a visit to the pediatrician...

[jennica]

So I brought ds in for his 18 month check-up. I had asked a question here a few months back because his pediatrician a couple times gently pulled on his forskin (she did not retract, she was very gentle), and I didn't think that was a good thing to do. People here provided me with links that stated to not touch it at all, not even gently. So, when the doctor came in she asked if I had any concerns. I said, "well, I've been reading up on how to care for the intact penis, and I noticed that you pulled back on the forskin in the past, and I would preffer that you not do that anymore." She said, "oh, that's fine, I don't have to." Then she stressed to me that she did not retract it, and that she was taught that as long as you didn't forcfully pull it back, and only gently pulled it to see how far it would go, that was okay. I told her that I knew that she had not retracted it, however, I had noticed some redness after she pulled it back gently, and I would just preffer that she not do that anymore. She said that was fine, and then she said, "It wont fully retract until he is 2 to 4 years old, so I didn't try to retract it, but I just gently pulled it back to check for phimosis, which is when the forskin is too tight." Then she asked me if he urintated okay, and I told her he did that just fine, sometimes even in the toilet, which changed the subject away from his forskin. I also noticed that I said "intact" and she consistently said "uncirced" even after I used the word "intact". I thought that was odd. I also noticed a sign in the office that stated that certain Minnesota insurance providers would no longer cover circumcisions, and therefore would no longer be performed in the hospital, but in the office instead. It listed all the aspects of the procedure that would have to be paid for, and the person would be personally billed for it. I wonder if this will deter some from circing their sons if they have to pay for it themselves, and make a special appointment to get it done at. Anyway, before I left she checked his testicles, and made sure to ask me if that was okay. Then she made the comment, "that is what they pay me for". I thought maybe she would go home and look it up to try to find out what I had read. Maybe it will make her think twice before touching a forskin, and maybe ask for permision. Maybe not, but I'd like to think I did some good. At least I did for my ds.

[kxsiven]

Sigh, another totally clueless, uneducated and dangerous doctor.

Why? Why this happens every freakin' day? What is the point leaving one's child intact because the doctors will make sure to destroy everything?

If this doctor really believes that all boys are retracting by age 4 and that babies have phimosis just like that....

poor kids who has to suffer in the hands of these 'doctors'.

Thank goodness you had the courage to make it stop for your child.

[Galatea]

Little babies don't get phimosis - their foreskins aren't supposed to go back! In adults, phimosis can be cured with gentle stretching and steroid creams. Tell her that next time.

[mainegirl]

This always amazes me, because there really is nothing that simply looking at the penis without touching it can tell them. Does it look pink and healthy? Then leave it alone!

I was lucky in that my son's first pediatrician never tried to retract him (and I wasn't aware that some doctors did, so whew!), at his two-week appointment he first asked me if it was okay to examine my son's "diaper area", lifted the penis to look at the underside of it, checked to see if his testicles had descended, and that was it. All of five seconds. He even told me that no one should ever have to check my son's testicles again because they were already descended so not to feel obligated to let anyone try. He said I would know if there was a problem with my son's penis better than any doctor would.

I feel very fortunate that I got this fairly mainstream doc who was at the very least penis-friendly! (Maybe he was intact too? No idea.)