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Circumcision is a surgical procedure that removes foreskin from the penis. Circumcision is a personal choice, so it is important that health care providers inform parents of the health benefits and risks of male newborn circumcision in an unbiased and accurate manner. For more information about circumcision, click on this link to the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement.

If you choose to have your son circumcised, follow these guidelines for care until your baby’s penis heals, usually in about seven to ten days:
• During bath time, wash the penis and diaper area with soap and warm water.
• For the first few days, put a new bandage on the penis each time you change your baby’s diaper and change the diaper often, fastening it loosely.
• Use petroleum jelly on the penis or on the part of the diaper or bandage that touches the penis. This helps prevent the diaper or bandage from sticking to or rubbing against the penis.

Call your baby’s doctor if normal flow of urine does not return within 12 hours after circumcision, there is persistent redness or bleeding around the tip of the penis, or there is nasty smelling drainage from the tip of the penis.

As a parent of a baby boy, one of the things you have to decide is whether or not your son gets circumcised.

Circumcision is a surgical procedure that removes foreskin from the penis. Foreskin is the fold of skin that covers the tip of your son’s penis. Circumcision is not considered essential to a boy’s health. Circumcision is a personal choice.
 
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)  says that circumcision has possible medical benefits as well as risks.   AAP says there is not enough scientific evidence to recommend circumcision for all boys. AAP encourages parents to make their decision after talking about the procedure with their health care provider. In the U.S., roughly 55%-65% of all newborn boys are circumcised.
 
If you decide to have your son circumcised, the procedure usually is done in the first 48 hours after birth, before you leave the hospital. Some boys are circumcised in the first few days of life at home as part of religious or cultural traditions.

Premature babies (born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy) and babies born with health problems should not be circumcised until their health is stable.

How do you care for your baby’s penis if he’s not circumcised? Wash your baby’s penis with soap and water. Don’t try to retract (pull back) the foreskin. A young baby’s foreskin may not retract completely. Over time it retracts on its own.

How do you care for your baby’s penis after a circumcision? Until your baby’s penis heals:
• During bath time, wash the penis and diaper area with soap and warm water.
• For the first few days, put a new bandage on the penis each time you change your baby’s diaper.
• Use petroleum jelly on the penis or on the part of the diaper or bandage that touches the penis. This helps prevent the diaper or bandage from sticking to or rubbing against the penis.

It’s best to start thinking about circumcision before your baby is born. Put your decision in your birth plan and share your plan with your provider.

UPDATE: August 27, 2012 The American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement regarding circumcision today. “Evaluation of current evidence indicates that the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it. Specific benefits identified included prevention of urinary tract infections, penile cancer, and transmission of some sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has endorsed this statement.”

If you’re pregnant and expecting a boy, you may be wondering whether or not you should circumcise your baby. This can be a tough decision and lots of parents are undecided. Some parents choose to do so for reasons of faith, others for reasons of culture, and some may choose not to circumcise their sons at all.

Recently, the USA Today reported on a study that found circumcision may have important health benefits for adult men. The researchers found that circumcision not only helps protect heterosexual men against HIV, it also lowers their chance of getting other sexually transmitted infections, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and herpes. There have been other studies that found similar health benefits for men.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is currently reviewing this research and we’ll keep you posted on any new developments. In the meantime, talk with your partner about what you think is best for your son.