Wednesday, November 27, 2013

My Story

I will just start by saying, IF I COULD GO BACK ON TIME! 

I thought I knew it all; while pregnant, I did lots of reading, took a birthing class, had a natural un-medicated water birth with a midwife, made sure umbilical cord stopped pulsating before was cut, breastfed past one and a half years old, co-slept and I still agreed and allowed my one-day-old perfect baby being circumcised. 

I just thought it was a personal decision and would follow if the baby's father was or not circumcised. My husband is circumcised so we thought they could look alike. My husband was all for it and had strong feelings about it so I didn't question it. When they took my son to do the procedure at one day old, my husband and I went in for a walk in the hallway, peeked in the nursery and saw behind closed curtains where they hold and strap the baby, that my baby was put on the table and we just walked away. I cried all the way to my room and knew that deep inside that wasn't what I wanted, that wasn't what my baby wanted, that wasn't the right decision for him. 

When the nurse saw me crying, I just said I was worried he would feel pain. Hours later they brought him in and he was sleeping. After that everything was normal, the cut looked and healed perfectly without complications. Just to think I forced a decision that affected his body makes me very sad. Circumcision should be done if there is a real medical reason and be done with the child’s consent after they reach adulthood. There is nothing I can do now, what is done is done. I just ask for other mothers-to-be to please do your research and follow your heart. I read so many stories where the mother knew deep inside not to do something and they ended up regretting. I just hope my baby boy will know that mommy did what she thought was best at the time and he will forgive me. 

I’m currently expecting baby#2 and if it’s a boy he will be an intact perfect baby boy.


***

email your circumcision regret story to:
regrettingcircumcision@gmail.com

Friday, November 15, 2013

A Letter To My Son

Dear sweet boy,
I had you inside my belly for 37 weeks and 5 days. I loved you since the moment I found out about you. I may have been young but since the beginning, I've always wanted you and you have been my everything. 

 I tried to eat healthy, I gave in to cravings and I made sure that I drank those four gallons of milk a month so you would be born healthy. I felt your kicks and your turns. You sometimes refused to let me sleep. I talked to you daily and let you know how much I loved you. I even read to you while you were in my stomach. I made sure to gather clothes and your crib and everything you needed. I kept up with baby center and to see what was going on with you every single week, according to the website. 

 But one thing I failed to do. And that thing is to research something that would change your life and mine forever. And I will never be done telling you how sorry I am. 

I want you to know it was the worst mistake of my life. You see, I was 18 and your dad was 19. He was circumcised and at the time, I thought it was a normal thing to do and I didn't question it much. I just thought it was normal... well, I was wrong. 

I was in labor for 17 hours and pushed for 2 and a half. I ended up having a c section. I fell asleep from exhaustion and I completely missed your birth. I met you about 30 minutes later. You were the most gorgeous baby. I just loved you so much. 

I nursed you. I had been looking forward to it my whole pregnancy. I was so excited to be able to give my child what was best for him. I got to nurse about 3 times before the doctor asked if we wanted to circumcise you. 

I immediately said yes. I'm so ashamed of how quick I was about saying yes and not asking questions. Young and dumb. Doctor said it is an easy, fast procedure. Nothing to worry about. I believed him. 

We asked if your daddy could be in the room. And so, he was there and he watched the whole thing while I was sitting in my hospital room. I was thinking about you the whole time. 

And then I heard your loud wailing. It hurt my heart that you were in pain. And yet, I still thought it was necessary. The doctor didn't tell me it wasn't. What had I done? I hurt my baby... 

They brought you back and you looked so sad. It just didn't click in my mind exactly what had happened. They told me you did great. The line that they give to the ignorant parents who will believe everything the doctor tells them. That USED to be me. Never again. I was told you only cried because you were unwrapped. That was a big fat lie. 

When I saw your penis while changing your diaper... wow... I cringed. It made me feel so bad. It hurt me to see you in so much pain. It was bloody. It looked so unnatural. Because it truly was. 

I tried to care for it. And it still adhered. We took you to the doctor and he pulled it so far down, yet again you wailed in pain and I just sat back and let him do it. I just wanted to break down and cry. Since then, your skin has ripped apart on it's own when I have tried to change you. 

The look in your eyes when that happened. No words for it. The pain I felt inside my own heart was unbearable. I tried not to cry every single time. I started noticing how I was not okay with it. I've hated diaper changes for the reason that I have to see what I did. I struggle with myself everyday. I hate myself for the decision I made. I remember every time I change your diaper, when I give you a bath and when you run around naked. I try to ignore the thoughts, but I still remember. And I will never forget the way you cried the day of your circumcision. 

