[Shaunam]

I've been fuming over my nephew's circ for 5 months now. I know I just need to get over it but I can't just yet. Part of the reason I'm so mad is he wasn't what most people would consider a "healthy" newborn. Here's a list of the problems he was having:

born at 36 weeks
jaundiced
couldn't keep body temp up
couldn't keep blood sugar up
not stable enough to be handed straight to mom

So they circ'ed him when he was 10 HOURS old.

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Ok, first of all, I thought it was standard to wait at least 24 hours, correct? Secondly, what doctor in their right mind would circ a newborn with so many issues? How the hell do these doctors sleep at night? Besides the guilt from torturing babies, you'd think they'd be worried that an unstable baby would be more likely to have complications, but noooo, they just slice them up anyways!

So I've been seeing articles recently on some pareting boards saying "more doctors opting to use pain relief for circs" or something similar. It goes on and on about how "well, they didn't used to use pain relief, but now doctor's recognize the need for it, even the AAP recommends it, be sure to ask your doc what kind of pain relief they intend to use". But we all know MOST doctors aren't using it! I wanna know what else they are lying to parents about! "We only circ HEALTHY newborns." "OF COURSE we use pain relief." "The risks are MINIMAL." "It's SOOOO much healthier."

How can people not see straight through this crap!!!???

 

[Stampy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaunam How the hell do these doctors sleep at night?

$$$$$$$$ - that's the reason..

That's what I can't understand about US hospitals.....

UK hospitals - baby boy arrives, lots of pampering and Welcome to the world, son.

US hospitals - baby boy arrives, now we're gonna strap you to a board, and skin your penis red raw..... btw, welcome to the world....

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[A&A]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stampy US hospitals - baby boy arrives, now we're gonna strap you to a board, and skin your penis red raw..... btw, welcome to the world.... :

My sister's boy was 4 lbs, and I'm sure she could have gotten him circ'd if she had wanted to (fortunately she didn't want to!)

Not every US. boy has to go through this trauma......my son is intact, as well.

 

[azedazobollis]

As a foster mother, this smakes me so mad. I once had a 34 week old drug addicted preemie that was circ'd in the hospital as a routine procedure. He was signed over to the state at birth so there were birthfamily members to give consent. When I initially went to see him, I asked if he was circ'd and they said, they JUST did it. He was 2 days old!!!! I was fuming. He was in states custody with no "parents". There was no reason to do this. He was not stable and healthy- still going through withdrawals!!! I complained to the social worker.

I would like to somehow find who to contact to get a letter written to the hospitals to stop this routine circ of infants in state custody. Most of these babies are not healthy at birth in addition to the fact they have no "forever family" that should be making these decisions.

Any thoughts on how I could approach this (without blowing my chances of getting another placement?)

 

[susienjay]

Supposedly infants only have to weigh 4 lbs and be "stable" condition to be circed at the hospital I had my son. Some of the babies they circed were barely in a condition to go home. Some of them were going home on monitors and/or oxygen but yet they are okay to have cosmetic surgery on their penis. As opposed as I am to circ I don't get why they can't at least recommend that the parents wait a couple weeks to have it done.

I've been reading a blog of another homeschool mom. She had her son 3 months early and he was in the hospital for 14 weeks. He was circed a few weeks before he came home. They were doing surgery to repair a hernia so they just did the circ at the same time. She said he was extremely fussy and had trouble eating for several days following the surgery. Imagine that?

He weighed 4lb 6 oz at the time and was on oxygen, caffeine, and still not nippling all of his feedings. Plus he was still in an isolette. I think it was incredibly irresponsible of the doctors to even offer to circumcise at that point.

 

[Jillie]

Man, the idea of the poor babies suffering like this just ticks me off. Yuck!!!!

 

[ShaggyDaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stampy $$$$$$$$ - that's the reason..

I really have to disagree with that. I believe the primary reason for the cycle of violence is male insecurity. "All Penis's must look like mine or I am a freak"

"It was done to me, are you saying my penis is inferior??? Impossible."

