Male Circumcision

[~ Karima ~ 0]

Carrie,

Don't worry, you're not being nosy! As far as not finding out the sex of our baby: Simo REALLY didn't want to know and I could have gone either way. He is wary of over-medicalizing things, and prefers pregnancy/birth to be as natural as possible. I agree with him on this point, and my midwife office is very supportive of women making their own choices about medical interventions/testing, etc. We did have several ultrasounds, but did not find out the sex--it has been really exciting NOT knowing, though I'm sure it would be really exciting knowing, too! I would happily do it this way again (if there is a next time).

That said, there are times when not knowing is a bit inconvenient--coming up with names, buying stuff for the baby, contemplating decisions like circumcision, etc.

Well then you are waaaaaay better than me. I wanted to know so bad it drove me crazy. I really really wanted a boy and I am so not a patient person.

[Nothing1234 2]

JP, your story about the ultrasound reminded me...when we were having our Level II ultrasound, the sonographer asked us if we wanted to know the sex and we said no. So, when it came time to measure something in the lower torso area, she told us to close our eyes. I, of course, did what she told me. Simo did not--he either didn't understand or wasn't paying attention to what she was saying.

So later, I talked to him and he was sure he "saw something," in other words, saw some boy parts. Then I asked him if it could have been the umbilical cord and he was just crestfallen!

That said, he claims he wants a girl (his mom had 7 boys and then finally a girl).

Congrats Carolyn on your pregancy and more power to you for waiting! I could NOT! LOL I have no patience and was dying to know...drove my doctor crazy!!! Besides, you will know soon enough! Not much longer...though the days may seem like they are dragging now!

As for the circumcision, we had our son done within 2 days of birth. My husbands parents also waited a few years and he remembers the day vividly and the PAIN. So he insisted we not wait with our son. That day he was so calm when he had it done and truly didn't cry at all...it was healed within a week or so and he is a happy little camper now at 7 weeks.

Best of luck on your decision!

[♥JP♥ 5]

JP, your story about the ultrasound reminded me...when we were having our Level II ultrasound, the sonographer asked us if we wanted to know the sex and we said no. So, when it came time to measure something in the lower torso area, she told us to close our eyes. I, of course, did what she told me. Simo did not--he either didn't understand or wasn't paying attention to what she was saying.

So later, I talked to him and he was sure he "saw something," in other words, saw some boy parts. Then I asked him if it could have been the umbilical cord and he was just crestfallen!

That said, he claims he wants a girl (his mom had 7 boys and then finally a girl).

Hahaha! You know my husband said in the beginning that he didn't care if it was a boy or girl...whatever God gives us is fine. I knew that wasn't true and when he jumped out of his seat I knew he really wanted a boy.

Even when we had he 2nd ultrasound for the amnio, the sonographer said she wasn't sure if it was a boy or girl because the baby wouldnt show us. He got the biggest grin on his face when he knew there was still some hope it was a boy! But after we got the amnio results..it was confirmed by DNA....GIRL!

I totally understand about the name thing. We didn't agree on any boy names at all. His first choice was Faris and second choice was Amir. I didn't want either, I actually wanted Ramsey. But we had no problems agreeing on the name Taleen! That was easy and if we have another girl later, we already agreed on Soraya.

[Nasturtium 500]

I totally understand about the name thing. We didn't agree on any boy names at all. His first choice was Faris and second choice was Amir. I didn't want either, I actually wanted Ramsey. But we had no problems agreeing on the name Taleen! That was easy and if we have another girl later, we already agreed on Soraya.

Why are boy names so hard? i'll never understand it. Sigh. Girl names have a greater proportion of niceness to them. We added Lilac to the girl names now, as it is also an Arabic name.

[♥JP♥ 5]

I totally understand about the name thing. We didn't agree on any boy names at all. His first choice was Faris and second choice was Amir. I didn't want either, I actually wanted Ramsey. But we had no problems agreeing on the name Taleen! That was easy and if we have another girl later, we already agreed on Soraya.

