*Baby Corner*

[chri'stina 190]

Ladies, since many of you here have boys- how do you feel about the "american tradition" of having them circumcised right after they're born?

I was kinda shocked when I heard that this is a routine over here for every boy. I really don't feel good about exposing my baby to this painful experience when he's just born and there is no medical reason for it.

Hubby thinks very traditional about it and he was shocked to hear that the USA is one of the few countries who still circumcise their baby boy's.

He says that when he was in High school there was a boy who wasn't circumcised and everybody harrassed him for it until he tried to circumcise himself with a kitchen knife, out of pure peer pressure. needless to say that went very wrong....

I don't know what to do, I really don't want my baby to resent us later if we decide to spare him from that painful and unneccessary experience.

any advice?

It's something I also researched because we debated the issue back and forth, not sure what to decide. But now we are not planning on doing it. He can decide that when he is an adult. I am not against it, but in our case we just aren't.

Here is a picture of Mr. Mason!

Aww congrats again! CUTE!

I want to see my baby!

[Dr. Obvious 49]

Ladies, since many of you here have boys- how do you feel about the "american tradition" of having them circumcised right after they're born?

I was kinda shocked when I heard that this is a routine over here for every boy. I really don't feel good about exposing my baby to this painful experience when he's just born and there is no medical reason for it.

Hubby thinks very traditional about it and he was shocked to hear that the USA is one of the few countries who still circumcise their baby boy's.

He says that when he was in High school there was a boy who wasn't circumcised and everybody harrassed him for it until he tried to circumcise himself with a kitchen knife, out of pure peer pressure. needless to say that went very wrong....

I don't know what to do, I really don't want my baby to resent us later if we decide to spare him from that painful and unneccessary experience.

any advice?

I believe this practice is dropping off in the US. It might be good to dig around for some recent statistics for your husband about it. If he thinks the only good reason is peer pressure, well, perhaps a good number of peers won't be circumcised by the time he is old enough to notice or care. At best, I can find that at this point is about 4/10 boys are not circumcised in the US. That is a significant number.

I wouldn't circumcise my son because I don't see any particular benefit to the procedure. What others do is others.

[pixiegunn 0]

I work in a child care setting, and I have to say it's about 50-50 or 40 (un)-60 (circumcised) with boys between the ages of 2 and 5 currently. It doesn't seem to be that common anymore. I think the health/pain of the child issue has overrun most other people's reasons for getting it done (unless for religlious reasons).

[ace13 0]

We aren't planning on doing it either. My husband isn't and he was on the fence about it because he had a friend that had it done as an adult for medical reasons and thought maybe it would be a good idea, but in the end, I left it up to him and he has decided no. I know I am going to get a lot of slack from my family because they are of the old way of thinking-it is cleaner and healthier, but oh well. They will get over it

[Nizzy 1]

I am so ready to be done being pregnant. I hurt everywhere, I can't walk right, it hurts to get in and out of the car, I am so tired because I can't sleep and every time I eat I feel like I am going to throw up. I hope these next few weeks fly by.

Sorry to complain...

Im right there with ya sister. I tried to get out of the car the other night and had to sit right back down LOL. We have a cavalier, so its kind low to the ground and really hard to haul your 'bucket' outta that bucket seat.

My doc still has me on phenergan for the upset tum. I started getting morning-noon-night sickness again when I hit the 3rd trimester. You might see if your doc would give you a scrip for some tummy medicine to help you get through these last few weeks. If I didnt take mine from time to time, Id be yakking constantly and dropping weight again.

Ladies, since many of you here have boys- how do you feel about the "american tradition" of having them circumcised right after they're born?

I was kinda shocked when I heard that this is a routine over here for every boy. I really don't feel good about exposing my baby to this painful experience when he's just born and there is no medical reason for it.

Hubby thinks very traditional about it and he was shocked to hear that the USA is one of the few countries who still circumcise their baby boy's.

He says that when he was in High school there was a boy who wasn't circumcised and everybody harrassed him for it until he tried to circumcise himself with a kitchen knife, out of pure peer pressure. needless to say that went very wrong....

I don't know what to do, I really don't want my baby to resent us later if we decide to spare him from that painful and unneccessary experience.

any advice?

