retracting foreskin of 5 month old...need info

[NinaBruja]

i lurk on this board sometimes, (mostly because i have a girl) but now i have a question...

my friend has a 5 month old intact son. yesterday we had a conversation that went like this:

friend:*to baby* 'you need a diaper change, time to retract your foreskin'
me: 'uh, arent you not supposed to do that'
friend: 'if you dont they can have problems, and the opening being too small and cause problems if you dont regularly retract them'
me: 'i thought you were supposed to leave it alone until theyre at least three'
friend: 'yeah i thought that too but its not true'
me: ...*standing there with that 'that doesnt sound right' look on my face*

i have a bad feeling about this... i think her pediatrician may have something to do with this. she started solids at 4 months too partly because of this same ped. can someone please supply me with some facts. im worried for his little foreskin.

[feebeeglee]

http://www.cirp.org/pages/parents/peron1/ is the best I got, and it's pretty good.

[Frankly Speaking]

Also read the sticky at the top of the forum "Warning for Parents of Intact Sons."

This early retraction can cause infections, especially e.coli infections but can also cause staph and strep infections as well as others. It can also cause scarring of the preputial sphincter and is almost guaranteed to cause pathological phimosis. I have a very strong suspicion that this Ped has a lot of post-natal circumcisions for infections and phimosis that his/her advice is causing.




Frank

[kxsiven]

She is harming the baby by doing the forcefull retraction. Foreskin should absolutely be left alone and doctors who give that kind of harmful information should be sued.

Have your friend read the AAP's statement about caring of intact penis?

This issue makes me so mad.

[calngavinsmom]

You are totally correct 'mam. She should NOT be retracting that baby. Your friend and whoever told her to do that need to be set straight. Here is some info,

http://www.nocirc.org/publish/4pam.pdf
http://www.nocirc.org/publish/6pam.pdf
http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/
http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/aap/
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/babies/Circumcision.htm

The Mothering articles are good too. They are in the sticky at the top of the forum.

Good luck to you,
Take care,
tara

[~Megan~]

But what if she's already retracting? If she already retracting it I have to wonder if that might cause problems if she stopped.

[feebeeglee]

It's best to stop anyway. It is most likely trying to 'fix' itself, and readhere to the glans. Every time it is retracted it causes microtears in the foreskin that heal as relatively inelastic scar tissue. If it is phimotic from this innapropriate care after he is postpubescent it can be treated then, most likely nonsurgically by using an external ointment (like Mederma, I expect) to soften the scar tissue or with steroid creams.

Bede is retractile at 25mos and he was never forcibly retracted. I don't give it a second thought because it's very unlikely that anything problematic will get under there. It doesn't need cleaning any more than a little girl's vagina needs a q-tip, or a child of either sex needing their urethra cleaned somehow. Every time a boy pees he flushes the whole area with sterile liquid.

[hummingbear]

Originally Posted by poxybat

me: 'i thought you were supposed to leave it alone until theyre at least three'
friend: 'yeah i thought that too but its not true'

Oh so sad. Poor momma trying to do right by her child and being so misled. I hope that the links posted above can help her. This is one area where ignorance just isn't bliss. If any of this information does get her to understanding the damage that is being done, I hope she gives a mouthful to the one responsible for misleading her in the first place.

[mattemma04]

I hope you can get her to stop. I have never retracted my now 3yo son and he is doing just fine. This mother (and his doctor) are setting this baby boy up for circumcision in the future.It will be another," He has so many infections we HAD to circumcise" story.
Sometime I feel as sad for intact boys in this country as I do for the already cut ones. It is amazing how little we know about our bodies! Best wishes!

[Frankly Speaking]

Originally Posted by amarasmom

But what if she's already retracting? If she already retracting it I have to wonder if that might cause problems if she stopped.

The preputial space secretes an enzyme called lysozime that fights infection. It's the same enzyme that protects your eyes from infections. Cleaning the preputial space washes the protective lysozime away leaving the area unprotected. If retraction is discontinued, the lysozime will begin protecting the area again as it should in just a few days.



Frank

[NinaBruja]

update

thank you all for your replies, you are indeed a valuble resource.
i went to visit and told her that i didnt think what she said sounded right and asked on mdc and was told loud and clear to stop immediately.
she said she was stopping and switching pediatricians.
as we sat and talked her son woke up and started crying, she said he had been like this for a few days, we had thought he was teething but i said 'hey maybe he has an infection from the retracting. she practically ripped off his diaper and retracted the foreskin again! it was all pink tipped and i said 'hey! i thought you werent going to do that' she said 'but i was just checking, how am i going to know how its doing if i dont retract him and check?' i replied 'his foreskin doesnt know what you intentions are, its still retraction'
her son screamed bloody murder as soon as she touched his penis. we think he has an infection. it was indeed her pediatrician who told her to retract.
i told her i would call her from home and read her the important stuff from the replies and links and info.
i came back and read to her and she feels so bad now, she is pissed at her pediatrician. and she wants to know how to treat the infection, or what to do to make her son feel better. poor guys in alot of pain. and for the moment she is justifiably wary of pediatricians.

[Frankly Speaking]

The first thing she should do is nothing. That's right, nothing. His foreskin has been through a lot of trauma and needs time to heal. Give it 3 days and see if there is any sign of improvement. If there is, let it continue to heal. If not, schedule an appointment with the pediatrician and insist on a culture to identify the pathogen (bacteria) for the most appropriate antibiotic. If an infection is confirmed, she should get a topical ointment that should be used around the tip of the foreskin. She should not retract the foreskin to apply the ointment to the inner foreskin or glans. She should see improvement within just a couple of days. Treatment should be continued for 10 days or as instructed by the doctor.



Frank

[hummingbear]

poor guy

I hope she is able to find an intact knowledgeable pediatrician who can help her son and reassure her.

[Past_VNE]

Poooor baby. What a shame that he is hurting like this. I dearly hope that too much damage has not been done.

On the other hand, he's lucky to have a mama who will change her actions when presented with the facts.

I mean, it's sad that she's been hurting him, no doubt, but she was trying to do right. And it seems she is following the quote of 'when you know better, you do better.'

to that mama and to you for speaking to her about the issue.

[mattemma04]

An herbal bath,similar to the ones women use after birithing,would help in the healing process. Best wishes for her little one.