Why are boy names so hard? i'll never understand it. Sigh. Girl names have a greater proportion of niceness to them. We added Lilac to the girl names now, as it is also an Arabic name.

Well for us, there were two reasons. First for him, he wants a name that sounds nice with his name and his fathers name. For me, once I have a boy I will pretty much lose my name and people will start referring to me as Om Faris or Om Amir, or whatever. I dont like those names. lol

[Nasturtium 500]

Well for us, there were two reasons. First for him, he wants a name that sounds nice with his name and his fathers name. For me, once I have a boy I will pretty much lose my name and people will start referring to me as Om Faris or Om Amir, or whatever. I dont like those names. lol

So did he ever agree to considering Ramsey? Or is he going to want another name (not Faris or Amir, as you have nixed them)? I am not a fan of being Umm anything, although if I had to choose, I wouldn't mind Lilac or Leyna or Violet... Niran is in the running for a girl and the only two boy's names we have so far are Noah and Adam-- we agree Noah is first. I asked him if people change their kunya every time and he said not if it's been long enough with the girl's name-- sometimes they keep it as it's habit, but they usually change. I don't even think we thought about how they are going to go with his name et al. He is all As across the board-- Ammar Abdelkarim Ali, but after that it changes to Mefleh then Dawood and then something else. I don't remember. Too many names and I've only heard it once. Are you going for names that also have a certain ease in English?

PS--trying to get him to like the name Natan'el. I had an upward battle with Noah and now he loves it. We'll see!

Edited July 17, 2008 by julianna

[♥JP♥ 5]

Well for us, there were two reasons. First for him, he wants a name that sounds nice with his name and his fathers name. For me, once I have a boy I will pretty much lose my name and people will start referring to me as Om Faris or Om Amir, or whatever. I dont like those names. lol

So did he ever agree to considering Ramsey? Or is he going to want another name (not Faris or Amir, as you have nixed them)? I am not a fan of being Umm anything, although if I had to choose, I wouldn't mind Lilac or Leyna or Violet... Niran is in the running for a girl and the only two boy's names we have so far are Noah and Adam-- we agree Noah is first. I asked him if people change their kunya every time and he said not if it's been long enough with the girl's name-- sometimes they keep it as it's habit, but they usually change. I don't even think we thought about how they are going to go with his name et al. He is all As across the board-- Ammar Abdelkarim Ali, but after that it changes to Mefleh then Dawood and then something else. I don't remember. Too many names and I've only heard it once. Are you going for names that also have a certain ease in English?

PS--trying to get him to like the name Natan'el. I had an upward battle with Noah and now he loves it. We'll see!

He says Ramsey is out of the question. So we are at square one, we won't have to think about it for some time now. Even though now, we will be know as Abu & Um Taleen, he does plan to change that when we and if we have a boy. Right now my big battle is convincing him to give Taleen a middle name that isn't his first name!

[Nasturtium 500]

He says Ramsey is out of the question. So we are at square one, we won't have to think about it for some time now. Even though now, we will be know as Abu & Um Taleen, he does plan to change that when we and if we have a boy. Right now my big battle is convincing him to give Taleen a middle name that isn't his first name!

Can't you just add another name in there and not legally register it? Or at least not legally register it in Jordan if you get her a Jordanian passport/citizenship? I was kind of freaked out by not having middle names for a bit, but now I don't know.. I think the first names became my battle of focus lol. Noah was a huge battle of wills, and then Violet... the V was part of the oddity he didn't like at all, and then he came home one day with this "I saw someone was named Violette! (pronounced the French way) in Arabic!" And then somehow it became a more acceptable idea. He's still not 100% on it, but we'll see how he feels when there is an actual baby. Right now we're still on the hypothetical minimal 4.

Oh! If you lay out Taleen's initials, does it spell something? if so, that could be an argument for putting in another name

Edited July 17, 2008 by julianna

[zqt3344 21]

Do it once born at hospital, you know how much pain that boy is going to feel if you wait and not to mention the extra cost or the sanitary health concerns doing it elsewhere.

