Attached at the Hip

The Great Debate

Some time ago, a reader wrote and asked me to post about routine infant circumcision.  I was surprised to search the archives here and discover I hadn't posted anything about it in the past.  Today, I saw a post on the Peacful Parenting Facebook page that is so well done that it must be shared.  I know it's a very sensitive (ha!) topic, so first, let me share my own story.

My own journey with circumcision started 8.5 years ago, when I was pregnant with my first child.  There were many decisions to be made while pregnant: where to birth, what kind of diapers to use, whether or not to buy a crib, which dresser to get, whether to get an infant seat or a convertible seat, and, if it's a boy, whether or not to circumcise.  Most of those issues are not, in the long run, a big deal (even though I am now rather passionate about most of them!), but circumcision seemed like a much bigger one.  It was not something I had much exposure to or information on, so I began to dig up what there was.

My first thought was that we, as Christians, were supposed to circumcise, because, well, that's what all the Christians do - right?  It's clearly stated in the Old Testament as a command to the people of Israel, and by all appearances was prevalent in the Church.  But that seemed counter to the new covenant and New Testament statements such as in Galatians 5:6, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."  The New Testament is clear that we are saved by grace, not by any acts, including that of circumcision.  So why, then, did it seem like the norm in the church and the US as a whole?

Further research unveiled the origins of circumcision in the US, which was not for purposes of righteousness, but for an attempt to prevent masturbation in boys.  Whether that was for puritanical reasons or because they thought it created disease is unclear, but while the majority of the world was not practicing infant circumcision, it was introduced in the US for very suspect reasons.  (The US remains one of the only countries in the world to practice routine infant circumcision without religious reasons [it is a religious rite in both the Jewish and Muslim faiths].)

In fact, I discovered, there was no evidence of any real health benefit to circumcision.  The best I could find is that, maybe, intact males might experience more UTIs (which are far more common in girls than boys, to begin with).  But, still, we struggled with a decision.  It was the most trying of all, and it wasn't until we'd prayed long and hard that we finally felt a real peace with our decision to leave our child (if he was a boy) intact.  When he was finally born, I remember clearly the feeling that I couldn't possibly take my son home (he was born in a hospital) differently than how he was born, so perfect and beautiful.

Much later, after our second son was born (and also left intact), I came across this article on Biblical Circumcision.  I was awed by how much the conclusions they came to mirrored my own convictions following the research and prayer.  They had far more information than I did, but it all confirmed our decision once again.  I highly recommend that Christian parents read the article for an excellent lesson in the history of circumcision from a biblical perspective.

So, back to today.  The Peaceful Parenting blog posted an excellent, concise, and thorough article on cirucmcision that EVERY family should read.  The video at the end, while a bit long at 20 minutes, is also excellent.  Between the two, they answer all of the common questions about circumcision, including, what it is, why it's done, how it's done, what the short- and long-term effects are, and more.  I am a passionate believer in informed parenting, and hope that more and more parents will have access to this type of information in their decision making.  It certainly would have made our own struggle through decision much easier.

And, nearly 8 years later, I can testify that we have had absolutely NO regrets in our decision to leave our three sons intact.  With a combined 15 years of experience, we've had no UTIs, no complications, and have to do, well, nothing special.  It's so easy to clean and to teach them to clean, and they are very happy and comfortable with their natural bodies.  I am so grateful that there was at least some information out there when we were looking, and, moreover, that we were able to listen to the gentle nudges and assurances that this was the right thing to do.

.....

I know that many people have had to make these decisions without the benefit of resources like I found or am sharing.  And, I know many people who have learned more and regretted their decisions to circumcise.  I know there will be those who feel justified in their decisions, and that's fine.  Most of all, I do not want to condemn those who have made the decision to circumcise when they never had the resources to make an informed choice.  My goal is to share information to help everyone make the best decisions they can, from now into the future.  I trust we all make the best efforts we can to be the best parents we can be, today.

"Baby" Foods

A few months ago I stumbled upon some really intriguing viewpoints on introducing babies to solids. While I've always gone somewhat against the grain when beginning solids with my babies (for instance, I don't start until past 6 months, skip the rice cereal, and see food as mostly for fun until over 1 year), these ideas were new to me.  The basic concept is that babies don't have to be, well, "babied" as much as standard American approaches suggest.  Rather than feeding them bland, pureed foods, babies can actually tolerate - and enjoy! - more flavorful and texture-rich foods.  Not only is this almost certainly healthier in giving them a more balanced diet (though breastmilk should always be the primary food source until one year of age), it also gives them a broader palate, so that in future years they'll be more open to more foods.  MSNBC has a great article on research done on the subject, indicating that most of our ideas on beginning solids are more myth than science.

With my older boys, we did try to introduce a lot of vegetables and keep a balance between fruits and veggies.  There's a prevailing notion that giving "too much" fruit will create a sweet tooth, and certainly it seems that more vegetables are not only healthier in the short term but may create more interest in them in the long run.  Unfortunately, this hasn't proven true for us.  In fact, my oldest son doesn't like many vegetables because of their texture, regardless of flavor.

So what if we introduce more textures, earlier?  How about letting infants chew on things (with supervision, of course!) like carrots and broccoli, either raw or lightly steamed?  We've been doing this now with our youngest son for a couple of months and it's gone over very well. He doesn't ingest a lot of food yet, which is fine - breastmilk is all he really needs.  But he does chew, taste, and explore a variety of foods and is clearly mastering the art of eating a bit more all the time.

For more information on Baby-Led Solids (as it's called in the U.S., or Baby-Lead Weaning in the U.K.), be sure to read the Rapley Guidelines, available in English on a German breastfeeding site, or in PDF format (updated June 2008) from Rapley's site.