Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Might be a while...

Computer is broke. Actually both our laptops are fried...in the same week. The blog post I was working on will have to wait cause long blog posts from the phone suck to do. Anyways, wanna do an update post on asher and being one and our wonderful christmas. Ill get to those as soon as I can. For now, enjoy the rest of 2011!


Saturday, December 17, 2011

ASHER and being ONE!

 
Let's get to know the little dude Asher Orion who just turned ONE year old!

First, let me start by saying that WOAH, turning one flipped some crazy insane switch in this boy's head. He is no longer a baby, he is this big boy that walks all around and is constantly trying to communicate and understand new things, it is amazing! Here is an update on all the things this baby/not so baby boy is doing now:

  • He is slowly becoming a daddy's boy and I love it. Asher waits for Zack to come home and claps his hands and runs to him with his arms open wide. 
  • He wants to run with the big kids now. At the playground or any kind of activity place where big kids are, Asher just waddles right up to them and tries to get in on the action. 
  • Asher has the greatest/silliest walk that looks like he is waddling with a large diaper between his legs, because, well, he usually is. 
  • Gross activities Asher tries to get into ALL the time: putting his hands in the toilet bowl water, grabbing the toilet bowl brush, getting in the trash can, eating dirt and disgustingness off the ground whenever and whereever. Its pretty hilarious and horrible all at the same time. 
  • Asher is in CLOTH diapers now, and ABSOLUTELY loving it. He will come to me now when I am getting it all set out on the ground for him, its nice and cushy on his butt!
  • Love that he gives real hugs, holds on to you and snuggles so tight to you. Its precious. 
  • Asks what everything is by pointing at it and makes this silly bah noise so we can tell him what it is. 
  • Speaks like a Mars Attacks alien. 
  • Loves balls, so much. Loves saying "ball" and throwing it back and forth with people. 
  • Also says lots of words that starts with B, like book tho it sounds like "bhhhk"
  • Nursing so well still, and has no plans on stopping anytime soon. He is growing and communicating to me when he is hungry he just comes up to me to snuggle and sometimes tries to get at his mama milk by himself. 
  • I dont know how much he weighs, as we have not found a pediatrician here yet that follows my core values, but I am guessing he is in the mid twenties or so. Wearing 12 month tops or bigger, and 12 month pants or smaller he has short stocky legs.  
Anyways, here is were the tough age begins. Being into so much and trying to be a big boy, but not able to really talk yet and/or understand all thats going on. I love my sweet sweet mommy milk baby boy, and will cherish these moments. 

Friday, December 16, 2011

My sweet one year old.

I am enjoying how much being one seems to have changed my little dude. Ill do a whole post soon on all the great things he is doing but for now ill leave you with this picture. He is really loving cloth diapers on his little bum.


Thursday, December 8, 2011

Photo to inspire memories

I love this photo so much. I will cherish forever the summer at mimis house. And all the time I got to spend with my boys


Thursday, December 1, 2011

Finally!

Well look at me, I finally have a phone with internet capabilities. I can even blog and post pics from it. Sounds so silly but we have always had the most craptastic phones, so its nice to have this in the palm of my hands. The boys are sleeping next to me and I just loved seeing them sleep so peacefully. They are growing so fast. Asher started walking about 2 weeks ago and he is so fast now, he walks to silly like he is sneaking up on everybody all the time. so adorable I'll have to post a video. By the way I am in complete denial but he is turning 1 in a few weeks, it's not happening... he still my baby baby boy.





Thursday, November 10, 2011

New move update!

It has been about two weeks since we have all moved into this apartment as a family. I am happy to be all together again, seriously, it is wonderful eating dinner all together, and seeing my husband play with the boys.

There have been some great changes happening with this big change in our living space... our big boy Lincoln has been... mostly, finally sleeping in his big boy bed in his own room! For the first time!!!

