How to "take care" of an intact penis

[sun-shine01]

My little guy is due January 2nd and I'm just wondering what are the top do's and don'ts. Is there a sticky on this?

Thanks for the info.

[ShelleyMom2in2]

really easy:
dont do anything


Never pull back the foreskin. Just rinse it with water at bath time, treat it like a finger. Surface wash only :LOL

When he is old enough to retract it himself he can clean underneath as needed.

[Quirky]

Take a look at this thread: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=129378

You don't have to read the whole thing, just be on your guard about healthcare professionals who are not aware that the intact penis should never, ever be retracted by anyone except the boy himself.

This is an excellent article and a must-read for you and your dh: http://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...uncircson.html

Read through the pamphlets here: http://www.nocirc.org/publish/

Everyday care is very simple - wash like a finger, never retract, the end. It's more the medical profession, day care providers, anyone who might be looking at his penis or changing his diaper you have to be alert for - and educate as necessary.

[sun-shine01]

Thanks mamas! Those are great links and I will save them to a file for any questions later.

[Mewsin]

I saw a pamphlet in the hospital after having Koivu......

The outside said "Care of an Uncirc'd Penis"

The inside said "wipe with a wet cloth"

I guess we need simple terms here.

[paminmi]

Originally Posted by Mewsin

I saw a pamphlet in the hospital after having Koivu......

The outside said "Care of an Uncirc'd Penis"

The inside said "wipe with a wet cloth"

I guess we need simple terms here.

Jodi-I'm gonna do a happy dance right here and now if you tell me you live in the US...do you???

Pam
(who's hopeful that some medical person/establishment in this country is finally "getting it right"!!!)

[Mewsin]

Sorry Pam. Canadian girl here.

[Frankly Speaking]

Originally Posted by sun-shine01

My little guy is due January 2nd and I'm just wondering what are the top do's and don'ts. Is there a sticky on this?

Thanks for the info.

Even better than that, I'm going to give you your very own copy of "Frank's Complete and Highly Detailed Manual on the Care of the Intact Penis" reprinted form another thread:

Some years ago, we were getting this question often and I realized there was a need for a definitive writing on the care of intact boys. I spent many hours writing a manual for the use of parents that was all inclusive and complete. Since then it has been published on-line many times both here and at other parenting sites on the internet.

Frank’s Complete and Highly Detailed Manual for the Care and Maintenance of the Intact Penis is reprinted at the end of this post for your use. I would recommend you print it out and take the time necessary to read and completely understand each step long before your son is born. A copy should also be given to anyone who will be caring for your son and you may also want to tape a copy to the wall near the place you will be bathing your son for easy reference.

It is critically important that each step be followed exactly as written without deviation and each and every day. To vary from the instructions can actually cause harm to your son. Indeed, many post natal circumcisions have been caused by the improper care of the foreskin and penis. Once you have committed each step to memory, keep the manual close for quick reference should any question arise.

Follow each step in the order given. Do not vary from this procedure for any reason and do not allow any caregiver or medical professional to vary from the procedure for any reason. Be very careful when your child is in their presence because they will often go outside the outlines so quickly that you will not be able to stop it before it is too late. Read the sticky thread at the top of the forum “Warning for Parents of Intact Sons” and you will see what I am speaking of.

With close adherence to the guidelines in the manual, you will have a son that enjoys optimal penile health for his entire life. I know this will be difficult for you and other caregivers but when you chose to leave your son intact, you knew that maintaining a foreskin was a difficult proposition. Everybody knows that, don’t they? Isn’t it common knowledge? Of course it is and now you must carry through with that commitment. I know you will be diligent in your responsibilities and your son will thank you for it. Good luck!

Now, here is the manual:

Frank’s Complete and Highly Detailed Manual on the Care of the Intact Penis

1. Wash the outside just like a finger.

2. Rinse.

3. Dry.

4. Never let anyone except your son retract his foreskin for any reason. Not even medical professionals.

5. The End!

[wendy1221]

Originally Posted by paminmi

Jodi-I'm gonna do a happy dance right here and now if you tell me you live in the US...do you???

Pam
(who's hopeful that some medical person/establishment in this country is finally "getting it right"!!!)

When my first was born 6 years ago in PA, the ped practice we went w/ gave me a paper to take home for care of the uncirc'd penid. It mainly said do not retract, explained that it was connected, etc, said do not allow anyone else to retract, including other healthcare roviders (!) and said that your son will learn to retract in his own time and when he does, you can show him how to retract and rinse (no soap!) in the bath or shower. Very good info. And at the bottom, it had a short paragraph, in smaller print explaining care of the circ'd penis and made it sound awful and painful and prone to infection. This was in a generic packet they sent home w/ every parent, whether you had a bot or girl, circ'd or not. THeir circ rate was 10%, someone told me.

Too bad it's not like that everywhere. We live in te midwest now.

[jenP]

Just yesterday I handed DS to a friend so she could change him while DD and I ate. It didn't occur to me to warn her not the retract because 1) I didn't think he had pooped - I'd had him in the sling since the last diaper change and I always hear/feel it when he poops and 2) I assumed she knew since she had an intact son.
She came back from the bathroom and said he had pooped and it was all up the front of him... (oh yeah, there was that short car ride when he wasn't in the sling with me.. must have pooped then) then she asked if I was retracting the foreskin to clean under it... well I explained how it should NEVER be retracted until it does on its own and that that could be as late as the teenage years. Anyway now I was really scared she had tried to do it to him. But he wasn't crying. Let's just say his next change came very quickly, and thank goodness everything looked okay. The point of this all is, after the fact I thought of a concise easy way to explain to people about how you should not retract:

You don't need to clean under a baby boy's foreskin any more than you need to clean up inside a baby girl's vagina.

Assuming people know that a vagina is a self-cleaning, internal environment that shouldn't be tampered with and that overzealous cleaning only leads to a greater chance of infection... then maybe that would be an easy way to get across that the "inside" of the penis is the same way.

Jen

[TigerTail]

well, it's less like a finger- i clean under their nails.

susan