babysitting my nephew

[emma1325]

I'm babysitting my 18 month old nephew this week. He's circumcised. Sweet little boy...I feel so sad for him every time I change his diaper.

I did notice something during a diaper change...it looks as though they removed more foreskin on one side than on the other. One side looks like a traditional "tight" circ and the other side has a little overlapping of skin. Is this how some circumcisions end up looking?

[serendipity22]

Is this how some circumcisions end up looking?

Its very common. If extreme enough it can cause erections to lean one way.

I wonder if its more common when circ is done without anesthetic. Its hard to imagine cutting very straight while blocking out from your mind the terrible screams.

[Quirky]

Also keep in mind that it may have been done by a resident in a teaching hospital....doctors learn procedures by the old "see one, do one, teach one" method. In a hospital with residents, circs are seen as one of the first "procedures" they get to do as "real" doctors, y'know, with scalpels and all, and if it's not perfect, well, no biggie, right?

[emma1325]

I cannot express the extent of how sad this makes me feel. He didn't deserve this. My husband didn't deserve to have it done to him. Sorry...venting. At very least, in the event that my husband and I ever have a boy, we'll break the cycle (in our immediate family.) I am also hoping that somehow our choice to not circumcise our future son will positively affect someone else's decision in this matter. In any event, the whole issue makes me sick. Ok, I'm done.

[glongley]

It's not so much a matter of "cutting straight," but simply the fact that the infnat penis is very small and the devices used are rather imprecise. It's very easy to pull up (and cut off) more skin on one side than another, or pull up too much skin altogether, leading to a tight circ all over, or even a denuded shaft. Plus every penis different to begin with. So, in short, it's more or less a crap shoot what you're going to end up with.

Gillian