But here is where I am going to complain. I feel like I have a newborn again. It is horrible. Asher hardly naps, he wakes up screaming and whining about 4 to 6 times each night. I am so utterly tired and exhausted in the morning. Not to mention he is nursing every two hours again, AT LEAST! He is constantly attached to the boob again it seems. I am not sure if its just cause he is freaked out from the new place or what. He seems to like it here, he is also still plenty chunky and we are giving him a little bit more solids to try and help. But, its doing nothing! I am reading a book called the No-Cry Sleep Solution and I pray that this does something to help. I am going to try and introduce a lovey to him to help so he can comfort himself with it. But I am just so tired of constantly constantly nursing! Im sore!!!

Anyways lets check out pics of the new place and the boys!







Cant believe this little dude is 11 months. Where did my little baby go? He is trying to keep up with Lincoln and is pretty close to doing it!!!!


Thursday, October 27, 2011

We got a place!

Just got a two bedroom apartment in kernersville, NC! Finally moving in together as a family! Ill post pics soon. Cant wait for this weekend *moving in on Oct. 31st!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Saying goodbye to 25!

This year of my life has been epic, life-changing, and incredibly hard. I have learned so much but still have so much to go to find myself. I was almost 9 months pregnant when I celebrated my birthday last year and in nursing school full time, now I am laying in bed next to a 3.5 year old and a 10 month old and have spent the majority of the past seven months on my own with the two boys.
Let's re-cap the past 12 months of my life, shall we:

October 2010

Went out to dinner with my close family and two friends Katie and Melissa. It was very nice.... until I got the phone call on my way home that pretty much about changed my life forever. I learned to never ever ever EVER take your friends for granted. Do not let some petty thing come between you and a friend because you never know what could happen and you never had the chance to make things right between you. I will never forget that, and try to never let something stupid come in the way of a friendship again. I love you girl.

November 2010

Zack's birthday month. Dad came into town for thanksgiving with us. They drank the whole time and played video games, also they went to see a  Brown's game, while I stayed home and took lots of naps and studied for finals.


December 2010

I actually gave birth! I did it!!!! Pretty much on a high this entire month.

January 2011

Visted lots of family and friends over holiday break. Trying to get into the groove with two babies. Hard time nursing now. Start school back up. Spent as much time as possible snuggling my boys.

February 2011 

Life-changing month as well... Zack quit his job of 6 years at heinens!!! Just up and quit, tired of the bullshit with it and needed to get out, so he did it. May not have been the best way to do things but he made the leap. Packed up and took Lincoln on a trip to NC to visit and look around for a new job (this was a very hard, but relaxing 6 days without Lincoln!!!) . The start of  this crazy season in our lives in NC!
Start Birthworks Childbirth Education Classes with Tiffany Sexton (teacher) and Jen Dolly.

March 2011

First month alone with two boys while Zack moved to NC. Crazy hard month, but finally got a groove. Visited a lot of family and used the help of some friends. Also was getting overwhelmed with school at this point. Still really cold and snowy in Ohio.

April 2011

Crazy Month! My boys got very sick at the beginning of the month. Asher hospitalized with RSV, basically a cold in babies that gets into their respiratory system and makes it hard for them to breathe. I had to stay in the hospital for 3 days... by myself.... while Zack had just started a new job in NC and my uncle john's family took care of Lincoln. Really hard couple days! The next week, after Asher was all better, I attended a Rally for Safe Mothers in DC! Lincoln turned 3! Spent a lot of time with my sisters.

May 2011

Nothing much went on this month. Lincoln got a haircut. Asher is 5 months, starts sitting up.


June 2011

Pack up and follow my hubby down to NC! Say goodbye to Ohio friends and family. :(  Heather and the boys and I drive down for my sister's amazing wedding, and freaking awesome bachelorette party. Camera breaks at said bacelorette party. (learned lesson- do not drink and party while swinging a camera around, even if it is supposed to be shatter proof) Vacation in OBX with family, move in with Mimi in Raleigh!

July 2011

Living at Mimis house in Raleigh. Breastfeeding world-record setting. See Zack for a weekend. Friend Whittney has a beautiful new baby girl!

August 2011

Getting our groove at Mimi's house. Lincoln tries a Little Gym Class... epic fail. Chuckie Cheese. Meet up with my cheerleader girls for Suzanne's lingerie party! fab.

