"I remember being circumcised at birth" - Page 2

[Smokering]

I remember being born. I had speech and language delays so I think I have a different way of thinking. I have a lot of very early memories - sensations, things I saw.

Intriguing! What do you remember? Was it a happy memory or a traumatic one?

[DJay]

Originally Posted by hakunangovi

Some years ago there was a lady in California who was attempting to write a thesis on this. She had collected stories from parents whose little boys had verbalised a memory of their own circumcisions. I thought her name was Rosemary Kimmel - does that ring a bell with anyone? We corresponded a few times, and I believe that she, unfortunately, ran out of money to fund her project.

Might you be thinking of Rosemary Romberg? She wrote a lengthy book about circumcision.

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

Originally Posted by Smokering

Intriguing! What do you remember? Was it a happy memory or a traumatic one?

It's purely physical, just being squeezed all over. But then I had pain in my eye. Silver nitrate drops?

[NamastePlatypus]

yes it is very real.
My 5 year old can recall things within the womb, ( THAT is a whole other amazing thread!) and birth. I thank God he was not circed, I know he would remember.

I personally remember being placed in my bassient by an older nurse, and being rolled in my bassient deal by dad, and him picking me up and giving me to my mom in the hospital. CLEAR as day.

[Jaesun's Dad]

Don't remember it. That doesn't change the fact that I--as an adult--resent having irreversible surgery done on my penis without my permission. But I have no traumatic memories of the procedure.

[NamastePlatypus]

Originally Posted by PuppyFluffer

There is a book written by a guy named Chamberlain called Babies Remember Birth. In it, he talks with people about their births. He does not address circumcision.

I just recently saw a blog post that quoted him where he does discuss memories of circumcision.

I fully believe there is an unconscious mental and a physical memory of circumcision.

link?

[hakunangovi]

DJay, Good suggestion, but no, I am familiar with Rosemary Romberg. I read her book "The painful dilemma", and corresponded with her when she was publishing articles under "Peacefull beginnings" before she moved from Washington to Alaska. The person I was referring to did not have anything published as far as I know.

[serendipity22]

There is a book written by a guy named Chamberlain called Babies Remember Birth. In it, he talks with people about their births. He does not address circumcision.

There are a number of articles by Chamberlain on the web e.g.
http://primal-page.com/babies.htm

I have remembered feelings and sensations from birth during primal/rebirthing etc. I also have some strong womb memories.

IMO people sometimes talk about feelings from their birth.

I don't remember being circed. It doesn't mean the event has no psychological impact.

[Anastasiya]

Chamberlain mentions circumcision briefly here

"Generation after generation, an unlucky majority of American male babies have been subjected to circumcision for dubious medical religious, cultural, and cosmetic reasons. I can only assume that parents have tolerated this in the mistaken belief that the baby will not know he is being tortured. He will."

This too. He talks about it pretty lengthily here.

[BaPef]

I can tell you 100% it does happen, I remember and the surgury was bad enough, the healing and caring for it after was way more painful, but the worst part was removing the stitches, they had my mother do it, I was sitting up in the bathtub and OMG. Lets just say it has haunted my relationship with my mother well into adult hood because she was there for the surgury and let it happen. If it is a religious argument then let them decide when they get older otherwise don't force such horror.

[philomom]

While I don't remember my birth, I do have several clear, non-verbal memories...... mostly having to do with the playpen, the cat, the park near the house... that sort of thing. So these memories stem from a time when I was 6-9 months old.


I'm very glad that my son is intact.

[A&A]

"Memories" as we tend to think of them are stored in the hippocampus.  Feelings of memories, however, are stored in the amygdala. In general, I don't think the hippocampus remembers newborn circumcision,  but I have no doubt that the amygdala remembers the feelings of that experience. 

[Cyllya]

Originally Posted by A&A 

"Memories" as we tend to think of them are stored in the hippocampus.  Feelings of memories, however, are stored in the amygdala. In general, I don't think the hippocampus remembers newborn circumcision,  but I have no doubt that the amygdala remembers the feelings of that experience. 

Yeah, I notice that people don't seem to need an actual memory of an event (as in a mental movie they can play back) in order to have their emotions, worldview, opinions, etc, affected by that event.

For example, my DP and I occasionally have a conversation that goes something like this:

Me: Why do you _____?

DP: What? I don't _____.

Me: You _____ all the time!

DP: When have I _____ed???

(And I'll be lucky if I can name two examples, even though he's totally _____ed at least a dozen times.)

(In fact, this example is an example of itself, because I can only think of one thing to fill in the blank with.)

