Thank you PP!

Hi 22:31, for those with a son whose foreskin HAS been prematurely retracted, what is the best path forward? What signs to look for in case there are problems, etc.? Some parents retract before they learn that they should not, or have misinformation from pediatricians. (In our case our son was retracted by a nurse during a catheterization.) So, what now?

Just don't do anything. Be gentle when cleaning his penis and don't manipulate the foreskin at all. Usually one or two forced retractions don't cause any lasting damage, because the foreskin sort of re-adheres (which is normal and should not be broken!) and then will naturally come loose at the right time.

In the future, arm yourself with good information about foreskin issues. For example, if it does seem there is some infection present, have your pediatrician actually culture it *without retracting the foreskin*, then simply treat the infection as needed (ie, antibiotics if it is bacterial or anti-fungal if it is yeast). It seems you know now that there is no need to retract for catheterizing a little boy - but it warrants repeating: make sure to discuss, prior to cathterization, that you want someone who is trained to do it without retraction. You can also use the catch bag if a urine sample is needed and avoid catheterization alltogether.

Sorry that you went through this, but the bottom line is that your DS will probably be just fine, just make sure no one else messes with it. If someday down the road he is diagnosed with phimosis, remember that there are steroid creams and gentle stretching exercises that can be done to fix it; circumcision is only necessary in the most unusual and extreme situations.

Hi 22:31, for those with a son whose foreskin HAS been prematurely retracted, what is the best path forward? What signs to look for in case there are problems, etc.? Some parents retract before they learn that they should not, or have misinformation from pediatricians. (In our case our son was retracted by a nurse during a catheterization.) So, what now?

Thanks PP. I've only pushed it back a couple of times. I found some white stuff and cleaned it off. Wasn't sure what it was but it wiped off easily.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please no more posts opining on whether OP's child will one day be the target of locker room teasing. Everyone is entitled to their own views on circumcision, but the apparent view of OP is that her child's may not have been circumcised correctly. I'm anxious to hear from others in our boat. I have a 3 year old son, not even enough head showing to qualify as a pig in the blanket, more like a mini croissant with absolutlely no sign of stuffing.

Incidentally, it's not so much the locker room potential for teasing. For us it's more of an issue of not looking like daddy or big brothers. And please no posts saying this shouldn't be a problem. It has become one in our household. DS3 wondering why his looks different. Always fodder for DS2 and DS1 when they seek to tease.

HUH?! It was OP who said her husband was worried about the teasing in the locker room issue. Therefore it is very reasonable for people to respond with their experiences or thoughts on this. And is your family nudists? Why does everyone in your home stand around inspecting each other's penises? Maybe this would just be a good lesson in "we're all unique." I am sure they are not physically identical in any other way either. Sorry - you don't get to say who says what in response to whom on here.

Oh my goodness, I totally agree! The kids must be learning from *someone* that there (supposedly) is something wrong with the youngest son's penis. I don't get why mom and dad aren't explaining that every child is different - and perfect - in their own way. In fact, if you look at it objectively, the youngest son is the one whose penis is closest to "normal". Penises normally and naturally come with the skin covering the glans. Maybe you should teach that to your kids instead of making everyone in the family think there is something wrong with the youngest child. And does your DH really parade around naked for the kids to inspect anyway?!

I have to say, I've never in my entire life seen the genitals of anyone else in my family.

Anonymous wrote:What is an adhesion? Are you supposed to push the foreskin back every diaper change? I haven't been dping this but maybe I should? advice please!

NOOOO!!!!! The foreskin is SUPPOSED to be adhered to the head of the penis as a baby; in fact this is how it is able to provide protection to the penis from dirt and infection. If anyone tells you to push the foreskin back, run the other way. Pushing the foreskin back can cause lots of damage to both the foreskin and the head of the penis, which can cause small tears and infections, and ultimately it can lead to phimosis. Never ever EVER push back the foreskin. It will naturally loosen during the next few years. Most boys can retract their foreskin when the are 3-5 years old, and with some boys it takes until puberty. Your son should be the first person who ever retracts his foreskin. Once he is able to retract it, he should be instructed to wash it pretty much the same way little girls are instructed to clean their vaginas. Move the folds around, then use warm water and be gentle! Harsh soap and rough cleansing will sting inside the foreskin as much as it would sting inside a little girl.