September 2011

 Vists with Papa and Zack. Start of weight loss challenge with Mimi! Read books like no one's business. Still at Mimi's house. Stupid freaking planned parenthood disaster.

October 2011

DOULA TRAINING IN ASHEVILLE, NC! Whoop whoop! Baby free for three full days, it was rough but such an amazing break. Then spent a day and a half in Edisto Island, SC. Now visting Zack in Winston Salem for my birthday! :)


What a crazy awesome amazing year! It has absolutely flown by. I really have been dreading turning 26, its too close to 30 for comfort, but I will do a whole other blog post about why its cool to be 26! Peace out 25, you been cool.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Slightly odd and random family facts

 Jessica 
  •  I have Ornithophobia- an abnormal, irrational fear of birds. Seagulls terrify me the worst though. 
  • When I was 18 and got my first tattoo on a whim with my friend Melissa, I did a back handspring in the tattoo shop for the artists. I was such a show-off and a flirt.  


Zack 
 
  • Would have been an astrounaut in another life, he loves all things space
  • Is currently writing his own comic book
Lincoln
  • Has a third nipple, no joke, its pretty badass.
  • Is a little obsessed with his peepee and poopoo right now. Will compare sizes of said excrement and tell me things like, "oh, look at that one that was a daddy sized poop, oh there was the little baby sized poop"


Asher

  • Obsessed with all things boob shaped. He will test it out with his mouth first, always, and in public. Makes me giggle. 
  • Thinks its funny to pull on your lips and scratch you and grab you as hard as he can with his baby talons. No joke this baby can do some damage, and he will laugh about it the whole time.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Boys and Birth

              Tonight while Lincoln was in his bath he did the funniest thing, and it spurred on a blog post in my head. He was just playing around with his bath wash rag and started making this grunting face while using the rag to wash his bottom area, then he looked at me while making said noises and pulled the rag up from under the water, pulled it up on to his chest, and said "look ma, I had a baby" or something to that effect, I died laughing, needless to say. But was honestly very happy that he gets the concept of the thing, I told him that boys do not have babies and they do not come out of a butt, but other than that I let him play his little story out.Since Lincoln was almost 3 when his little brother was born, we spent some time prepping him for the arrival of the new baby. We watched birth videos together and talked about what happens, so that he would not be scared when the time came.
              See the thing is, I WANT my boys to grow up being completely comfortable around birth. If our society is EVER going to change the way we view birth- to birth WITHOUT fear- being the main goal, then we also need to help change this perspective in our men. So many men and women, really, look at birth as a scary, awkward, gross, weird, event that they would rather not even witness. But being present in that moment for your significant other, and for the new baby is so important. If my boys grow up viewing birth as natural, magical, special, life-changing, powerful, beautiful, and perfect in and of itself, then they can become the daddy-doula that his wife will some day need. He will be able to encourage her one day, and if I can help raise a few boys that see it as the way it should be, then I will have done my job to help change the world.
             

Check out these pics from Asher's birth last year. Lincoln's presence during my labor was so calming and helped put things into focus for me. I loved looking into his eyes and knowing I was about to give him a sibling, and that he could be there for that special moment was priceless! We should all do our part to help raise the future men of the world and encourage them to view birth as the normal process that it is!




These amazing photos were taken by Marnie Urso! Thank you again lady, I seriously look at them all the time and feel so happy! <3

The subject of parenting:

I will come back to it. I am trying my hardest, and some days are wonderful and magical and some days I feel like I am in my own personal little hell. That is the honest truth, I do my best and am learning on a daily basis. The end. :)

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Reasons I suck at parenting....

 If you go by the books, sometimes I really do just suck at being a parent. Maybe I am just having an off day and needed to vent through this blog post, but I can pin point so many wrong things I do with my parenting its not even funny. Some of them, I will defend. I do not think all of these are necessarily horrible things, but most are common parenting guidelines that are set up that I just do not have for my boys. 

