Nerve Block for Circumcision

[TrennaII]

I believe what you are talking about is where they inject a local anesthetic at several points around the base of the penis.

Every doc I called in a 200 mile radius uses the nerve block and was ok with our being present.

I was present for my son's and the numbing kicked in so fast he didn't react to the second injection. He was more aggravated about having his hands held (by me) than by the procedure. He did not react at all to the cutting, he sucked sugar water off his dads finger and even smiled once as we talked to him. He did react to cleaning after, but less strongly than his PKU heel prick or my getting hand sanitizer in his eye the day before.

The PP who noted her toe nerve block... Toes hurt a lot more than the area where they do the penile injection (in the fat pad over the pubic bone).

We gave him Tylenol for a day, he registered no pain afterward, and didn't have a hard time with diaper changes after the first bandage removal. No pain with peeing and especially not pooping (cmon people, really? The penis is not very involved with pooping).

He was also 16 days old, not 8. Clotting does peak at 8 days in part naturally and in part because of the vitamin K injection, but it doesn't go away completely.

It is probably relevant that we had a home birth with late cord cutting, so he was physically very well prepared.

And that intactivist post above, like her others, contains a ton of false information and ridiculous claims. I'm not happy about my religion's continued demand for circumcision and wouldn't have done it otherwise, but I think it's ridiculous to try to "inform" with false info.

[JustSomeChickVee]

Originally Posted by Joyful Tie Dyes No one flamed you even in the slightest. You said you were still deciding whether or not to circ and several people provided you VERY respectful information on circumcision. That's not flaming in any form and I'm sorry if you feel hurt. In my experience here they will not do a nerve block and will NOT allow a parent to be present. Have you discussed circumcision with your chosen pediatrician? Ours will not do them at all but will refer you to a pediatric urologist.

This. Nobody flamed you OP

[JustSomeChickVee]

Originally Posted by TrennaII I believe what you are talking about is where they inject a local anesthetic at several points around the base of the penis. Every doc I called in a 200 mile radius uses the nerve block and was ok with our being present. I was present for my son's and the numbing kicked in so fast he didn't react to the second injection. He was more aggravated about having his hands held (by me) than by the procedure. He did not react at all to the cutting, he sucked sugar water off his dads finger and even smiled once as we talked to him. He did react to cleaning after, but less strongly than his PKU heel prick or my getting hand sanitizer in his eye the day before. The PP who noted her toe nerve block... Toes hurt a lot more than the area where they do the penile injection (in the fat pad over the pubic bone). We gave him Tylenol for a day, he registered no pain afterward, and didn't have a hard time with diaper changes after the first bandage removal. No pain with peeing and especially not pooping (cmon people, really? The penis is not very involved with pooping). He was also 16 days old, not 8. Clotting does peak at 8 days in part naturally and in part because of the vitamin K injection, but it doesn't go away completely. It is probably relevant that we had a home birth with late cord cutting, so he was physically very well prepared. And that intactivist post above, like her others, contains a ton of false information and ridiculous claims. I'm not happy about my religion's continued demand for circumcision and wouldn't have done it otherwise, but I think it's ridiculous to try to "inform" with false info.

actually, it's not false info. maybe you'd rather believe false info perpetuated by the pro-circ?

[seacat]

We were undecided with DS1 and I gathered a ton of information on it. Our hospital/doctor would only do the injection, but DH could occupany him during the procedure the day after he was born. If you decide to do it I would strongly suggest taking pp suggestion and asking for a pediatric urologist to do it. This was our game plan after having too many friends that had babies with botched circs. It's not the ob's primary job so, get someone who specializes in it.

Also, your baby may help you make the decision. I didn't want DS1 to have it done, but DH was adminant about it and like yourself he really never voices his opinion unless it is really important to him so, I conceded. DS1 was born with a lung issue and spent five days in NICU where it thankfully all resolved. After watching DS1 struggle with everything going on DH couldn't bare the thought of one more poke or procedure and he remained intact and once you've got one intact it made the decision much easier for #2. We didn't even have to have the conversation when he was born. Good luck and I hope for a wonderful birth.

[KatrinaLoves]

Originally Posted by TrennaII I believe what you are talking about is where they inject a local anesthetic at several points around the base of the penis. Every doc I called in a 200 mile radius uses the nerve block and was ok with our being present. I was present for my son's and the numbing kicked in so fast he didn't react to the second injection. He was more aggravated about having his hands held (by me) than by the procedure. He did not react at all to the cutting, he sucked sugar water off his dads finger and even smiled once as we talked to him. He did react to cleaning after, but less strongly than his PKU heel prick or my getting hand sanitizer in his eye the day before. The PP who noted her toe nerve block... Toes hurt a lot more than the area where they do the penile injection (in the fat pad over the pubic bone). We gave him Tylenol for a day, he registered no pain afterward, and didn't have a hard time with diaper changes after the first bandage removal. No pain with peeing and especially not pooping (cmon people, really? The penis is not very involved with pooping). He was also 16 days old, not 8. Clotting does peak at 8 days in part naturally and in part because of the vitamin K injection, but it doesn't go away completely. It is probably relevant that we had a home birth with late cord cutting, so he was physically very well prepared. And that intactivist post above, like her others, contains a ton of false information and ridiculous claims. I'm not happy about my religion's continued demand for circumcision and wouldn't have done it otherwise, but I think it's ridiculous to try to "inform" with false info.

Thank you!! This was excellent information! Mentioning the injection site, basic method, and your experience with it as a parent, was exactly what I was looking for!

