When my ob-gyn and pediatrician asked us if we were going to circumcise our son, my husband and I didn't hesitate for a second. We both quickly said, "Yes!" On our last day in the maternity ward, our doctor swooped by and took our son into another room where she clipped away at his nether regions. In what seemed like minutes, she was back with our newly circumcised boy. She quickly told us how to care for it and was off to deliver another baby. To see what happened, read more.

After circumcising a baby, doctors generally place a bandage around the penis's head. In my son's case, it was supposed to fall off after one or two days. In the meantime, I was to apply ointment to it like a swirly on an ice cream cone. I did as I was told, but the bandage didn't budge. At my son's one-week checkup, my pediatrician asked why it was still on there. I told her I was afraid to pull it off for fear of hurting him. She immediately took it off and said, "Some doctors are putting these bandages on too tight. They should fall off within the first few days." Worried I had ruined him, she assured me he would be fine though I needed to further care for his penis to make sure it wouldn't get infected. As if that wasn't enough to stress me out, she then told me that his circumcision was hardly noticeable. The foreskin still hung over the head making it look like an uncircumcised penis. Mortified, I asked what could be done about it. Again she calmed my nerves and told me that we would wait and re-evaluate him at 6 months.

After a worrisome appointment, I called all of my friends with boys and discovered that a botched job was not uncommon. I know at least three other moms who are having to make the call on re-circumcising. Most pediatricians recommend waiting until the baby is 1 year old, as they must go under general anesthesia. The American Academy of Pediatrics states:

Should circumcision become necessary after the newborn period because problems have developed, general anesthesia is often used and requires a more formal surgical procedure necessitating hemostasis and suturing of skin edges. Although the procedural complications are generally the same as those of newborn circumcision, there is the added risk attendant to general anesthesia if it is used.

For now, we're just sitting tight and hoping our lil guy works it out down south. He seems to be growing into it, but only time will tell.
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