Well, here we go. Try not to hate me after you read this blog post. 
  • I let my kids jump on the bed. (really, why not?) 
  • I have a wild child, I do not reign him in. I let it blossom, and sometimes wonder if that is the worst thing I can do for him.
  • The thing is I am not structured AT ALL. Like no way, totally laissez faire, run free children, type of parenting. I do have some specific guideline for them to follow but find it is hard when not in our own space to stick to these guidelines, and since I struggle with the whole discipline issue I can not seem to get Lincoln to adhere to these guidelines. The biggest one being him running outside with out me knowing and being somewhere at the neighbors house before I even realize!
  • I sometimes laugh when Lincoln gets hurt, like if he was doing something I had just told him was not a very smart choice because he could get hurt then.... boom he gets hurt. I know, malicious, I am not making fun of him, just... well I have no explanation for this one. Just isnt very nice. 
  • Sometimes I dont pay good enough attention to my kids, I have my head stuck in a book or am on stupid fb and realize that the reason the kids are being uber ridiculous is cause....well...I NEED TO BE PAYING BETTER ATTENTION TO THEM. 
  • Sometimes, I use the playground as my babysitter. You gotta realize, I get NO BREAKS AT ALL, from being with my boys. I am not living with my Zack yet, so I get real tired of the constant go go go all day with them, so we go to the playground and while, yes, I am totally paying attention to Lincoln, I also can use this time to chill out and read my book or just relax. 
  • My husband and I disagree on many aspects of our parenting together, which makes things worse. 
  • I encourage my son to jump off the highest ring of the tower he climbed at the playground. While the other moms were freaking out when their kids jumped from halfway up the tower, I saw Lincoln climb to the very top, give me a look like he wanted to jump, and I said go for it!!! I watched him get crazy mad air, and knew yeah there is a chance he could get hurt but this boy has gotta learn not to be afraid and to take chances, and have fun, and if it hurt too much he would not do it again. 
  • I sometimes loose my temper and react to my children with words or actions I should not. I struggle and battle with this everyday, to be the best parent I can be. To figure out just how in the hell I am really supposed to parent. I hear back and forth back and forth about how "Oh, you have to use spanking and time out because it is what gets them in line, and they will not listen to you if you dont do this", and then from others "Never ever spank a child or put them in time out it will affect them for the rest of their life and you will scar them, they will think you dont love them". Honestly battling with myself on these two its like I have multiple personality disorder and I am sure Lincoln is getting whiplash from it trying to figure out how mommy is going to react! 
  • I do not make my kids eat their plates all clean. If he does not wanna eat it then fine, Ill save it for later. 
  • Lincoln loves him some Mcdonalds Chicken nuggets, and I know they are horrible for him, yet I still let him eat there. Shame on me. 
  • During my efforts to get Asher to nap twice everyday I have no idea what to do with Lincoln... so I will put on a netflix movie and he sits in the bed with us. I encourage him to play in the room but he gets bored and runs off into the house without me, and its not ok for him to do this since we are living with other family right now. 
  • I have a temper and am pretty sure I have passed that down to Lincoln, just him watching me react to different situations if he sees me get angry at something its like he mimics me, " UGH, really!!!" I will hear him say a few hours later. Ashamed. At least its not curse words he is getting from me... He picked up a bad one from daddy though! Just from our speaker phone conversations!
  • Sometimes I feel like I am going to loose it and want to grab all my hair and pull it out of my head. Usually this is when both children are hanging on me and grabbing and whining at the same time. I try all I can to be lovey and show them the attention they deserve but sometimes I am just pooped out and want some ME time! 
  • I told Lincoln it was ok for him to pee outside in the woods. I created a monster with that one, yep. 
  • My children do not know the meaning of quiet time, no matter what I try to teach or show them. Especially in the mornings. 
  • I am NOT a clean freak, struggle with keeping a tidy room and have inevitably passed this one down too. We do have clean up time, but Lincoln gets pissed when I start singing that song. ha
  • Ok, noticed almost all these pertain to my oldest, and that in itself should tell you something.  
 Ok, the end for now. Will add more once I can think of them or accidentally add to my list of things I suck at.


