Circumcisions usually are done by a doctor such as a pediatrician or urologist. Circumcisions performed for religious reasons are sometimes done by others trained in the procedure. For your baby's safety, be sure the person is well trained, uses sterile techniques, and knows how to manage your baby's pain during and after the surgery.
Your doctor may not do circumcision if your baby has a medical condition that makes problems from the surgery more likely. For example, circumcision may not be done if your baby:
All surgical procedures have risks, but problems from circumcision aren't common. If problems occur, they usually are minor and short-term. The most common ones are:
Possible long-term problems include:
Major problems are very rare but can include:
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
Watch closely for changes in your child's health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
After circumcision, your baby's penis may look red and swollen. It may have petroleum jelly and gauze on it. The gauze will likely come off when your baby urinates. Follow your doctor's directions about whether to put clean gauze back on your baby's penis or to leave the gauze off. If you need to remove gauze from the penis, use warm water to soak the gauze and gently loosen it.
The doctor may have used a Plastibell device to do the circumcision. If so, your baby will have a plastic ring around the head of the penis. The ring should fall off by itself in 10 to 12 days.
A thin, yellow film may form over the area the day after the procedure. This is part of the normal healing process. It should go away in a few days.
Your baby may seem fussy while the area heals. It may hurt for your baby to urinate. This pain often gets better in 3 or 4 days. But it may last for up to 2 weeks.
Even though your baby's penis will likely start to feel better after 3 or 4 days, it may look worse. The penis often starts to look like it's getting better after about 7 to 10 days.
Circumcision is usually done by a doctor at a clinic, in the hospital, or at an outpatient surgery center. During the procedure:
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