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I am not looking for judgment or opinion. I am looking for information.

When is circumcision done? Do we need to set it up in advance, does it happen at the hospital after birth, who does it at the hospital, and so on...?

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Not sure why it down voted - it is a valid question. –  dave Aug 31 '11 at 1:13
Which country will this be in? –  Swati Sep 1 '11 at 20:05

8 Answers 8

up vote 4 down vote accepted

It normally occurs before the baby leaves the hospital after birth, unless you're Jewish - in that case a mohel performs it when the baby is 8 days old if I recall correctly.

You'll need to speak with your hospital to determine whether or not you need to arrange it in advance, and whether or not it is covered by your insurance (many insurers are no longer paying for it). Hospitals also vary as to whether it's a pediatrician, GP or surgeon performing the snip.

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It depends on all sorts of things. The big ones being cultural and religious.

Outside of that, in the US, at least, male circumcision is still done. It's typically done a day or two after the birth in the hospital.

Without passing any judgement, the only advice I'd offer is to think about it prior to the day. My wife and I didn't put a lot of thought into it and I wish we had.

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+1 for stressing the importance of deciding ahead of time. –  Torben Gundtofte-Bruun Sep 7 '11 at 5:51

In the case of Muslim boys, it will tend to happen around the age of six. There is a whole big ceremony attached to it (the act, not the body part). As I understand it, it is done under a general anesthetic. We spoke to our pediatrician about it when our boy was born - that would be a good starting point.

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Parents considering infant circumcision should REALLY check out Circumcision Decision-Maker. It takes you through your reasons for wanting circumcision one at a time and then gives you some expert opinion. It also has information on penis anatomy, how the foreskin develops, circumcision, and care of the intact penis including washing instructions.


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-1 .. this site is far from impartial .. it clearly has an bias against circumcision. –  tomjedrz Sep 12 '11 at 1:43

When should the procedure be performed?
Most doctors recommend a circumcision procedure be done within the first few days of life; however, others will recommend you wait two or three weeks.

How is a circumcision performed?
The procedure takes only about 5 to 10 minutes and will usually be performed in the hospital before you take your baby home. Your baby will be placed in a padded restraint chair and given local anesthesia. A device will be inserted under the foreskin to hold it away, protecting other parts of the penis. The doctor will cut off the foreskin and cover the incision with an antibacterial ointment.

Source: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/circumcision.html

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In US, if there are no complications with foreskin and you want a hospital circumcision, normally your OB/GYN (since she is trained as a surgeon and your pediatrician is not) would perform a circumcision before you leave the hospital. If there are complications, a pediatric urologist will do it later but before he is 1 year old.

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In my experience in hospital circumcision was not covered by our insurance. We were told to get an appointment with our pediatrician and they would either perform the circumcision or refer us to someone who does. We had it done about a week after the birth.

  1. Check with your OB.
  2. Check with your insurance coverage.
  3. Look for a pediatrician or family doctor if you don't have one yet and check with them.

Extremely thorough treatment of circumcision at www.circinfo.net

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While that site is certainly a resource to consider, it clearly is leaning towards one side of the argument. –  DA01 Sep 6 '11 at 21:42

It depends on the reason. In Germany the circumcision to deal with Phimosis is usually done just before going to school. This ensures that it is necessary and can heal before school starts.

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