Jenny's pediatrician told her to start retracting her baby's foreskin for cleaning at his 12-month well baby visit. Jenny didn't do it, because she read that it's not good to retract on the internet.
At her son's 15 month well-baby visit, Jenny's pediatrician retracted the boy's foreskin herself, scolding Jenny as she did so, for neglecting her son's genital hygiene. The pediatrician told Jenny to retract her son's foreskin every day for cleaning. This time Jenny listened.
From that point on, she and her husband dutifully retracted their son's foreskin for cleaning, almost every day. This continued until the boy was 18 months old.
Then one day, Jenny noticed her son had not wet his diaper all afternoon. He cried at bath time as he dribbled a little urine. Soon the baby was screaming each time he tried to urinate.
Jenny's son's foreskin was infected, as a result of being retracted long before it was meant to be. By retracting the foreskin, Jenny's pediatrician had severed the fragile connective tissue between the foreskin and glans, and prematurely stretched the sphincter opening. The internal environment was no longer sterile and the natural protective flora had been disrupted.
Instead of cleaning and caring for her son's penis, by repeatedly retracting him as her doctor insisted, Jenny had been setting him up for infection.
After several trips to the emergency room for emergency catheterization to release urine, and a painful distressing week for Jenny and her son, he finally began to mend. Jenny realized her doctor had given her bad advice.
Jenny went online where she quickly connected with other mothers of intact boys, eager to share the intact care information so commonly lacking among American doctors.
What did Jenny find out?
- Only clean what is seen, and never retract. The foreskin is there for a reason - to protect the still developing glans, and to keep it clean and healthy. It is supposed to be attached to the glans during infancy and childhood.
- Forced premature retraction is epidemic among American healthcare workers, including pediatricians, and nurses, even doctors and nurses in the maternity ward. It is also epidemic among day care workers, babysitters, and well-meaning but misinformed aunties and grannies.
- Parents of intact boys must remain vigilant during the diaper years to prevent another person from prematurely retracting their son's foreskin. Parents must proactively warn doctors and nurses at every well baby visit that their son's foreskin is not to be retracted. It can happen in an instant, and then the damage is done. Parents should be direct and firm. If necessary, they may even threaten legal action if their wishes are not respected.
- If a doctor or health care worker prematurely retracts your child, consider reporting them to your state medical society, supplying all the details.
For help reporting a healthcare worker who is prematurely retracting, contact the Doctors Opposing Circumcision using the contact info at the bottom of this page.
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Suggested Reading:
From the Doctors Opposing Circumcision - Warning to Parents: Foreskin Retraction of Intact Boys - an epidemic
From the Doctors Opposing Circumcision - Development of Retractile Foreskin
From the Circumcision Information Resource Page (CIRP) libray - Penile hygiene for intact males
Comments
I can totally relate. When my first son was 2.5 he locked himself in the bathroom and it took about 20minutes to get him out. He had gotten into the potty and the mess was insane. Well he ended up being ill for days afterward and ended up with an infection in his foreskin. The nurse at the hospital retracted his foreskin to clean him and I told her to stop and she scoffed at me, telling me I had NEGLECTED my child by not cleaning him how she was. She told me if I couldn't "get over it" and do the cleaning the correct way that I ought to have him circumcised because he would just get repeated infections from my neglect of his genital health.
My son has special needs and has never communicated pain very well. When I think back to this week where he was so sick I am sad that I didn't know to stand up to this woman more than I did. I wish I knew how to report her because in hindsight I was the only voice for my child and when I tried to speak up she ran right over me. Since than week my son is scared for his penis to be touched at all by anyone. In his Drs visits when he was still in a diaper he was always very hesitant after this occurred.
Why didn't you push her hand away, find another hospital, get in her face, cuss her out, SOMETHING?
When my son was a week old, the nurse retracted him and as you say, it happened in a SECOND, I was completely not expecting it. He was OK but I always wished I'd been forceful from the beginning and not allowed it to happen. I'm astonished that in this day and age healthcare practitioners are not better informed.
Doctors who suggest this should be sued, they use their authority to inflict damage on infants when it is already well known that it is NOT a good thing to forcibly retract a child's foreskin.
This will only end when we force doctors to be doctors instead of ignorant psychopaths who look for any and all excuse to circumcise.
You said it all, man. You said it all.
Guns. That's all it takes.
This is why if I have a kid, the "medical" community will have nothing to do with it. Especially if I'm still in the U.S. if and when I have a kid.
I think beople should read the guide book
(bible)...on the 8th day the child should be circumcised and avoid all these issues...it is already proven in africa that circumcision reduces the contraction of HIV
@Anonymous
You might want to read your "guide book" a little more thoroughly. Later on there are clear instructions that circumcision is NOT to be done.
Most of the world is intact without issue. Why can't American doctors catch up to modern society?
This is so crazy because my boysgo to the doctors in California and Dr.Lopez tells me when i clean to pull it back clean and then let him go. my youngest hated it when he did it on his visit i see it as hurting so i ask my husband to clean it.I have never known for 4 yrs that this was wrong i have 3 boys and all are taken care from the same doctor.
@Anonymous
How about you take that bible and shove it up you know where? There wouldn't be any "issues" if doctors educated themselves instead of deliberately dispensing misinformation. Circumcision does not, cannot prevent HIV transmission. This is is why even the authors of the "studies" themselves cannot stress condoms enough. Besides; babies don't have any sex and are at ZERO risk for HIV or any other STD, and adults have to use condoms whether they are circumcised or not.
seriously about the bible thing.... it is because jesus was JEWISH!!!!! it does not mean it must be done!
Hello folks...I have a baby who is 8 months old.he cries before peeing.there is a small swelling of the foreskin while he tries to pee.and sometimes the urine is just dribbling instead of a flow.when we contacted the doctor he suggested to Circumsize,,,,is it necessary ...?
Plz advice
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