By this time next week, I probably won't remember what I had for dinner tonight, but I still want to enjoy my dinner. I actually don't remember very many events from my childhood, and I guess I kind of work under the assumption that once my kids reach my current age, they won't have many memories of their childhoods either. But I still want to try to have them have a happy childhood, you know?

[T-man's Mama]

I was researching infant surgery in general recently and came across some shocking information (though why I was shocked, knowing what I do about circ, I cannot say...). This site (http://ltinnin.wordpress.com/) was the first I came across mentioning the fairly recent custom of performing major infant surgery (including open heart and abdominal) without anesthesia. Just a paralytic to keep them still, but no anesthesia as it wasn't considered safe. It wasn't until 1986 that the Academy of Pediatric Surgeons changed their protocol in this regard. I shared this with a friend who underwent heart surgery at 6 weeks of age. He said it really explained the mysterious PTSD that plagued him all his life. So yeah, pre-verbal memories don't just disappear to never bother us again. God help those poor babies who had to undergo this AND circ.

Originally Posted by claddaghmom 

laohaire what an amazingly helpful post. My DH remembers his circ, something he does not share openly as it is met with ridicule.

Anyways, when he was a toddler he had open heart surgery. I wonder if the event triggered memories of his circ, and as you say, he would then have been able to transition his circ memories.
 
 

[Lisa1970]

I have one memory of laying on the floor and looking up at a gold colored couch and was on what seemed like a white blanket. I described it in full and where I was in the room sort of, and it seemed as if it must have been a real memory. It was only a glimpse. But it would stand to reason it is possible that someone might remember an extremely traumatic moment from being a baby. BUT, I am guessing more likely they have read about it enough that they think they can remember it. I just don't really know.

[Lisa1970]

That is horrifying!!! It makes me wants to scream and cry reading it! How awful!!!! Those poor babies!!!!
 

Originally Posted by T-man's Mama 

I was researching infant surgery in general recently and came across some shocking information (though why I was shocked, knowing what I do about circ, I cannot say...). This site (http://ltinnin.wordpress.com/) was the first I came across mentioning the fairly recent custom of performing major infant surgery (including open heart and abdominal) without anesthesia. Just a paralytic to keep them still, but no anesthesia as it wasn't considered safe. It wasn't until 1986 that the Academy of Pediatric Surgeons changed their protocol in this regard. I shared this with a friend who underwent heart surgery at 6 weeks of age. He said it really explained the mysterious PTSD that plagued him all his life. So yeah, pre-verbal memories don't just disappear to never bother us again. God help those poor babies who had to undergo this AND circ.

[BubbleMa]

When we were kids my sister claimed she could remember things that happened when mom was pregnant with her, or when she was very small.  Maybe she wasn't just making it up. 

What a fascinating topic!  And more than enough reason not to circ (not that I needed another one). 

[bandgeek]

I think it's entirely possible.  MOST people tend to remember things as far back as about age 3.  Just in talking to people, this seems very "average".  I've read that it has a lot to do with language?  Like once you can verbalize things you start to retain the memories.  Makes no sense, but that's the jist I get.  But I know people who don't remember anything before age 5.  My first memory was at age 14 months, and my dad's is estimated at about 9 months (according to his mother's recollection of what he described to her).  So obviously there's a huge range of normal.  I was pre-verbal for many of my early memories.  I didn't talk until I was 2 (at ALL).  My dad's first memory was obviously from when he was pre-verbal.  So to me, that doesn't seem to be a factor.  I talked to a girl in high school once who claimed she remembered being a newborn.  She was a preemie and her early months were very traumatic.  My first memories were all traumatic, scary, and/or significant things (nothing like routine care, diaper changes, or nursing, ect).  Maybe that trauma plays into how easily it's remembered?  My first memory, at 14 month was falling and cracking my head on the patio.  It was scary and painful.  Makes for a significant memory!

[MyBoysBlue]

I have memories that are pre two years old. I remember of the ice baths in the hospital, I had several before I was two for high fevers.  I can describe where the room was in the hospital and even where the tub was in the room in relation to the door.

[Devaskyla]

When I was 6-8 or so, I had a recurring nightmare that I was trapped in a car with my mother while we sank into a giant mud puddle. Many years later, mom happened to mention that when I was about 6 months old, we were driving somewhere and the car got stuck in a huge mud puddle and dad went to get help to get us out. It obviously wasn't nearly as bad as my nightmares, but it's pretty clear that at least some part of me remembered it.

My first conscious memory is from sometime before 18 months. I crawled into my sister's crib before my parents got up, but I couldn't get back out so I had to wait for them. It might be that I remember it because I did it on a fairly regular basis.

So far none of my kids have said that they remember their births, which makes me kind of sad. I do believe that it is possible to remember it for some people.