Locker Room Teasing: Do Parents Need to Worry? And Does Circumcising Help? Is it possible your child could be teased about something penis-related in the locker room? Yes. But even if such teasing were to happen to your child (research suggests it isn’t likely), it’s even less likely their foreskin would be the focus. And circumcising is no “fix” — it won’t make them any less likely to be teased, researchers say.  People can be teased for any physical characteristics, and as such, the genitals are not off-limits. For this reason, fear of being nude in the locker room is not uncommon ..read more

  Written by Max, age 19 I want to start off by saying how wonderful of a country we live in. The United States isn’t perfect, and it may not be the best, but it’s pretty damn great. It isn’t supposed to be about getting rich or powerful or rising above our fellow people; it’s about people getting to live how they want and doing what makes them feel comfortable and happy. Individuals are supposed to have the right to make personal choices for themselves. The biggest problem in our system is that it often substitutes the individual for the family. The system is sup ..read more

  “My name is Jessica and I’m a regret mom. “I REMEMBER PEELING HIS BLOODY PENIS OFF OF HIS DIAPER, and crying, and asking my mom what they did to him. She said, ‘All boys are born with a birth defect, and they have to have it fixed.’” I live in North Carolina with my husband and our four children. A daughter and three sons. My oldest son sadly is a victim of MGM (male genital mutilation). Eleven years ago I gave birth to my first son, Brice. He was beautiful; absolutely everything I ever wanted. They laid him in my arms and I was overjoyed! My perfect baby! He was so content, a picture p ..read more

 You and your wife get along pretty well. I mean, you wouldn't have married her in the first place if that weren't the case, right? But there's one topic here in America that seems to drive a wedge between parenting partners that rocks at least one of you to the core. That wedge? Circumcision. You might have never discussed it before the 20-week ultrasound when the technician proudly proclaimed to you, "it's gonna be a boy!"  “I was so angry at my husband. I emotionally detached from him for a while. He knew I blamed him for what I felt was cruel treatment.” Now, she's against ..read more

  This letter was sent by a circumcision survivor to the doctor who cut him as an infant. The author also submitted his work to Your Whole Baby to help others understand the many harms of child genital mutilation. Dr. Smith, A few years ago, your college wrote a glowing article about you. In the article, you said that you have continued in pediatrics because you like making an impact on children when they are young. Dr. Smith, you most certainly had an impact on me from the earliest moments of my life. You circumcised me. In doing so, you set my course to a lifetime fraught with pain, fr ..read more

  If seeing is believing, then these screenshots should help convince you that genital cutting is painful, and damaging and has many common complications. You can find social media posts like this from U.S. parents almost daily using search terms related to “circumcision.” Most of the world does not cut the foreskins off of their babies. We must do better by our youngest members of society.  Note: Because social media posts like this are common, we’ll update this blog post periodically with new screenshots. Bleeding, Pain, Adhesions, Feeding Problems, & More View fullsize View f ..read more

  Let’s be honest, it can be hard to go against the grain. There are evolutionary reasons why people are drawn to following the herd and not standing out. But, as humans, there are also plenty of benefits to being the odd (wo)man out and speaking up about things that are wrong. What would our present day look like if it weren’t for those brave people who stepped out of the proverbial line and said, “Enough is enough!” I’m here to tell you that this issue (cutting skin off your child’s penis) is important enough that you need to step out of the line. And fear not, brave one, sta ..read more

 A son discusses ongoing struggles with one of his parents’ earliest decisions Hi Mom and Dad! It’s your 21-year-old son! The son you cried over when you first saw him exposed to the light of the world. The son you lovingly cared for as he grew out of infancy, watching him gain independence, make mature decisions, and turn into the handsome man you see when you close your eyes and picture him smiling. And finally, now, the son you are ready to let go of in a broader sense . . . Here I am, poised to make my big transition into the adult world, where from now on I am fully the product of m ..read more

  I recently had a friend ask if she could send me a picture of her son’s genitals, in hopes that I could identify the issue he was experiencing. The child’s pediatrician had told her that the boy had phimosis. According to this doctor, if the phimosis didn't respond to medication, the boy would need to see a urologist for a possible circumcision. (At Your Whole Baby, we hear stories similar to this on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. This was not an isolated incident.) After taking one look at the picture she sent, I immediately thought, “yeast.” Most of his penis, especially ..read more

 Balance Bias & Body Mods for Babies (Or why there’s no such thing as an unbiased circumcision resource) People in the United States approaching the topic of infant circumcision for the first time are often looking for unbiased resources — materials that don't seem fanatical and do clearly lay out both the risks and benefits of the procedure. Armed with such resources, expectant parents believe they can make an informed choice and feel confident about it, regardless of whether they decide to leave their child intact, or opt for circumcision. In addition, people coming in for a second ..read more