[Joyful Tie Dyes]

Originally Posted by TrennaII I believe what you are talking about is where they inject a local anesthetic at several points around the base of the penis. Every doc I called in a 200 mile radius uses the nerve block and was ok with our being present. I was present for my son's and the numbing kicked in so fast he didn't react to the second injection. He was more aggravated about having his hands held (by me) than by the procedure. He did not react at all to the cutting, he sucked sugar water off his dads finger and even smiled once as we talked to him. He did react to cleaning after, but less strongly than his PKU heel prick or my getting hand sanitizer in his eye the day before. The PP who noted her toe nerve block... Toes hurt a lot more than the area where they do the penile injection (in the fat pad over the pubic bone). We gave him Tylenol for a day, he registered no pain afterward, and didn't have a hard time with diaper changes after the first bandage removal. No pain with peeing and especially not pooping (cmon people, really? The penis is not very involved with pooping). He was also 16 days old, not 8. Clotting does peak at 8 days in part naturally and in part because of the vitamin K injection, but it doesn't go away completely. It is probably relevant that we had a home birth with late cord cutting, so he was physically very well prepared. And that intactivist post above, like her others, contains a ton of false information and ridiculous claims. I'm not happy about my religion's continued demand for circumcision and wouldn't have done it otherwise, but I think it's ridiculous to try to "inform" with false info.

I'm all about being informed so please explain about the ridiculous claims and false info. The info Vee presented is pretty much the same as I was given by my MW and our pediatrician.

[MuffinMania]

From what I've read and inquired about from the Dr's where I work, there is often little to no crying during and post-procedure because the baby is in shock. I know that there are different methods of performing circumcisions that may better or lessen the chance of that, though.

My religion is against circumcision, but if I had to make the choice, I completely understand how heartwrenching it would be.

It's a touchy subject, just as FGM was before it was illegal in the States. A lot of the people I know haven't done any research and do it "just because", so if you say you have, kudos.

[Stamina]

The issue that bothers me in the anti-circumcision discussion is that people are constantly telling others to "do their research." Yet, I've often seen the same people say that circumcision is "purely cosmetic." In fact, one that has done extensive unbiased research would know that there are medical benefits to circumcision. The organizations frequently cited by in-activists themselves acknowledge that there are medical benefits (American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, American Urological Association). It's a matter of deciding whether the benefits offered by circumcision are worth the risks involved. The AAP may no longer recommend it routinely for all infants, but they do not deny that it has potential medical benefits.

http://www.auanet.org/content/guidel...rcumcision.cfm

http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...103/3/686.full

http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/malecircumcision/en/

[JustSomeChickVee]

Originally Posted by Stamina The issue that bothers me in the anti-circumcision discussion is that people are constantly telling others to "do their research." Yet, I've often seen the same people say that circumcision is "purely cosmetic." In fact, one that has done extensive unbiased research would know that there are medical benefits to circumcision. The organizations frequently cited by in-activists themselves acknowledge that there are medical benefits (American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, American Urological Association). It's a matter of deciding whether the benefits offered by circumcision are worth the risks involved. The AAP may no longer recommend it routinely for all infants, but they do not deny that it has potential medical benefits. http://www.auanet.org/content/guidel...rcumcision.cfm http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...103/3/686.full http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/malecircumcision/en/

keyword "potential." they love to say decreased risk of cancer, but they don't mention that they are more likely to have a SEVERELY botched circumcision than they are to have penile cancer. There were only 1200 cases in 2010, which is approximately 1 in 250,000 and most cases are associated with HPV. Safe sex with condoms would lower that rate even further. Also, if we chopped off our breasts, breast cancer risk would be lowered. but do we do that? no way! The foreskin and UTIs is a myth. The foreskin of the infant is fused to the glans to keep fecal matter and other debris out of the urinary tract and UTI rates in intact infants are actually much lower. Forced retraction, however, will increase the risk of UTIs, among other things. The foreskin contains flora to help prevent infection as well. UTIs may be higher in adults if the adult is dirty and does not retract his foreskin when he urinates. The study that found increased rates of UTIs in intact boys was severely flawed. http://www.circumstitions.com/Utis.html

As far as HIV, the reason circumcision can supposedly lower risk for HIV is because in some men anaerobic bacteria under the foreskin can cause inflammation in the genitalia, which can improve the chances that immune cells will be present for HIV to infect. This is NOT true for all or even most intact men. HIV rates in western Europe, where most men are intact but safe sex and hygiene are also practiced (unlike in Africa where the studies regarding HIV and circumcision took place,) have lower rates of HIV than the US. The rate for the US is .6% and the rate in western Europe is .2% according to avert.org (an organization dedicated to stopping HIV and AIDS.) Safe sex with condoms and cleanliness (to prevent bacterial growth,) are far more important factors in preventing HIV than circumcision ever will be.

[EuphoricDysphoria]

Originally Posted by KatrinaLoves Huh. Pretty sure I wrote that in English. And I'm the one who apparently hasn't done simple research? If your goal is to keep boys intact (an admirable goal, if that's something you're passionate about), insulting parents by giving them a lecture they specifically asked not to be given, and assuming they haven't done research, is not the way to achieve your goal. It's insulting and demeaning. In fact, it provides the opposite effect. You're doing your cause a gross disservice when you behave in a combative manner. It does not inform; it insults and divides. There is information all over diaper swappers, and if you had taken the time to read my previous posts in this thread (which clearly you did not), it'd be pretty obvious that I was well informed and knew every single thing you posted. But hey, hurray for insulting me and driving me away! And for other PPs who have offered information about nerve blocks, thank you! It's all been very useful, and I'll be taking it all into consideration, and will be taking what I've learned here to my next appointment to discuss with our midwife and OB.