Circumcision – why you may want to do it and why you may not.

Hello yaw,

I need to start working on my southern draw, although I’m not so sure they have it in Texas. Anyway, today I will be writing about cirumcisions and why you may want your child to get one, and why you may not. As always, I hope you find this information useful and would like to encourage your participation.

CIRCUMCISION –

There are many differing schools of thought on this subject, we will look at them all as we go over the facts.  You’ll need to weigh the risks versus the benefits and other factors such as culture, religion and personal preference will affect your decision. 

First and foremost, what is circumcision ?  It is a procedure in which a pediatrician removes the prepuce of the foreskin, or the skin that covers the tip of the penis.   This is usually done 18-24 hours after birth. 

During circumcision the infants arms and legs are restrained.  A local anesthetic is generally used, and the pediatrician does the procedure in about 5-10 minutes.  The foreskin is loosened from the glans of the penis, and a Gomco clamp is used to protect the glans of the penis from any injury.  Sometimes the Dr. can use other methods such as a Mogen clamp, or a plastibell procedure.  Ask your pediatrician which one they use and they can answer any questions you may have.

After the procedure, if a Gomco clamp ( the most common method ) was used, you will need to use vaseline and gauze for 2-3 days after, with each diaper change.  This protects the sensitive skin of the glans from the pressure of diapers and the ammonia in urine. 

Pro’s and Con’s –

Several potential benefits of circumcision appear to be supported by most studies.  Boys who have been circumcised are less likely to have urinary tract infections, ( UTI’s ).  Also, it appears to reduce the risk of STD’s in men , protects against penile cancer later in life and may reduce the risk of cervical cancer in female sex partners.

There are some disadvatages also.  The infant may experience pain, have increased bleeding or infection at the site and scarring/malformation of the penis is rare but also possible.  Also, parents may feel some guilt.

If you choose not to have your son circumcised, there are some things you’ll need to know.  Keeping the area clean with soap and water helps reduce the risk of problems and infections.  In older boys and men, the foreskin slides back and forth over the penis allowing for cleansing, but from birth through age 3-4 it DOESN’T RETRACT.  Don’t force it to retract or you could cause damage and problems to the penis.  Once he is older he can be shown how to detract the foreskin and cleanse his penis properly.

I know that deciding is not easy, but with this information I hope it helps make it a little bit easier.  As always, feel free to input your comments and experiences. 

God bless always,

Meredith – RNC

Infant procedures from birth to discharge.

Hello everyone,

 

I haven’t had a chance to add an entry in the last few days, July is a very, very busy month in my family.  My husbands birthday was on the 9th, my sons birthday is today and we have a few others.  Not to mention the holiday weekend and work, so I slowed down a little bit, but despite today being my sons 6th bday, Im going to add a quick entry here.  As always, I hope you all find it useful and informative and if you have anything to add, please feel free.

 

INFANT PROCEDURES FROM BIRTH TO DISCHARGE :

 

When babies are born, they have many things done to them.  Once born and dried off, they usually get weighed and measured – length, head and chest circumfrence and indentification bands are placed on mom, dad and baby that all match with moms personal information.

In lots of hospitals, footprinting is also done.  In my hospital the prints go on a “keepsake” certificate, which also contains the date/time, and name typed in, but is not any type of legal document.

The pediatrician will usually do an initial physical exam sometime in the first few hours with the nurse assessing vital signs hourly for the first 4 hours. 

Sometimes in the first few hours of life, the infant gets a sponge bath and shampoo under a radiant warmer to prevent heat loss.  This is usually done in the mothers room so the family can observe.  The only exception is when mom has a c – section, which means the baby has its bath and shampoo in the nursery.

After the bath, the infant may receive 2 injections.  Vitamin K is first, it helps boost the babys clotting factors, as babies are born with a deficiency.  Important for boys and girls, but even more so for boys as they may get circumcised and we don’t want much bleeding to occur.  The second is hepatitis B – our hospital offers to give the first of the 3 at birth which is one less shot in the next months of Dr. visits.  Hepatitis B injections ( set of 3 ) are now required for children attending public schools, so it just helps get them done faster.

Some other procedures that may differ at other hospitals are as follows.  We offer a free hearing screening test to all infants.  The test is very simple.  While the infant is sleeping, small sticky electrodes are placed on the forehead and the nape of the neck, ear cups are placed on the ears and are connected to a computer.  The computer gives small sounds, and the electrodes pick up when the brain responds.  This type of test is called AABR, or Automated Auditory Brainstem Response.

We also have a screening program for Jaundice, or yellow discoloration of the skin.  At 24 hours, all babies get tested using a non-invasive light sensor test on the skin of the breastbone to detect levels of Jaundice.  If below a certain level, baby is deemed ok, and no further treatment is needed.  If babies are above that certain level, a blood test is drawn ( from a heel stick ) to correlate the blood level with the skin level.  If elevated the pediatrician may order phototherapy, or treatment of Jaundice with low dose ultraviolet lights.  I’ll cover more on Jaundice in another post. 

Babies at our hospital usually get a 24 hour health screening blood test, once again from a heel stick.  This is a screening test which tests for rare but serious disorders, such as Phenylketonuria, Maple Syrup Urine disease, Sickle Cell Anemia and Hypothyroidism.  If these disorders are detected they can be treated with a special diet or medication.

Thats it for todays post, I hope this offered you some information you may have been looking for and would like to encourage your participation.  Have a great day !

 

God bless always,

 

Meredith – RNC