Son, I'm extremely sorry. There are not enough "sorry"s in the world. All I am hoping is that you do not grow up to hate me. But I would understand if you do. 

Months after, I became friends with someone on facebook named Amy. She always shared links and pictures of circumcision. I thought it was kind of silly and dumb at first. But I saw her posts every single time. And then, one day, she posted a picture of an infant crying. I don't quite remember what it said but it got to me. And I cried. And that was the moment when I reflected nonstop on what had happened to you. And I cried harder and harder and held you close. 

I felt betrayed. I thought doctors always told patients the truth. I was so angry that no one told me why not to do it. Only one person told me not to. And I never bring this up because it makes me feel guilty that I ignored it. Your grandma told me not to do it. I told her it was normal here. And that should have tipped me off since the beginning. Only Americans circumcise newborn boys routinely. Why didn't I listen to her? 

You didn't nurse again. I only got to nurse you those 3 times. 75 out of 100 boys don't readily breast feed after the operation. You were one of them and it hurt. So bad. It still does. I see a breast feeding mom and think about what it would have been like. How jealous I am. All because I made you go through cosmetic surgery unwillingly. 

And son, I deeply regret it. I love you with all my heart and that didn't happen to you in vain. I now fight for other little boys for bodily integrity. I have saved a handful from having it done. I will never stop fighting for babies who do not have a choice. 

And Amy? She will forever be a part of my life. And I will always love her for what she has done for us. To me, she is a hero. She is my hero. 

I'm telling you this so you know what happened to you. I love you, I've loved you, and will always love you. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for something I did, in which I had no knowledge on, because I can't forgive myself. 

Love, mom.


***

email your circumcision regret story to:
regrettingcircumcision@gmail.com

Monday, November 11, 2013

Becoming an Intactivist

I had my son in 1998. After I learned he was a boy, I thought pretty hard on this decision because I knew it was going to end up coming up when he was born. No escaping that part. But, being there was not really much or any internet back then (what there was was not good like it is now) I didn't really know where to go for information. I didn't think (stupidly) of looking in the library. To be honest, I don't think I thought there would be any books on it, or at least about why not to do it. Should have looked regardless. I remember asking about it with my Mom who said I should do it because if not, he's more prone to infections but most of all he should look like his dad (gross) to feel the same and not different and he might be bullied in school if he stays 'uncircumcised'. At that time, that really bothered me. I was bullied, severely, in school. Beat up because I grew breasts before other girls. Bullied by family members, called fat by adults. The idea of bullying meant a lot to me in that I didn't want to have any reason possible for MY child to be bullied. To add, his dad (my ex) wanted him done. It's really the only thing he was 'involved' in during my pregnancy and his birth. He was insistent that he got circumcised and at that time I was too scared to stand up to him. I was too scared to stand up to anyone back then. I was easily walked on and easy to have my mind changed. But, deep down, I didn't want it done. I really didn't. It didn't seem right.

Tyler was circumcised at day 7 in his pediatricians office. We took him in and I remember being very upset. I didn't want this at all. They took us back to the room. If I remember right, I think the Circumstraint might have been in there already (not 100% sure since it was 15 years ago) I remember asking his doctor about this. Why I should have it done and if i'm making the right decision. She assured me that i was. That all boys get it done. It's normal. He'll be better off. He'll have less infections but most of all he will NOT feel different. She also told me that it's just a small snip and that injecting him with pain meds would be more painful than the small snip so she doesn't use pain meds (really???). I believed her. Why not? I believed her that it's a small little snip. I didn't know anything about this or the foreskin. What was done was the Plastibell method. They took us out to the waiting room. I sat at the far end so I wouldn't hear crying (ugh) and I started to shake all over and sob. BUT, at the same time, with that reaction, I didn't go stop it. About 10 mins later they came out with him. He wasn't crying, but he was making a sound that was like a hiccup. He couldn't catch his breath. They took us back to the same room so I could breastfeed him. The Circumstraint was there (I remember that!) and even worse, the tools they used left in the sink and bloody. I was FURIOUS!!!! And sick. I felt sick. I knew right then and there that I made a very very very bad parenting decision. He nursed but couldn't really suckle properly. He kept losing his breath. He was so upset! Thankfully he didn't have any life threatening complications. He did bleed. 

