special care for non-circed boys - Page 2

[AllMyChildren]

Your dr is giving you terrible advice. He is gonna cause your son problems. Please stop trying to uphold him and realize he is only doing harm to your son. Leave his penis alone, there is NEVER any reason for anyone to retract a childs foreskin.  Im sorry if i sound harsh, but it just upsets me when dr's, who we would like to trust, gives such bad advice.

[sapphire_chan]

I'll disagree with AllMyChildren. I think you should continue to uphold your doctor--and TRUST him to be intelligent enough to understand and accept the medical literature on proper care of the intact penis.

If, however, after you give him the information he persists in insisting on rumor and myth, then don't bring any genital questions to him. Because retracting a boy is just as pointless, invasive, and more painful and harmful than sticking a finger in a girl's vagina would be. There is exactly as little need to "check things under there" than there would be to check a girl's cervix.

[JulianneW]

When seeking intact care information I find it best to look at information that is provided by medical associations especially in countries who have low circumcision rates.

This is from the Canadian Paediatric Society- They have a section on caring for the intact penis.

http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/pregnancybabies/circumcision.htm

This is the British Association of Paediatric Surgery- Top of page 8, Section 1

http://www.baps.org.uk/documents/Circumcision_2007

Both the above Canadian and British Paediatric official statements are to not retract, retraction happens naturally on its own.

For me an easy way to think about it is to compare it to a baby girls vagina opening. An intact male retracts when he becomes aroused thus a boy has no need to be retractable and the foreskin is fused to the head of the penis, just as a baby girls vagina opening is tight because she has no need for it to be stretchy. As both sexes naturally develop the female and male sexual organs become functional. Just as their is no need to stretch a young girls vagina hole there is no need to retract a little boy.

[jessjgh1]

I had a dr who was very good too, but not so good on intact care.

The thing is, even gentle retraction could cause some tearing or irritation--- and it really isn't necessary at all.  What is he trying to accomplish by suggesting retraction?  It happens naturally on its own- but not NOW.  During infancy the foreskin protects the urethra from urine and stool.  By retracting prematurely you are removing this protection and then have to be more invasive about cleaning to avoid problems.

The doctor can see all s/he needs to without moving the foreskin- and if the child is urinating normally- then that also confirms that everything is working fine.  The body really works in an amazing way!

Even if he thinks he is being careful- why is it even necessary??  (It isn't)

Now, I'm sure my doctor and your doctor were probably trained and educated a certain way and they are used to following that model.  A great doctor, though, will be open to new information- and at the very least, be respectful of a parents instruction/decision.

It might not be your child that ends up with a problem from early retraction- some (most) probably do fine- but it is still unnecessary and potentially problematic.

Good luck,

Jessica

http://mothering.com/health/protect-your-uncircumcised-son-expert-medical-advice-for-parents

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/129378/a-warning-for-parents-of-intact-sons

If you want you can check out some old threads/articles  I typed up a bunch of stuff for our pedi:

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/982606/gloria-lemay-s-blog-protecting-boys-from-retraction

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/718856/i-ve-got-a-live-one-here-doctor-re-education

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/761568/aap-and-gentle-retraction-for-exam

And unfortunately, if you search for retraction and pediatrician (or related terms) there are dozens of posts about this happening and causing problems.

[happymommy1]

If you go to dr c off wekiva rd we had this issue too and I ended up w an injured child. We will go back one more time with literature to educate him and if he can't handle it then we know of a great gen practitioner who does drop ins and is wholistic like dr c. We will be back in about 6 wks for a 12 mo visit and will discuss w him then. If this is yoru dr, then maybe we should join forces.;) I like him a lot and he has helped me find that my baby has a gluten issue and figured out many misdiagnoses that a diff dr didnt figure out so I like him. This one issue he needs to be educated about. We are select/delaying vaxes for many reasons as well.