I believe that is the underlying psychological issue that perpetuates this awful practice.

Of course there is money, but I believe the much more powerful force at work here is male genital insecurity.

 

[jessjgh1]

Another major reason standards for policy should be adopted, imo.

Some hospitals probably have a weight limit, some don't.

Jessica

 

[muckemom]

My nephew was circ'd... after he was a horrible birth and had no attempts to respirate and had no heartbeat for 4 minutes... hooked up to tubes and everything... they wouldn't even let him come off the tubes to BF... at 2 days... they circ'd him.

Crazy.

 

[midwifetx]

My uncle was born prematurely in the mid 1940's and they told his parents that he was not healthy enough to survive a circumcision (he was bigger than 4lbs, though) Lucky Uncle Miltie.

 

[kondonis]

my son was born at 24 weeks and as they were wheeling him out of the operating room I called out that he was NOT to be circumsized - and they were very sweet and told me that there is no way they would circumsize a child in the NICU.

of course, he was only 1lb 12 oz, but still. When he was ready to come home (6months later) they asked me if I wanted him circumcized because they would do it now that he was healthy (and 11lbs) but I was like - NO WAY - make sure it's in the chart - he is NOT to be circumsized. I made sure to tell EVERY doctor and resident there.

and, they were really cool about it. I think they see enough sick kids to know that why on earth would they subject a child to this after all they'd been through?

But, on a separate note, Will's neighbor was a full term twin who had urinary issues and was 3lbs, and when they did the surgery to correct his urinary issues, they circumsized him too (per parents request). That just floored me - less so for the surgeons (thats what they do!) but more the parents - like how could it even be a thought when your child is fighting for his life? that is the real crime.

 

[kimkabob5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShaggyDaddy I really have to disagree with that. I believe the primary reason for the cycle of violence is male insecurity. "All Penis's must look like mine or I am a freak" "It was done to me, are you saying my penis is inferior??? Impossible." I believe that is the underlying psychological issue that perpetuates this awful practice. Of course there is money, but I believe the much more powerful force at work here is male genital insecurity.

I have to agree with this. I dont' think doctors make a whole lot of money from circumcisions. It's more of an ego thing; if they are circed themselves then of course all babies should be too. It's really sick when you think about it.

 

[rozzie'sma]

Yeah we had a mama with a tiny preemie at LLL. She was having latch problems and I looked when they changed his dipe and he was circ'd. I just wanted to cry. She was so paranoid about infection (understandably) but then left him with an open wound to sit in feces.

 

[Past_VNE]

That is just SOOO sad, Shauna. Gawd, it makes me fume!!!

 

[Islay]

I'm one of twins, but I think I was little more that a makepiece - just 2½ ilbs!

Fortunately, my parents would never have thought of circumcision - even if it had been customary in Burma, where I was born.

The shocking tales in this thread seem to point to reality versus published 'facts'. And once again I see much more truth in anecdotal reality than official statements, so called 'studies' and research.

Christopher

 

[Lula's Mom]

Quote:

Activists do wonder if there is a financial incentive behind the continuation of circumcisions. With a price tag of $200 to $300 each, circumcisions can be an easy source of revenue for doctors and hospitals, critics contend. "It is a tremendous money-maker," [psychologist Jim Bigelow, author of the book The Joy of Uncircumcising] said, calling circumcision a $250 million a year industry. "Now that's a lot of money."

http://www.cirp.org/news/1996.08.07_ColumbusAlive/

Doctors and hospitals absolutely do make a lot of money off circumcisions. Doing them, and selling the foreskins after they slice them off.

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[Ivan's Mom]

The more I hear about and think about doctors and the circumcision practice, the more sick I feel. I can't stand the thought of these people being in an postion of authority on anything. They make me want to uke
Who in the hell could strap a baby down and hurt him or her so badly? A sadist, that's who. And my quest to find a OB GYN that says "no" to circ continues.