I remember the next day changing his diaper and there was blood in it and on his penis, but the doctor said it was normal. Ugh. 

I had another son 2 1/2 years later. His dad was still insistent that we circumcise him. Came to his very first pediatrician appointment (new doctor) and he asked about it (even though I was putting my foot down). Thankfully the new doctor said 1. we'd have to pay out of pocket 2. it's unnecessary, purely cosmetic and then the doctor thanked me for wanting to keep him intact. He's 12 now and no issues! 

I didn't actually realize how bad my decision was 15 years ago, until recently when I became an Intactivist. I've read articles, watched documentaries and the procedure, what really happens. Seen photos of it. It upsets me so much. My regret is very deep. I can no longer look at baby photos of Tyler, especially the ones before I allowed it to happen. I accidentally found a photo the other day of him when he was 5 maybe. He was naked. I almost burst into tears, because now I know, he's not 'normal'. He's been mutilated, altered, for no good reason.


***

email your circumcision regret story to:
regrettingcircumcision@gmail.com

Friday, November 8, 2013

The Dangers of Circumcision

When I was pregnant with my son in 2012, I had heard and seen the words "circumcision controversy" and "his body his rights" while on the internet and talking with friends. However, I was still very uneducated on the matter of circumcision and I had the mindset that since I did not have a penis and knew next to nothing about the care that comes with having one, that I would listen to the advice of my fiance (the father of my son) and my OB/GYN. At the time, I believed they knew more than I did and were best equipped to inform me of the right decision.
Fast forward to February. I was induced on February 27th, 2012 at 6 a.m. Almost exactly 12 hours later, my son was born. He was born at 7 lbs 2 oz and was the most beautiful little boy I had ever seen (I may be a bit biased). The next morning, they told me his weight had dropped a little and they did not want to perform the circumcision in the hospital because they wanted him to gain some weight back. So we took him home with the plans to have the procedure done at my OB/GYN's office.
A few days later, my one week old son and I are sitting in the waiting room. I had this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and wanted to bundle him back up and run out the door and never look back. I knew the basics of what circumcision entailed and my gut was telling me to not go through with it. But, being naive and misinformed, I believed it would be best. The typical reasons for circumcision ran through my head; it was cleaner, it was healthier, and it would help him later in life to prevent infection or disease. They took him back while I had to stay in the waiting room. That sent red flags up all over again, but I figured it was for sterility and to keep from passing on germs. When I was allowed back to get him, after what seemed like hours but was probably only 30 minutes or so, they told me "He was perfect and slept the whole time." I was relieved because I thought they numbed him enough to where he didn't feel a thing.
After we came home, I saw the wound during his diaper change. It was the worst wound I have ever seen in my life. He was purple, and bruised, and bloody, and any time I touched him to clean the wound or bandage him he screamed bloody murder. My heart broke and I cried right along with him. The thought still makes me sick to my stomach. Now that I have done my research and actually listened to what others tried to tell me, I absolutely regret my decision to have my son circumcised. I would walk through the fires of hell if it would make him whole again. My heart aches every time I change his diaper. I know now what was stolen from him, without him even knowing what was happening let alone being able to consent. I have done many terrible, and even illegal, things in my life but this is my biggest regret. I wish every day I had listened to my instincts and run out of that office. Society deems people adults at 18. We can not smoke, or vote, or enlist in the military, or get tattoos or piercings until 18 or older. If a male wants to have a circumcision, it should be his informed choice. We, as a nation, should stop the mutilation of our defenseless babies.


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email your circumcision regret story to:
regrettingcircumcision@gmail.com

Planting the Seed

Digging through old Facebook photos in the wee hours of the morning I came across pictures from the day we came home from the hospital. Also the day I allowed harm to be done to my little lovebug. More than 2 years later I still feel awful about it. I can't even look at these pictures without crying, knowing what happened to him on what was supposed to be a happy day of bringing our baby home. I also noticed that in all of the pictures of myself, I look glazed over. I do remember that day that I couldn't stop thinking about it. I honestly can't remember if I've told my story on this page before or not.

