Need info on care of intact

[Lisa1970]

My family doctor has told me how the intact boy must be cared for. It does not sound right at all. It involved retracting the foreskin each time going to the bathroom and bathing. I thought I read to the contrary here. So please, I would like specific info if anyone can help me on this. Thanks!

[glongley]

How old is your son and is he retractable?

Here's the NOCIRC pamphlet on care of the intact penis:
http://www.nocirc.org/publish/4pam.pdf

[Lisa1970]

He is not born yet. I am currently expecting a boy Sept 4.

[Yulia_R]

Hi Lisa!

Your doctor is VERY VERY VERY wrong. If I were you, I wouldn't let him anywhere near my son. Doctors like this one are ignorant on the issue and therefore, may seriously harm your baby.

Please read this thread (it talks about protecting your son from doctor's ignorance on the subject): A Warning to Parents With Intact Sons http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1050941

As for intact care, the only thing you need to remember is to NEVER retract your son's foreskin and make sure no one else does that (doctors, baby-sitters, relatives who will watch the baby, etc). You just wipe/wash his penis as if it was a finger and that is all there is to it.

I have both: son and daughter (both are intact). I find it MUCH easier to take care of my son's privets than my daughter's. Intact care is trully a peice of cake!

[Claire and Boys]

AAP link for you - http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_Uncircumcised.htm

I would print this out and give it to your doc, he is working with some extremely old school information and is giving out unnecessary and potentially harmful advice. Retracting infants to clean is like ripping open kittens eyelids to "clean" underneath, or breaking girls' hymens in order to scrub inside the vagina.

[JamieB]

I'm sorry you got misinformation. Please please please inform your doctor that he is misinformed. You might just save another little boy from being retracted and possibly circumcised.

[Fellow Traveler]

I think you got the answers you need, basically you don't retract him at all. Not during diaper changes or baths or anything. As far as retracting for urination that is something that some intact guys do, I do it depending on the situation, but it's by no means necessary and he may not even be able to until he is a teenager anyway. So it's up to you but you might want to bring the information you got back to the Doctor and 'discuss', read educate, him a bit.

[glongley]

BTW, the average age of full retractability is about age 10. So in the young child you just leave it alone, and wash off the outside. If it becomes retractable on its own at an early age, you still just wash off the outside (it is snug enough to keep anything really ooky out on its own, by natural design). When he's old enough to follow directions and have the motor control (and if he's retractable!), say about age 4 or so, you can teach him to occasionally retract in clean bath water, rinse underneath, and then replace the foreskin back forward. The boy should be the only one doing any retracting, no need for parents clean underneath, no need for doctors to do any "checking".

[fruitful womb]

Think of it this way:

A kitten's eyes are fused together during the first three to four weeks of his life. We're not to prematurely separate the eyelids or we will cause damage to the development to the kitten's eyes.

In the same way, the prepuce (foreskin) is fused to the glans. It is still in the process of development. We would damage the synichia if premature retraction ever occurred.

It is still fused because it is still developing.

Thank you for leaving your son intact and please send info to the doctor who is giving out incorrect information to his clients. His misinformation is dangerous to his practice.

Just a sec... I'm searching for something for you...

Enith? Where is that site with the "I'm intact don't retract, easy does it" pamphlet that used to be on boystoo.com ???

[robertandenith]

Originally Posted by fruitful womb

Enith? Where is that site with the "I'm intact don't retract, easy does it" pamphlet that used to be on boystoo.com ???

Their website is no longer running but I uploaded the file on my site
http://www.asnatureintended.info/upl...74/babyboy.pdf

[fruitful womb]

Originally Posted by robertandenith

Their website is no longer running but I uploaded the file on my site
http://www.asnatureintended.info/upl...74/babyboy.pdf

Thats the one!!! Thank you so much!!!

[blackapple]

Personally, I'd find a new doc. I'd be too afraid he'd retract my son even with me asking him not to.

You clean an intact penis just like a finger. Honestly, we've never done anything to my son's penis. It just washes itself in the tub water. We may pat it dry, but often don't do that either. It did get a YI this past summer and we had to put anti-fungal cream on it, but I just put it on my finger tips, rubbed it evenly on both finger tips, then sort of applied it gently to the tip, sort of wiggling my fingers around so that it applied to all affected parts. It was healed and gone in 10 days.

GL!

[latinalonestar]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER.

Others have given you great replies but I will add some links and helpful info.

Btw, you might consider printing out some of this info for your doctor and then switching to another pedi. This way you educate that doc and get a better pedi at the same time.

Protect your Intact Son:
http://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...uncircson.html

AAP Care Guidelines:
www.cirp.org/library/normal/aap/

Development of a Retractable foreskin in Child/Adolescent:
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcisi...kinleaflet.pdf

Forcible Retraction:
http://www.nocirc.org/publish/pamphlet6.html

If poop gets on the penis you can wipe like a finger. You don't wipe after urination this is totally unnecessary and could disturb the natural flora.

In the bath you just swish in water. You don't ever want to soak your child in soaps or bubble baths or use soap on the genitals. This goes for a girl or a boy. Soaps cause a flora imbalance and can lead to a possible yeast infection. I just let my son play in the water. After he is done playing I wash him with an organic baby shampoo and rinse immediately. (I like Avalon Organics Baby)

This is not foreskin related but good to know:
For both boys and girls yeast infections can happen during the diaper wearing years or after a round of antibiotics. This is has nothing to do with his foreskin but I thought I would address it anyway. Yeast is easily treated with an OTC anti-fungal cream. To avoid yeast infections you should always have give your child probiotics during and for one week after a round of antibiotics. You can get probiotic supplements from the pediatrician or from a health food store. They have some especially formulated for infants and babies. Probiotics are just healthy bacteria. Also, if you choose to cloth diaper you will want to strip your diapers with vinegar and hang them to dry in the sunlight if you ever get diaper yeast (thrush). Yeast can be quite hard to remove from cloth diapers. You will want to use sposies until the yeast on your baby is treated and all the diapers have been stripped.

[mamakah]

Originally Posted by Claire and Boys

AAP link for you - http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_Uncircumcised.htm

I would print this out and give it to your doc, he is working with some extremely old school information and is giving out unnecessary and potentially harmful advice. Retracting infants to clean is like ripping open kittens eyelids to "clean" underneath, or breaking girls' hymens in order to scrub inside the vagina.

<cringe> Very descriptive! I'm with you!

[Yulia_R]

Originally Posted by latinalonestar

You don't ever want to...use soap on the genitals. This goes for a girl or a boy. Soaps cause a flora imbalance and can lead to a possible yeast infection.

I personally do. I use mild organic hemp baby soap on both of my kids' genitals. Very ocasionally on my son's, BUT I have to use it every day on my daughter's. If I don't wash her privets with soap every day, it gets redish and irritated.