in front of this question since hubby is also snipped, but decided against doing my son. Will try and take best care of his little tollieman but if it turns out that he needs it then so be it. Most men in hubby's side of family had to be snipped due to complications and not to pre-decided factors. So I was also wondering if there could be any inherent factors involved? Only time will tell

In the end if I were put in your shoes I would prop have the new baby done as well... sorry to say and hard as it is

Hi ladies. Happy mothersday!
Thanks for all the replies so far.
We've decided to book our eldest for a circumcision. Now for my new little angel.. I just can't decide.
My hubby is also snipped and I am a bit concerned that the little one will feel "different" with both daddy and big brother circumcised??
Anyone of you faced difficult questions from your lb's wrt to this?
Wow, the decisions we need to make as parents!
Another question: How common is circumcision in SA? Most of my friends have little girls and I know of only 1 who had her newborn son circumcised. Is this the trend in SA or is it more common than I thought?
I appreciate all your input and stories

I think if care is taken you might not have problem and I think alot of problems are caused by the skin being pulled back too soon. Mostly the skin only separates at about 2.

I think it is probably best to snip the oldest seeing that he needs to be on meds the whole time. it can't be good for him.

I just couldn't put my newborn through that much pain. And why would I. My son's pediatrician said that you do not need to snip if you keep it clean, meaning: to pull the skin back a bit and clean. (after he is a year old or so) otherwise he will start getting infection.

But it is your choice. I would do the eldest but not the youngest.

I had my son snipped - I did some research and based on what I read at that time, that was the decision that I felt was best.

His father was also snipped - and he was snipped when he was about 7/8 due to an infection and a subsequent problem, and then needed a snip which was quite traumatic as you could imagine.

My best friend at the time, had a son, who also was not snipped and who also ended up having to have it done when he was 3/4 years old, and that was also very scary for a little boy.

I felt there were few/no risks of snipping, while not snipping could lead to medical issues at a later date.

However it did come down to personal choice on my part in the end, and part of my reason (though smaller, but still a motivator) was also aesthetic.

But there are really two strong schools of thought on this subject, and both can argue quite strongly for their own point of view.

Do some research, then make a decision that you feel resonates/sits better with you.