The morning of July 25, 2011 when the nurse came in and asked if they would be doing a circumcision for my son, I hesitated in my heart, but not verbally. Rewind a couple of weeks before my son was born, DH and I were in a childbirth education class at a local hospital. One thing the nurse told me that stuck in my mind was that my hormone levels would be off and that I would think things that weren't necessarily how I felt. Well that morning, my intuition told me to leave my boy alone. It was screaming at me!!!!!!!! And the only thing I could think of was, this must be that crazy hormone thing that our educator told me about. So I blindly signed consent and sent my baby on his way. Since I didn't have him, and hadn't left the hospital room I was in for over 48 hours, I had my mom help me take a walk around L&D. Even though I had a tour of the hospital and knew where the 'procedure' room was, for some reason we walked down that hallway. Even though I only knew him for 2 days, I knew his tone. I knew his sounds. I knew his cry. The screams and crying I heard from the hallway were definitely coming from MY baby. I froze in my tracks, in shock that he was hurting so badly. Everything in me wanted to beat down that door and take my baby far, far away. I was in shock as I stood there. My mom didn't say a word but rather took me by the arm and continued on our walk. I followed.

Knowing what I know now, I'm sure that even if I had banged and hollered for them to stop, the damage had already been done. I hate myself for allowing myself to believe that statement over my intuition. I hate that I never once looked into circumcision prior to having my baby, especially since I took so much time and care to look into everything from car seats to bath soap. How could I so blindly be led into something I knew nothing about? I wish that just ONE person had mentioned anything about leaving my boy intact. I would have at least googled it. I know not every regretter is an 'intactivist', but life experience has made me that way so that I can inform others. I hope to at least plant the seed in the minds of expecting parents that despite our culture and society there are options worth exploring. Moreover, I just hope that those I come in contact with make an informed decision, not just follow blindly in their parents footsteps. Thanks for reading my story.


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email your circumcision regret story to:
regrettingcircumcision@gmail.com

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Landen

*Names have been changed to protect their identities*


***

My son was born perfectly in March of 2012. Aside from not getting the delivery I truly wanted, everything was fine. I thought I had done my research on everything I needed to. I looked up what to eat, what not to eat, a little bit of breastfeeding info, what to do when they get sick, typical things like that. But I never researched circumcision. When I was pregnant, the only time circumcision came up was when my aunt said to me, "You're going to circumcise him, right?" I didn't even realize I had an option not to. Like most regretful parents, I believed it was normal. I replied, "Yeah... I guess," and she said, "Good. It's gross if they're not and you don't want him getting made fun of in school." Again, I thought this was the typical rationale anyway and didn't question it. It wasn't brought up again until my son was a week old and had his first appointment.


During his first week of life during the diaper changes, I thought that his penis was how all newborn penises looked and that somehow through circumcision, the "actual" penis would be revealed. I'm not really sure how to explain this thought. I thought that the way a newborns penis looked was naturally only temporary and that circ'ing him is what needs to be done to make it look correct. I didn't think it needed to be corrected or needed to be done to prevent STDs and stuff. I literally thought it was mandatory to be done so they were normal.

Ohhhh how naive and rather stupid I was. Any type of common sense or logic would tell me that if he was born that way, then THAT was natural. But society has tricked us all into believing that the human body is imperfect and if there's anything we can do to make it "perfect," then it needs to be done.

It was at his first appointment, at eight days old, that he experienced this procedure. The doctor, without informing if why or how or explaining any risks (not that that would have convinced me not to since pediatricians wouldn't make any money if they discouraged the procedure) that it entailed, asked me if we were going to have it done. I still have the consent form I signed, taking away my son's rights to genital autonomy and integrity. 
Procedure: Removal of foreskin
They asked us if we wanted to be in the room with him and we said no. My husband shuddered at the idea. Men don't like anything coming near their penises that could harm it so he said he couldn't bare to watch. I also didn't want to see my baby in any pain so I said no also. What the hell?! You would think that if I couldn't even be in the same room with my son because I couldn't see him in pain, that that would be the red flag that said "DON'T COME NEAR MY SON WITH THAT KNIFE!" And can you believe it; his pediatrician actually said that it was best if we weren't in the room with him because then he might think we were the ones causing pain. (As I tear up just writing this) I still said yes to it. I watched that doctor take my son out of the exam room and into another area of the clinic while we waited.

