Circumcision Delayed? When Circumstances Change The Plan For Your Baby...
/Elective surgeries in the United States are being postponed and canceled in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, in order to preserve personal protective equipment like masks, avoid patient infection, and ensure adequate medical personnel for responding to COVID-19 patients. Some new parents have been surprised to find that their providers currently aren’t performing circumcisions.
Critical blood shortages in many parts of the nation are also a consideration — circumcision comes with the risk of hemorrhage that can require transfusions. Even in normal times, circumcision surgeries can wind up delayed when babies are born with health concerns (for instance, hypospadias or congenital heart disease). If you've recently had a baby and you planned on having your infant circumcised but cannot, Your Whole Baby has all the necessary information on how to best care for a penis with foreskin. Hygiene for intact (not circumcised) young ones is easy — you've got this!
You might be wondering, “Can I get my baby circumcised later?” Some doctors will circumcise after the first few weeks of life. However, as the restraints used for newborns are not sufficient to immobilize older babies, circumcision after the newborn period can require the use of general anesthesia, which comes with its own set of risks and expenses. All the risks of newborn circumcision still apply, including excessive blood loss, pain, removal of too much tissue to accommodate erections, abnormal narrowing of the urethral opening, adhesions, and skin bridges.
The Circumstraint, a device used in hospitals and doctors’ offices to immobilize infants during circumcision. Photo by James Loewen / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Your child stands to benefit greatly from avoiding circumcision, both now and in the future. Read about the many functions of foreskin here, and follow our six steps for parent learning.
Your Whole Baby: A Community for Learning Facebook group offers a supportive atmosphere where you can ask questions about circumcision and keeping your baby intact. Have a look around our website — we’re glad you found us!