Hi all,

I do not yet know if I'm having a boy or girl, but my husband and I have been talking about circumcision just in case. At first we talked about just getting it done here at the hospital, but now he is saying he would like to wait and have it done in Morocco with a big ceremony, etc.

While I love the idea of going to Morocco to visit and spend time with his family, I do have some concerns about the circumcision there...

First of all--is it hygenic? Simo told me that he had his done when he was 4 years old (ouch!) and they used a scissors! He remembers that day very vividly...

Second, how long should one wait to have it done? Tickets to Morocco, at least during the high seasons, are ridiculously expensive right now, and I don't see us coming into any large sums of money soon (lottery, anyone?). I can imagine it taking us at least a year or two to have enough money to travel.

Third, do they use anesthesia/some sort of a local painkiller? I would hate to see my babe in pain...

I'm sure there are other questions I haven't thought of yet. If anyone has any insight I would appreciate it. I may be thinking about this unnecessarily (if we have a girl), but I'm sure others have dealt with this issue.

Shukran bezzef,

Carolyn

[crazyinEgypt 0]

When our twins were born my husband had decided from the beginning that our son would be circumcised in the hospital. He was 5 or 6 when he was circumcised and he said he would not do that to his son. He remembers people holding him down and his dad circumcising him. Poor guy.

[Carolyn 1]

Oh my goodness...the boy name problem is worse than I thought. Simo came home from work last night with a big long list of names (male and female) and I think he wants to go for something VERY unique in the US...so unique, in fact, that nobody would be able to spell or pronounce the name!

What I am trying to convince him of is that names that sound great in Arabic or Berber do not always sound pleasant to the English-speaking ear.

Here is part of the problem with boy names: Simo wants to make sure there are no negative political or, how shall I put it, "homeland security" issues with the name...he has vetoed several lovely names (in my opinion) because some terrorist, somewhere had that name . There just aren't that many Arabic names!

So, he's trying to find the perfect BERBER name...and they just sound odd to me--would you name your child Yugerten? Or Yufayyur?

Back to the drawing board...

[TRELAWNY PARISH 10]

Most hospitals do it in a few days. That's what I did, I still remember how much my son cried when he urinated for the first time after the procedure. Use lots and lots of VASELINE. He was fine by the morning. No problems at all.

[kerewin21 2]

I'm chiming in a little late, but I actually do circumcisions in the hospital. First of all, most (but not all) insurance companies pay for it. The charge is usually between $100 and $400 (which is a ridiculous amount considering how simple the procedure is). All my patients are on Medicaid so the hospital gets about $20 for every circumcision.

I would *highly* recommend doing it when your baby is, well, a baby. Some of the babies sleep through the entire procedure and all we give them is a little sugar water to keep them happy! I really don't think it hurts them very much. Some of them cry, but you have to remember that a lot of babies cry when you are cruel enough to change their diaper. They do cry a little when they pee the first few days, but if you cover it with vaseline it helps a lot.

My husband also has not so fond memories of his circumcision. He says when he and his little brother got wind of what would happen, they both went running!

My other concern with having it done in Morocco is you don't know if the instruments are sterile. It's very unlikely, but if the instruments haven't been properly sterilized your baby runs the risk of getting blood-borne diseases like HIV or Hepatitis B or C. I personally wouldn't run the risk.

[rclouse 0]

Our son had it done on day two. Dr. took him while he was sleeping, returned him still asleep.

I was taking the train back from Marrakech in December and there was a couple in my compartment with their five month old boy. When they changed him I noticed he hadn't been circumsized yet and commented so, they said it'd happen "later". Now that I see "later" means "3 years later", I'm glad Michael's junk is taken care of already.

/if #2 is a boy, same deal

[Carolyn 1]

rclouse,

Have you tried to get your son a Moroccan passport? I have heard that if your child does not have an Arabic name it isn't possible. Maybe there is some way around that with middle names, but I'm not sure...