Newborns And Circumcision
What is "circumcision"?
Circumcision is when we remove the foreskin from the penis and circumcision is another one of those, it's really up to you type things. There have been studies that show circumcision decreases your risk of penile cancer, but penile cancer is very rare to begin with. It does decrease your risk of HIV transmission. It does decrease your risk of certain sexually transmitted diseases but increases your risk of others and it may decrease your risk of urinary tract infections in some studies as well. But, because the studies are some this way some that way the American Academy of Pediatrics says it's a mater of personal preference and what happens in the hospital if you do choose to circumcise depending on the community that you're in sometimes the obstetrician does the circumcision, some times the pediatrician does it. In Jewish families sometimes a mohel does it in a ceremony at one week of age and they will do the circumcision and then we talk about how to care for it. Whether you do it or don't do it.
How do I properly care for my sons wounds after circumcision?
The head of the penis is usually red and raw after circumcision, and it's important that as the penis heals, you put a layer of Vaseline and gauze on it so that it doesn't stick to the diaper. It's sort of like when you skin your elbow, and as that wound heals you get that yellow crust before the scab forms, and that sometimes sticks to your shirt. We're just preventing it for the comfort of your son after the circumcision from sticking to the diaper. The circumcision usually takes about a good week to heal. And when it doesn't look red and raw anymore, then you can stop doing the Vaseline or the Neosporin and just diaper them normally.
What special care does an uncircumcised baby need?
An uncircumcised baby really needs no special care initially. It's just important that as your child grows up their foreskin is retractable. It may take several years to fully be able to retract the foreskin. Make sure you do retract it and you clean around the head of the penis because the smegma, or the sebaceous material that the penis secretes, acts as a glue between the two layers of skin between the foreskin and the head of the penis. You want to make sure the foreskin is fully retractable as the uncircumcised child gets older. You should clean it and then put the foreskin back over the head of the penis as well. Cleaning is an important component and you should always make sure that if you pull back the foreskin that it does go back over and doesn't get stuck around the head of the penis.