Hubster and I agree that we want the baby circumcised, but at first there was a debate as to when it should be done. We both agree that we want it for religious and cleanliness reasons. But I want it done right after birth, hubby wanted it done later on in youth. In my husband's culture, its common for young boys to be circumcised around the age of 8 and then a big party is held to celebrate. We finally decided to have him circumcised at birth, because I just cant bear putting my son through that kind of pain when he's old enough to remember it. And then we will still have the religious celebration at the appropriate age.

Its a personal choice for each couple. You should never feel pressured to circumcise your child just because everyone else has done it to theirs. My sister and my SIL were pregnant with boys at the same time 3 years ago. One was adamant about circumcision, the other vehemently opposed to it. Make your decision based on what's important to you. If your son is unhappy with the choice later on down the road, there are surgeries that can be done to correct it, either way.

Here is a picture of Mr. Mason!

Congrats honey! He's a doll!

The baby heals a lot quicker than when they are older. So if you decide to do it, it's best when they are just born.

[Cécy 44]

Ladies, since many of you here have boys- how do you feel about the "american tradition" of having them circumcised right after they're born?

I was kinda shocked when I heard that this is a routine over here for every boy. I really don't feel good about exposing my baby to this painful experience when he's just born and there is no medical reason for it.

Hubby thinks very traditional about it and he was shocked to hear that the USA is one of the few countries who still circumcise their baby boy's.

He says that when he was in High school there was a boy who wasn't circumcised and everybody harrassed him for it until he tried to circumcise himself with a kitchen knife, out of pure peer pressure. needless to say that went very wrong....

I don't know what to do, I really don't want my baby to resent us later if we decide to spare him from that painful and unneccessary experience.

any advice?

My godbrother who is American is 21, his parents choose not to have him circumcise. He has never had any problems whatsoever because of it and he is actually happy that his parents protected him from having to go through that. My godparents read about it and found that there was no real reason for it to happen and that it wouldn't be any healthier for him.

I don't believe my godbrother was ever peer pressured about it and he grew up in Texas... Just so you know that there aren't only bad stories

You should search more on the pro and cons, but it really is up to you to decide.

[TracyLuis 0]

How much do you think stress affects your unborn child?

Due to recent events, I've been really sad, stressed, and scared. I'm trying to shake it, mostly because I don't want to inadvertently harm my child. But I can't quite recover and I'm worried that my baby feels it all.

This, of course, just adds to the stress. Someone please tell me that I'm overreacting and my baby will not be hurt by my (temporary) emotional distress...

I simply need a little reassurance right now

[chri'stina 190]

Tracy, I am sorry you are feeling so sad/stressed lately. (I'm guessing part of it has to do with the thread you posted). I think something good is that you are now in the 3rd trimester, the baby's main job is to put on fat now and I think most of the organs are developed besides the lungs that still have to mature. You should be watchful of your blood pressure and make sure you are eating well, etc. But I don't think you would cause any major issues with the baby, but you could always call and ask your OB about it. I think stress can affect blood pressure so that would be the main think to look out for IMO. I think many pregnant women may deal with stress and have healthy babies.Maybe try some kind of relaxation techniques. Do something to pamper yourself.

I hope you feel better soon.

[Lyuba 0]

Thank you very much everybody!

Stina, you are next in line!

We circumsized our boy because my husband wants him to look like him and because our doctor recommended it. Now I am changing his gauze every 2 hours. He should be all healed next week. In Russia nobody does it and I don't really like the idea but oh, well. Daddy and son should be comfortable with each other.

My labor wasn't that bad. I was already 4 centemeters dilated when we arrived to the hospital, I got epidurial at 5 centemeters, pushed for 10 minutes and that was it. The poor guy didn't tolerate contractions really well so they gave me oxigen and pitocin to dilate me quicker. They changed my positions every 30 minutes to restore his heart rate which was dropping. The doctor was talking about C-section but I asked him to give a baby a chance. Pitocin worked, I dilated and just pushed as hard as I could. They still took him to the nursery because his oxigen level was low but everything turned out to be just fine and he is a very healthy little guy.

