We never thought about circumcision when we were called and said our son Brice was going to be born. We were so excited about having a baby we never asked, never requested, never gave it a second thought until after he was born.
When your adopted child is born, they are not technically yours yet. After relinquishment, the adoption agency becomes the managing conservator but signs over responsibility of the child to the adoptive parents. Brice was known as Baby Boy Jones (not really but I didn't want to give away personal info) in the hospital. If his birth parents would have requested he be circumcised he most likely would have been. They did not and when we asked about it, we were told to ask our pediatrician when we returned home. He was circumcised when he was approximately 1 month old.
When Rogan was born, we knew to ask questions. We had planned to discuss circumcision with the agency after meeting his birth mother and confirming we had been selected to be his parents. Rogan decided to make an early entry into the world and we never had the chance to have the discussion. Rogan was in the NICU for 13 days because he was approximately 6 weeks early, while in the NICU he was circumcised.
Due to the procedure, he had a minor backslide and was placed on a feeding tube. Once your child is placed on a feeding tube there is a long list of procedures and requirements your baby must complete before being released. We are pretty sure he was mad about having his business messed with so he went on a hunger strike.
Had we been given the choice, we would have had Brice circumcised in the hospital before coming home and we would have waited to have Rogan circumcised when he returned home.
I am sharing these stories with you not because I want you all to know about my boys' personal parts but because if you have strong feelings about circumcision you need to bring it up. Discuss circumcision plans with your agency or facilitator.
7 comments:
Good point! I don't blame the poor little guy for going on a hunger strike. That's a lot to deal with as a premie. I'm glad everything all worked out and they won't remember it!
We are currently waiting to be matched with a baby, and I have thought about the circumcision issue, wondering how we would handle that. Very interesting! I have also wondered how the whole vaccine issue would turn out. I know that the agency will have gaurdianship until the post placement visits are done. It's good to think about!
Blessings,
Ali
At least being sensible caring adoptive parents you had the sense to have him circumcised.We had our son circumcised at Five days old love.Suze
Legally you have to wait until the adoption process is completed before you have the authority to take decisions on his behalf. But then you could decide to have him circumcised - it does not have to be done immediately after birth, but can be left as late as (say) 18 months. After that, if it still has not been possible, it is better to wait until he is in the age range 7-12 years - toddlers are likely to become 'clingy' or anxious with the procedure and are unlikely to lie still under local anaesthetic for the operation.
Best wishes with the adoption.
The most important thing is that both boys are circumcised and thus will have the benefits from now on. Well done!
I have to disagree with one of the anon comments..."Legally you have to wait until the adoption process is completed before you have the authority to take decisions on his behalf. But then you could decide to have him circumcised"...we did not have to wait until finalization. Brice's finalization took a year and he was circumcised at a month old. Laws could vary from state to state.
It's good to hear that both these parents had their sons circumcised early. There is so much nonsense written against the procedure despite recent mounting evidence that it is as sensible as vaccination. Even better, it offers a degree of protection* not only from hetro-sexually transmitted HIV but a whole range of STIs and genital warts which can cause cervical cancer in female partners.
If you don't have a foreskin, you can't suffer problems with it, like phimosis (tightness preventing retraction). Such conditions prevent adequate personal hygiene or can restrict urination which may cause UTIs.
I would emphasise even if you are cut, it's a good idea to practice safe sex. The protection circumcision offers is not complete - but it is good enough to make it significant difference.
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