They came back shortly and the nurse said, "He took it like a champ!" and I smiled. My son was slightly asleep so I thought it must not have bothered him at all (after extensive research, come to find out babies actually fall asleep so their bodies can shut down since it can't handle the pain). What shocked me though, was that he had a sucker in his mouth. My 8 day old! A sucker! I kind of chuckled at it and thought it was odd but didn't speak my mind. Again, I thought all of this was normal, even my feelings of "uncomfortableness." She said they gave him sugar water to distract him from the pain and that also struck me as odd. What kind of life altering procedure other than infant circumcision requires sugar water and candy as a means of coping? I mean, I was put completely under to have my wisdom teeth removed but my son was given some sugar water and a topical ointment to cope with his foreskin (which is actually fused to the head of the penis. It's like tearing a nail from the nail bed) being removed?

Anyway, we went home and the site was bloody for a few days. It's the only procedure that the bandage is a feces and urine soaked diaper. But once again, I thought this was totally normal. Circumcision was that and it was never brought up again in my house -- until about a year later. Shortly after my son was born, I created a group on Facebook for moms to get together and share experiences and ask advice and get support from. One day, around my son's first birthday, someone asked the group if anyone has circumcised their son and why did they. Many people responded, explaining why they did it but one person asked why would you have it done and subject an infant to such a thing. While most people got defensive over this comment and started defending their reasons and being extremely prideful, I sat behind my computer screen and watched what this person had to say to everyone. She shared information that I had never heard of before. She shared links to videos and pictures and articles disproving all the reasons to circumcise. And as I started opening the links and seeing the pictures, I was horrified. All of the uncomfortable feelings I had in the doctor's office were justified. That began my need to know. I researched more on this topic than I had any other topic. I felt like the worst mom in existence. Reading on what it feels like for the infants and how unnecessary it is makes me feel sick to this day knowing that I just went ahead and had it done. 

I could go on and on about the facts and what I've learned, but there's no information out there that you can't find yourself. In the Information Age, there are no excuses. There was no excuse for my lack of knowledge. My son was subjected to an obsolete procedure, he felt the pain of his foreskin being removed, he was thrown from the safe comforts of my womb to a cold table where he was held down against HIS will and I can never forgive myself for it. I can learn to live with the guilt and learn from my mistakes and fix the future, but I can't go back in time. 

In a way, I'm glad I've experienced it this way. If I had been against circumcision from the beginning, I probably wouldn't fight it. I would just believe this was how natural looks and I might think most people were left intact. It's the fact that I learned from my mistakes and learned what my son went through that I can now fight to save future boys. I have had women tell me that their minds have changed because I shared information with them and that means more to me than anything. 

Some people might ask how I will deal with any future children being left intact when my oldest son will be circumcised and I already know how I'm going to handle it. If another son asks me why he doesn't look like my oldest, it will depend on the age on how I answer. If they are children, I will explain to them that everyone is different. Not one person's private areas looks like another. Which is true, right? Even in adulthood, every penis and vagina looks different than the last. If they are older, teenagers or adults, I will be honest. I will explain to my oldest that I believed circumcision was normal and that as he grew and as I did my research, I learned it wasn't necessary. He will know that it wasn't because I loved his brothers more than him that I left them intact. He will know that it was a judgement error on my end and I will be apologetic for taking away his say in what was done with his body. All of them, intact and circumcised, will grow up knowing that they are who they are and all of them are different and perfect in their own ways. I have no doubt that they might react differently than I am expecting now, but I have several years before I need to worry about how I will take on this situation. But for right now, I am going to try to keep moving forward. Subjecting a child, your own child, to genital mutilation is not something that is easy to live with. I cry often about it and seek reassurance from people going through the same thing that I can do this and I did what I thought was best at the time, but I have to keep moving forward and making a difference. 

If I could say one thing to every expectant mom out there, it would be this: your son will be born perfect. He will be a strong person and will feel empowered, even if he doesn't know it, when he can make his own decisions about his body when he is older. They don't deserve the pain. Every reason for it has been debunked. Your son will be born perfect just the way he is. Don't try to make him perfect in society's eyes. He's already perfect in yours. 



***

email your circumcision regret story to:
regrettingcircumcision@gmail.com

Patrick

*Names have been changed to protect their identities*

***

My son's circumcision was "botched". I completely regret my decision to circumcise, not just because it was botched but because I firmly believe that infant circumcision is wrong. I made a mistake, and I was wrong. Here is my story.

I got to the part on the form that asked if I wanted my son circumcised or not. I couldn't even recall what circumcision meant or which one was the default. A quick google search for pics of circumcised and uncircumcised pictures answered that question. Only one looked like the penises I had ever seen. I checked the circumcised box. My husband told me I did right, and told me that they cut off part of the foreskin. My instincts told me this sounded mean. 