I love him so much! Ladies, pregnancy is hard and uncomfortable but you will forget everything once you hold your baby!!!!!!!

[chnst 6]

thanks for all the advice on circumcision. I'm glad that we still have a couple weeks for that decision!

Lyuba: wow sounds like you had a great labour! I'm so happy for you!

Tracy: If it's severe stress you're dealing with then I'd speak to my OB about it. I'm sorry you're all stressed out, I hope you can work things out!

[yassmine2878 1]

How much do you think stress affects your unborn child?

Due to recent events, I've been really sad, stressed, and scared. I'm trying to shake it, mostly because I don't want to inadvertently harm my child. But I can't quite recover and I'm worried that my baby feels it all.

This, of course, just adds to the stress. Someone please tell me that I'm overreacting and my baby will not be hurt by my (temporary) emotional distress...

I simply need a little reassurance right now

How you handle stress is an important aspect to consider. If your like me, you dont feel like your accomplishing something unless you're at least worrying about the problem and trying to solve it in your head. Allow yourself a certain amount of worry or freak-out time if its useful as a safety valve, but dont let worries control you. Sometimes you just cannot avoid stressful situations during pregnancy. Ive had a fair share myself and I just have to give myself a chance to freak out and then hit my reset button. Give yourself a little slack in the worry department. Women worry. Pregnant women worry. And we've been doing it for eons and giving birth to healthy babies all along the way. Ive had some pretty stressful events during my pregnancy, but the little butterball seems to be doing okay. Just dont let your stress get the better of you for long periods of time. Give yourself a little treat each day to help smooth over the bumps. Try not to let your pulse/blood pressure get out of control, and try not to let your digestive system get in an uproar over it.

There's no sense in stressing over trying not to stress about something. so cut yourself some slack. You're a woman, and you cannot turn off the worry/stress gene sometimes. Just dont let stress factors control you on a long-term basis.

If you dont feel you can escape, there's no shame in asking for help. Go to your OB and explain what's happening. He/she is the person best suited to help you when you cannot help yourself.

[TracyLuis 0]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful words and advice. I'll definitely work on finding a means to let go of some of this fear and stress.

[EsOrEnNa 0]

@circumcision..

Dh wanted one too cuz its tradition in his fam but my parents almost KILLED me when i told them about it.. we dont do that stuff in romania and germnay unless its really needed.. (infection or so..) well the holspital where i deliverd didnt do it either and my insurance didnt cover it too.. so we didnt get it done.. and i am sooo GLAD we didnt do it..

@lyuba..

CONGRATS he is soo cute!! welcome to the "mommy club"..

[Autumnchik 6]

Lyuba, he is beautiful Congrats again!!!

I had a doctor's visit on Wednesday evening .... and he said that he feels he can order another ultrasound at 30-32 weeks!!! YAY!!! An interesting thing that the doctor told me was that my placenta is in the front. I have been stressing because everyone keeps asking if I have felt the baby kick and I really haven't yet, but the doctor explained that, since the placenta is there, baby is kicking a nice pillow Definitely reassured this first time mommy-to-be!!! I love hearing the heartbeat .. that is my favorite part of the appointment

I actually got to hear the heartbeat again today because I ended up going back to the doctor. I woke up dizzy, kind of wrote it off and went to work, started feeling worse in the middle of a session and decided I need to call the doc. Everything is fine and baby is good ... apparently I have a virus (no other symptoms) and the doc said my body is telling me to rest and take care of myself.

[Lavender 0]

Ladies, since many of you here have boys- how do you feel about the "american tradition" of having them circumcised right after they're born?

I was kinda shocked when I heard that this is a routine over here for every boy. I really don't feel good about exposing my baby to this painful experience when he's just born and there is no medical reason for it.

Hubby thinks very traditional about it and he was shocked to hear that the USA is one of the few countries who still circumcise their baby boy's.

He says that when he was in High school there was a boy who wasn't circumcised and everybody harrassed him for it until he tried to circumcise himself with a kitchen knife, out of pure peer pressure. needless to say that went very wrong....

I don't know what to do, I really don't want my baby to resent us later if we decide to spare him from that painful and unneccessary experience.

any advice?

I am very much against it:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=44

Hope it helps.