So, even in a child who was circumcised but had less foreskin removed (such as the OP), their foreskin is attempting to remain attached -- which is what gets called an "adhesion." The best way to handle this situation is to just to do nothing, and over time the foreskin (or whatever remains of it) will loosen and detach itself exactly like it would if the child still had all of his foreskin.

To the OP -- is your biggest concern the cosmetic affect, or are you concerned about health issues? If you are mostly worried about cosmetic issues, you really don't need to stress! Approximately 40% of the boys born in DC Metro this year will not be circumcised at all, and of those who are, many doctors are leaving circumcised boys with more foreskin then they did when we were young, so it is fairly safe to say that you don't have to worry that he will be weird at all. He is essentially "the new normal."

Also, if you get it redone, than you risk the chance that the doctor winds up removing too much skin, which can lead to painfully tight erections once your son is older -- this actually happened a lot in our generation, thus the trend toward leaving more skin on the penis. So in this case, too much foreskin is definitely preferable to too little skin.

What is an adhesion? Are you supposed to push the foreskin back every diaper change? I haven't been dping this but maybe I should? advice please!

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP who mentioned adhesions. Did anyone else's child have a problem with these?
Thanks.

Yes. We were told to put vaseline on it and pull the skin back regularly. We were also promised that things would change as DS grew older. First, when he was much younger, they said it was the "fat pack" as described in an earlier post. Then they said it simply needed to "grow out" also as described in previous post. DS is now 5. The adhesions are not so bad anymore. The "fat pack" has long gone, but it's still the same "barely-peeking-out pig in a blanket." I'm really not sure what "growing out" means, as the skin near and over the head will presumably grow as the skin of the penis does, don't you think? The butcher job done on DS infuriates me. And don't even get DH started . . .

I'm the PP who mentioned adhesions. Did anyone else's child have a problem with these?
Thanks.

At my son's 9 month appt the pediatrician commented that they didn't do such a great job with the circ... DS is my first boy, so I really never noticed however, DH has commented a few times that he thought there was a lot of skin there. DH was initially upset when I told him the doctor's comment, but in the end, we decided not to do anything. However, in some ways I feel like it really defeats the purpose for him to be half circumcised... went through the pain and still has to do all of the cleaning.

Hi, my DH is a pediatric surgeon and does circs himself. My son's circ was done by an OB before discharge. the head shows, but the skin left is more than it should be. So, according to my DH all circs should be done by a surgeon!!!!
Regardless, I didn't think it was a bid deal, like a PP said, it's better to have extra skin then not at all. I think for us, since we do circs for religious reasons, if there was too much skin left we would've gone for a surgeon! many times circs are not perfect, it's really upto you to see if re doing it is absolutely necessary or not.

Just a question, did your DH tell you that kids tease each other about imperfect circs? the thought didn't cross my mind, but if it does truly happen, I'd like to know! Thanx

How do you know how much should have been cut off? Wouldn't the ped have said something to us already? Thanks, this is very helpful.

PP here. Sorry, I was typing fast - and my grammar is terrible!

Hi,
My son is three, and though it doesn't sound like his situation is quite as obvious, he too did not have enough skin taken off. He had a terrible problem with adhesions for his entire first year - anyone else???

I think it's gotten a bit better since then, but I'm very disheartened to hear that your son is six now. But if it makes you feel any better at all, two pediatricians have told me that this is turning into a very common situation lately because OBs are scared to take off too much skin because of several prominent lawsuits recently. Anyhow, so maybe our sons WILL look like more like a lot of other boys than we think....?

Anonymous wrote:Please no more posts opining on whether OP's child will one day be the target of locker room teasing. Everyone is entitled to their own views on circumcision, but the apparent view of OP is that her child's may not have been circumcised correctly. I'm anxious to hear from others in our boat. I have a 3 year old son, not even enough head showing to qualify as a pig in the blanket, more like a mini croissant with absolutlely no sign of stuffing.

Incidentally, it's not so much the locker room potential for teasing. For us it's more of an issue of not looking like daddy or big brothers. And please no posts saying this shouldn't be a problem. It has become one in our household. DS3 wondering why his looks different. Always fodder for DS2 and DS1 when they seek to tease.

HUH?! It was OP who said her husband was worried about the teasing in the locker room issue. Therefore it is very reasonable for people to respond with their experiences or thoughts on this. And is your family nudists? Why does everyone in your home stand around inspecting each other's penises? Maybe this would just be a good lesson in "we're all unique." I am sure they are not physically identical in any other way either. Sorry - you don't get to say who says what in response to whom on here.