Here is my embarrassingly inadequate attempt at researching. I brought up the issue to some guys I knew. They all cringed at the idea that I would consider leaving the baby intact. They all told me it would leave him prone to infection. They all had stories about a cousin or friend of a friend that had experienced the "horror" of having it done as an adult. They told me that it really doesn't hurt or affect babies very much. They told me if I didn't do it that my son would grow up feeling like a freak and he would resent me for it.

We took an infant care class at the hospital in late 2009. The doctor teaching the class was very neutral about it. She said the pain was minimal and temporary. She said that ultimately it wouldn't hurt our child either way, but that there was some evidence that it led to decreased STDs. This doctor later became our pediatrician. 

I truly believed that this was the best thing for my son. Anyway, the day after he was born, they took him to get circumcised. He was alone. My OB did it. When he came back, he refused to nurse. The lactation consultant told me to give him a break because he just had his weiner whacked. I had just had a forced episiotomy. I loudly objected, and the OB cut me anyway. The similarities in the situations were causing me to understand the magnitude of what I had done.

Days and weeks passed. My son healed, and other than a lot of sleepless nights and a terrible case of jaundice, things were going as expected. He seemed to have healed. At the next pediatrician appointment, the pediatrician opened his diaper and said, "Oh that circumcision needs to be redone." It did look like the pictures I had seen of uncircumcised penises, but I am not a penis expert. 

I should have asked more questions. Now I was faced with knowing that I had put my son through that horror for nothing. Now I had to decide if we were going to do it again. My husband wanted it redone, no question but there was no way he was getting a vote this time. He wasn't the one caring for him on a day to day basis. My husband is now a very involved father, but when our first baby was born he was useless and clueless. Now I was afraid that my son would really look like a freak since he was neither! A recircumcision would need to be done by a urologist. It would be a full on surgery where he would be fully knocked out. Please, don't misunderstand me, I now know that even routine infant circumcision is full on surgery. The difference is that this time I was fully aware of what I was getting into. When I researched about botched circumcisions, I was horrified at what I found and horrified at how common it is.

Also, as side note, my niece, Amyra was a micropremie who was undergoing a lot of surgeries at the time. My little sister (Amyra's mom) asked me why I would want to put my baby through something like that if he wasn't in any pain and he wasn't having any problems. My sister has a circumcised son too, but I think this is when the light bulb came on for both of us. I decided to leave it alone until he is old enough to decide how or if he wants to address it through recircumcision or foreskin restoration. 

Patrick is 3.5 years old now. I have since learned that he got a loose circumcision. Doctors were previously doing tighter circumcisions. They had no idea how large an adult penis would be when fully erect. Many men wound up without enough skin to fully support their erection, so the skin would be painful because it was too tight. Loose circumcisions were the new answer instead of no circumcision. This often results in painful penile adhesions as the penis attempts to heal. I am not sure why this did not happen in Patrick's case, but I am grateful that it didn't. 

I wish I could take back what I did and just leave it alone. In the back of my mind I always worry that he will grow up feeling insecure. I hope that he hasn't lost enough functionality to keep him from having a fully satisfying sex life one day. I wish that I had left him alone, so that he could have made the decisions and weighed the risks himself.

The more I read about circumcision, the more I realize how lucky we were to get off as easy as we did. There is no right way to do this harmful procedure. The effects vary from child to child. Many children experience pain, and the truly unlucky families have babies that die in this pointless procedure.

I truly believe that children are resilient, and that Patrick will understand and forgive me one day. This is my single biggest regret as a parent, and I would implore any expecting parent not to circumcise their baby.


***

email your circumcision regret story to:
regrettingcircumcision@gmail.com

Parents Regretting Circumcison

There's no pain like the pain a mother or father feels knowing they made a mistake when it came to their children. It's a tough lesson to learn and many wonder why they had to learn the hard way. A strong, amazing, great parent, though, is the one that learns from their mistakes. Instead of defending their choices, they feel humility and share their stories so others won't go down the wrong path they did. 

These are the stories of parents regretting circumcision. Whether it be a medical emergency that ultimately changed their mind, or a witness to how it changed their son emotionally, or just the realization that these boys will grow to be men with their own bodies, everyone has their own story. We share these stories in hopes that someone will read them and choose against the procedure. We can't take back what we did to our children, but we can help save future ones.

If you have a story you'd like to share, please email it to:

regrettingcircumcision@gmail.com