Circumcision

I decided to start with circumcision. It is the hardest topic for me to write about. It's probably my biggest regret as a parent. I would say that I feel guilty, but guilt is an emotion you feel when you knowingly do something wrong. It's not guilt. It's regret. Both of my boys (now aged 12 and 16) are circumcised. And I hate every single day that I put them through one of the single worst events that they will probably ever go through in their entire lives. And yes, I do truly believe that. To those that want to believe that the babies won't remember, or don't feel anything, I would just like to say " YOU go get yourself strapped down to a board, all spread out, nude, and have a chunk of your genitals cut off. Will you remember it? Will YOU feel the pain?" Not a pleasant thought is it? Why is it that people in our society refuse to acknowledge that babies are people? They have feelings. They feel pain. They will remember. It's your babys' body. Leave him as perfect as he was the day he was born. Leave him intact. He has a right to his body, his life and genital integrity. And to those people that just have the ridiculous thought that baby boys should look like their dads (which is what I was told by my mom when I was struggling to make the biggest decision, oops, I mean mistake of my life) all I have to say is, REALLY??!! REALLY??!! Never have my boys stood around comparing their penis' to their fathers'. NEVER. So, hows that theory work? It doesn't.

**I would like to edit my post to add something that I forgot to mention. A comment from a reader made me realize that it belongs in this post. I have talked with my sons about circumcision and the choice that their Dad and I made. I have apologized to them, probably more than they want to hear. I can only hope that they forgive me and that I have changed the cycle within our family. I hope that they take this knowledge that I've aquired and will apply it when they too have their own baby boys.

Alot of my Facebook friends are very anti-circ. I've been lucky enough to gain alot of knowledge through them and learn some very interesting facts. I'm going to post as much information here as I can. I'm hoping to post alot of links so that everyone can research at their own pace.

Please, keep one thing in mind as your traveling along in your parenting journey, especially when it comes to things such as circumcision :

Research. Learn. Educate yourself. You are your childs' voice. You are his strongest advocate. Make your decisions wisely.

All links below are clickable

Circumcision Video (graphic)

Flesh Eating Disease, Herpes, HPV and Meningitis increased with Circumcision

Very graphic pictures of a circumcision gone wrong

Dr's Case Studies and Meningitis

More case studies from The Internet Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatology

Circumcision causing UTI's

Risks and Complications

Plastibell complication

Letter from the ACS/AAP regarding the cancer/circumcison theory

Study showing how infant pain changes the way they perceive pain as adults

Study showing that infants remember and feel circumcision pain

Dr. Sears on circumcision

Which do you cut?

Stories from mamas

Babies opposing their cicumcision

Can you do it?



And if all those links aren't enough to convince you, think about when your baby boy grows up. You want him to be healthy, successful and happy. Sex is a huge part of our adult life. It's hard to think about your baby boy being an adult and having a sexual relationship, but one day he will. The following are "adult" reasons to leave him intact.

Compare the intact penis with the circumsised penis (some may consider this graphic)

What is lost due to circumcision?

The function of the foreskin

The funcation of the male prepuce

Video of a computer generated model of the function of the foreskin during sexual activity

Mobility of real foreskin

I would like parents to reconsider what they might have been told about the male prepuce (foreskin). The laymen term "foreskin" has been directly used in American culture to wrongly downplay how much health tissue and nerves are amputated. It is not "just a snip of skin" but a complex organ of muscle, immune cells, bands, nerves, blood vessels etc that are vitally important for protecting the body from viruses/bacteria and sexual function.

• The Foreskin,which comprises up to 50% (sometimes more) of the mobile skin system of the penis. If unfolded and spread out flat the average adult foreskin would measure about 15 square inches( the size of a 3x5 inch index card). This highly specialised tissue normally covers the glans and protects it from abrasion, drying, callusing(keratinisation), and contaminants of all kinds.The effect of glans keratinisation has never been studied.
  [1. M. M. Lander, "The Human Prepuce," in G. C. Denniston and M. F. Milos, eds., Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy (New York: Plenum Press, 1997), 79-81. 2. M. Davenport, "Problems with the Penis and Prepuce: Natural History of the Foreskin," British Medical Journal 312 (1996): 299-301.]
  
• The Frenar Ridged Band is the primary erogenous zone of the male body. Loss of this delicate belt of densely innervated, sexually responsive tissue reduces the fullness and intensity of sexual response.
  [Taylor, J. R. et al., "The Prepuce: Specialized Mucosa of the Penis and Its Loss to Circumcision," British Journal of Urology 77 (1996): 291-295.]
• The Foreskin's 'Gliding Action' , the hallmark mechanical feature of the normal natural, intact penis. This non-abrasive gliding of the penis in and out of itself within the vagina facilitates smooth , comfortable, pleasurable intercourse for both partners. Without this gliding action, the corona of the circumcised penis can function as a oneway valve, scraping vaginal lubricants out into the drying air and making artificial lubricants essential for pleasurable intercourse.
  [P. M. Fleiss, MD, MPH, "The Case Against Circumcision," Mothering: The Magazine of Natural Family Living (Winter 1997): 36-45.]
• Nerve Endings transmit Sensations to the Brain: Fewer Nerve Endings means Fewer Sensations. Circumcision removes the most important sensory component of the foreskin - thousands of coiled fine-touch receptors called Meissner's corpuscles. Also lost are branches of the dorsal nerve, and between 10,000 and 20,000 specialized erotogenic nerve endings of several types. Together these detect subtle changes in motion and temperature, as well as fine gradations in texture.
  [1. R. K. Winkelmann, "The Erogenous Zones: Their Nerve Supply and Its Significance," Proceedings of the Staff Meetings of the Mayo Clinic 34 (1959): 39-47. 2. R. K. Winkelmann, "The Cutaneous Innervation of Human Newborn Prepuce," Journal of Investigative Dermatology 26 (1956): 53-67.]
• The Frenulum is the highly erogenous V-shaped web-like tethering structure on the underside of the glans; frequently amputated along with the foreskin, or severed, either of which destroys its function and potential for pleasure.
  [1. Cold, C, Taylor, J, "The Prepuce," BJU International 83, Suppl. 1, (1999): 34-44. 2. Kaplan, G.W., "Complications of Circumcision," Urologic Clinics of North America 10, 1983.]
• Muscle Sheath: Circumcision removes approximately half of the temperature-sensitive smooth muscle sheath which lies between the outer layer of skin and the corpus cavernosa. This is called the dartos fascia.
  [Netter, F.H., "Atlas of Human Anatomy," Second Edition (Novartis, 1997): Plates 234, 329, 338, 354, 355.]

• The Immunological Defense System of the soft mucosa. This produces both plasma cells that secrete immunoglobulin antibodies and antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as the pathogen-killing enzyme lysozyme.
  [1. A. Ahmed and A. W. Jones, "Apocrine Cystadenoma: A Report of Two Cases Occurring on the Prepuce," British Journal of Dermatology 81 (1969): 899-901. 2. P. J. Flower et al., "An Immunopathologic Study of the Bovine Prepuce," Veterinary Pathology 20 (1983):189-202.]
  
  And a special thank you to my Facebook friend, Guggie Daly, for all her valuable information