[BlessedMommy2006]

For me it was Dr. Sears' books. He's not ultra anti-circ, but he definitely makes it clear in his books that he doesn't believe circ is necessary and leans towards being against it.

I read that, and was like, "Oh fantastic, I'm glad that's not required because it sounds horribly painful for the baby."

So what did you first read that taught you about circ? Or did a friend share with you?

 

[Frootloop]

No books.. just the information I've learned from the wonderful people in this forum

 

[njeb]

It wasn't anything I read. It was my homebirth midwife talking to us about circumcision in our birthing classes. She really convinced us that circumcision was NOT necessary. What cinched it for me was when I found out that they used NO anesthetic. I wasn't about to put a newborn through that!!!

Thank Goddess I'd decided to give birth at home! If I'd had him in a hospital, the young, insecure mother I was back in 1979 could easily have been talked into circumcision.

Edited to add: There was hardly anything in print 30 years ago about circumcision. Even in home birth, hippie circles, there was very little. The internet didn't exist back then.

 

[GoldmanBaby09]

I had pretty much already made up my mind that we were not going to circumcise our son, but my mom gave me a copy of Doctors Re-Examine Circumcision by Thomas Ritter and George Denniston, and that really sealed the deal for me. I didn't even really know what the procedure entailed, but reading how it is done and seeing it in pictures was enough to physically turn my stomach. I felt pain for the baby in the picture, and can't imagine subjecting my son to that.

 

[bandgeek]

The bible. Seriously. I read it for the first time when I was like 14? and it seemed barbaric. I didn't realize until I was 16 that it was common here and every penis I'd ever seen was missing something. After that...a photo journal of a guy restoring. By the time I got to the parenting books, I was verbally abusing the authors for writing such biased crap about how boys are better off looking like daddy and how he might get that dreaded infection if you don't do it.

:

 

[Ron_Low]

1986: Several monthly issues of the American Mensa magazine included a debate about it in the letters to the editor. The pro-intacts had all the ammo in that fight.

 

[RJones1204]

DH and I were closer to 6mths pregnant before we decided with DS. I started reading homebirth websites. Cant remember the specific one. But it was pretty much anti circ. And something clicked in my brain upstairs. Before that point, I had never even realized it was much of an option not too. I also still did not realize the actual functions of the foreskin. All DH and I knew was it was painful and we didnt want to do that for DS. Several months after he was born, was when I learned just what a wise choice we made for him.
ETA I thank God, my firstborn was a girl! I so would have circed had she been a he

 

[Tinijocaro]

I was reading a parenting magazine (probably Parenting Mag) and there was one of those tagboard inserts selling a book called "Say No to Circumcision". I ordered it, believed every word I read and decided right then and there not to circ, even though we lived in central IL. This was back in 1995, we had no internet access-it was just coming into homes at that time.

 

[Marnica]

For me it was the video of a circumcision....I felt like throwing up and went home and told DH "over my dead body are we doing this to our son"!

 

[PuppyFluffer]

It was first learning WHAT circumcision was as a young teen. It just seemed WRONG to me on a very visceral gut level. I'd never even seen a penis in real life at that point in my life but I was strongly against cutting anything off of one.

I also came across the Bigelow's book on restoration in a book store about 1988-89 and I felt it very wrong for a man to have to do that to his body to get back some semblence of what was taken from him in the first place.

 

[perspective]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlessedMommy2006 So what did you first read that taught you about circ? Or did a friend share with you?

Umm, neither actually. To me it just always seemed weird, and once I actually thought about it, everyday logic told me that it was dumb.

Unless you have been somewhat "brainwashed" to believe that there is something wrong with the foreskin, the idea of being against infant circumcision is just the default, and the obvious choice.

 

[blackapple]

No books, at least, not at first. It was my natural instinct I guess I should call it. I just couldn't bear the thought of it. Then when I joined another parenting forum, I learned some there, researched more myself, and thankfully met my DH who also is anti-circ. He actually showed me the Penn and Teller show, not the other way around.

 

[tutucrazy]

This article sealed the deal for me:
http://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...cumcision.html

 

[Kirsten]

In '95 when I was pregnant with dd1 (though we didn't know if she'd be a dd or ds), and I can't remember if we found out first in our Bradley natural childbirth class or when I saw a No Circ table at a pregnancy/birth forum in Seattle. I bought a book there (it was $5; I remember it was half off of $10) called 40 Reasons Not to Circumcise. AMAZING BOOK! So quick to read, so clear, so reasonable - almost impossible not to be swayed IMO.

I was sold. It took dp another year or two til he accidentally saw part of our friends' baby's circ as it was taking place. He came back to my friend's hospital room where I was visiting with her (the baby's mom). He was white as a ghost, and we left quickly as I thought he was ill. As soon as we were out of earshot, he said "we are NEVER doing that!"

Great - we are in agreement! Onward with the movement for change! And we have three daughters....

 

[tutucrazy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirsten In '95 when I was pregnant with dd1 (though we didn't know if she'd be a dd or ds), and I can't remember if we found out first in our Bradley natural childbirth class or when I saw a No Circ table at a pregnancy/birth forum in Seattle. I bought a book there (it was $5; I remember it was half off of $10) called 40 Reasons Not to Circumcise. AMAZING BOOK! So quick to read, so clear, so reasonable - almost impossible not to be swayed IMO. .

I think you are referring to the book Doctors Re-examine Circumcision They discuss 40 reasons not to circ. I buy that book for all my friends who are having boys. You are right, it is super easy to read, as it reads more like a workbook than a novel. (Probably great for husbands who often don't want to read a thick book)

 

[Night_Nurse]

It wasn't anything I read but seeing circs take place during nursing school rotations some 14- 15 years ago. I knew there was NO WAY that would ever happen to any son I might have!
I'm happy to report both of my children are intact!

 

[Sharlla]

I actually never wanted to do it, OR medicaid wouldn't cover it anyway. I never read anything anti circ and before coming here never even knew there was a movement. I do remember watching a special on dateline back in 98 that was very anti circ.

 

[rissierae]

Some how we got on the topic in a pottery class I was in months before I got pregnant. Both moms had boys, one circ'd her's and the other didn't. The one who had her's circ'd said she wished she hadn't and the mom who didn't urged me not to if I ever had a boy. That's what originally got me thinking. Then I actually read some stuff about female genital mutilation in Africa, and that got me thinking even more. It made me really want to look into it when I did get pregnant, I found the best information on here. Once I had the facts there was NO WAY I was letting anybody do that to my son!

 

[Treece]

What convinced me was a PICTURE of a boy being circed. That sealed the deal. I couldn't watch a video for years afterwards.

I decided that if it were necessary, they would use anesthesia but they don't so, my kiddos are intact. (Oh, xh was intact and adamant

)

 

[Kirsten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tutucrazy I think you are referring to the book Doctors Re-examine Circumcision They discuss 40 reasons not to circ.

No, that isn't the one. I just looked it up on amazon, and it was written years after I read 40 Reasons Not to Circumcise. I am sure that was the title, and I have the book around somewhere... should look for it. I remember what the cover looked like - no photos, just the title in big text and the book was horizontal with the spine shorter than the length of the page. I believe it was produced by NoCirc; maybe I'll look on their webpage. I am determined to find it now. It is a GREAT book.