Another week has passed without me writing in my blog. In that last week, I haven't been anywhere interesting, stayed home most days except for when Lucas & I went for our walk, checking my emails and FB countless times for news from friends far far away.
One of my dearest friends has been emailing me about her babies (she has 2 boys) and the question of when to start pulling back our toddler's foreskin for cleaning came up. Apparently her paediatrician told her that she has to start when her boys are 1 and that's exactly what she's done (actually her husband does it as she said she couldn't stand listening to her boy screaming in pain.... and her maid actually holds the toddler down while her husband forcibly pulls the foreskin back)
I tried to clean Lucas and gently pulled his foreskin back as much as it naturally could and didn't go any further (Thank God!) and decided to check if I should forcibly pull back the skin. The following is the conclusion of my search:
For those of you with baby boys and have been asked by your doctors to start pulling back the foreskin forcibly - STOP! Don't do it. Don't subject your babies to unnecessary pain. You may be doing more harm than good. Forcibly ripping the foreskin in the name of hygiene can lead to pain, scarring and adhesions.
Wait for the foreskin to loosen and to separate from the glans. You know when this happens as the foreskin can easily be retracted without the use of any force.
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Smart Roni! You are absolutely right, you are NOT supposed to retract the foreskin of an infant. It is incredibly unfortunate how ignorant so many pediatricians and doctors/nurses are when it comes to the intact genitals of a male.
ReplyDeleteThe foreskin naturally separates from the glans on its own, and this can naturally happen at any age, usually before puberty. You NEVER need to do it, as a parent. It will never be necessary before your child is old enough to do it himself, when he can feel for himself whether or not it is separating.
I am really, really sorry to hear about your friend being told misinformation. I hope you can convince them to stop! It is actually premature forced retraction of the foreskin that leads to most foreskin-related problems later on in life (as it can cause scarring).