[quote=Anonymous]You will be fine to have people in your house for a catered breakfast/ brunch 8 days after a c section. Presumably some of your family will be there and can help. Oh and I love Dr. Engel. He's my OB. We didn't do a bris for our kids so I can't speak to the other mohels. He did my younger sons circumcision though. [/quote]

+2! Both DH and I love Dr. Engel. He's a great guy!

I also recommend Hennech. He did DS and about 12 other little boys we know.

We did ours at a synagogue that we had a relationship with (but weren't members at the time) in the late morning.

If you are not comfortable synagogue shopping in your third trimester you can call the JCC - any of them, and find out about a room there. The DCJCC was our back up plan.

We did not want it home because of space, parking and traffic noise and most importantly, our table wobbles. If you are not comfortable having it in your home DON"T do it. You don't need the added stress.

Anonymous wrote:The responses about having to do it early in the day are incorrect. It can be done anytime you prefer.

Ours was 2pm on a Friday. It was when the mohel was free. We were her third that day. She did a great job and all was well.

No, the bris is usually part of morning prayers. All that I have attended have been very early in the morning.
http://www.kveller.com/traditions/what-to-expect/what-to-expect-bris.shtml

The responses about having to do it early in the day are incorrect. It can be done anytime you prefer.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. And what if the mom is recovering from a c-section? Is the bris delayed or how would that work?

no, the only reason for a delay is if there is something seriously wrong with the child. i second the rec for Rabbi Henesch -- he did ours at our home late in the day and we had very simple foods from whole foods afterwards. i do know people who have had an OB do the circa/bris, but i do not know if they will do the naming as well, or do any kind of ceremony like Henesch did for us.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. And what if the mom is recovering from a c-section? Is the bris delayed or how would that work?

Even with a c-section, you and baby should be home within 4-5 days of the birth. Since the bris is held on the 8th day it is not an issue.

I have never been to a bris at a "venue," only in people's homes, and as a BTDT mom I think you will be much more comfortable at home. Note, also, that the mohel may prefer that you have a minyan for the bris. It is not required, though. But something to think about if you are only planning on having parents and grandparents.

Finally-- it sounds like you are not very religious and not super comfortable with the traditional ceremony of having a bris done at home by a mohel. There's no shame in that. Perhaps you would be better off with a hospital circumcision and then a naming ceremony later on. The nice thing about that is that you are not wedded to the 8th day. You can wait a few weeks or even a few months until you are back on your feet and ready to host a small gathering.

*Rappaport

We used Rapport for our bris, 8 days after my c-section. We did not have enough room to hold it at our home, and so did it at an outside venue - bris + luncheon (platters from Shalom). The tough part about doing it someplace other than your home is that it's hard to reserve a place when you don't know the date ahead of time! At least if your birth/c-section isn't scheduled. (mine wasn't). If you know you'll be having a c-section, try to plan in advance for something to wear. This isn't an issue for everyone, but I had so much swelling in my legs and feet that I could not even wear my maternity pants, and I didn't have a skirt or dress that fit, and I couldn't fit my feet into a single pair of my shoes. I had to wear black pajama pants and a pair of black plastic shoes 3 sizes larger than my usual size.

I had c-section and two brises, both on the 8th day. We actually did the bris at the hospital, with a doctor doing the cutting. First time, we had a rabbi, too. Second time, the doc did the ceremony also. We had a little reception afterwards at the hospital. We're in Silver Spring and ordered deli platters from Parkway Deli. Ours were at midday.