I promise I am going to do a post soon of the reasons why I RULE at parenting. LOL. 

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

On being 9 months.

If my baby could speak...... this would be his blog post update on being 9 months old.

Asher, tell us how you like being 9 months old, and what kind of things your discovering now!
                         
                        Well, being 9 months is such a happy carefree time in my life. I got my momma around and I am happy boy. My big brother makes me laugh when he does silly faces at me or makes goofy noises, but sometimes he picks on me and it does not feel good, so I cry for my mommy. I just started showing two teeth sprouting through my gums (top front right, and bottom front right) on the same day, the day I turned 9 months, and BOY does it hurt. I have to constantly chew on my finger to try and ease the hurties from it.  My favorite thing to do is explore all over the place, to stand up on everything, and to taste it with my mouth. I am even starting to stand up alone without holding on to anything! I also LOVE to climb some stairs, as soon as mommy isnt looking, or if she is in the potty, I am already up two or three stairs, hehehe. 
               Let's talk about food- well, I like to taste and try new things, but my main food is still mama milk. I have tried some things like: bananas, cucumbers, avocado, sweet potato, potatoes, apples, strawberries, watermelon, wheat toast, and cheerios. I do not eat everyday, usually only when I wanna play around with some food and soothe my gums on something! But I am growing so big and healthy just from mommy, yay! I take two regular naps throughout the day, one usually around 11 the other around 3, then bedtime at 8 and sleep till around 8 or 9 am with a few times to wake up and comfort nurse, I LOVE sleeping in between mommy and my big brother, they make me feel safe. 
                Other things I really LOVE right now: Uncle Z- he is just so interesting to sit and watch, the doggies, anything with water, watching and learning, and playing with my toys, and being near my mommy all the time. 
                I am very ticklish, especially on my chunky legs. 
                I do not like getting my clothes or diaper changed. 
                I wake up and cry a lot of times at night, probably to make up for my lack of crying during the day. 
                I am still a super chill little guy but I am starting to find myvoice. 
                I mimick the words you say to me. I like to say mama, go-go, hi, and lots of babbles!  
                I cant wait to walk and catch up to my big brother. 

NOW FOR THE PICS! ~pEaCe OuT: *Asher baby*













                

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Big Boy Undies!!!!

I just want to (officially?) announce that Lincoln is finally a potty user. I guess 3 years, and 4 months was the perfect amount of time that my son needed to prepare himself for this event in his life. Not that everyone really cares or wants to know this, but I am proud of him. We struggled with potty using for over a year. I started too early with him and tried to insist to everyone that he was ready. But honestly I thought he was ready back then, just cause he could explain the whole thing, but he did not care to do it in practice. We tried every trick in the book! In the end it took a few good weeks of hard hard work trying to gently lead him into being diaper free. What won him over finally was when we went to target to fill a basket full of "POTTY PRIZES" and he got to pick a potty prize every time he used the bathroom. We did that for about 2 weeks, now he is doing it all on him own for the sheer joy of it. *On a side note, I am not really keen on the word potty trained, but it was more of a learning process and in the end the result it the same: I am so proud of my big boy using the potty! (I am writing this blog while he is having his morning potty time, an is announcing to me the sizes of his doos)

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Babies are perfect. Keep them that way.

 Let me vent a little bit about circumcision.* First, why do so many parents (and I include my first time momma self with this) automatically make this decision about our sons PENIS by just agreeing with what we feel is most socially acceptable. It is his genitals for crissakes! Would we dare make a decision to alter the our baby girls genitals if they didnt look a certain way that might be more acceptable to some people? Hell no. Genital mutilation is a shame, and needs to stop everywhere. It is something that I wish every parent would look further into, and understand what the real reasons are for having this done to their son. If you are not willing to stay with your newborn son and watch them strap him down, maybe give him some tylenol, and snip off the tip of the most sensitive area on his body, then you should probably reconsider letting a doctor do it to him.



There are so many myths associated with intact penises.

Myth Vs Fact:Circumcison

Myth – Circumcising baby boys is a safe and harmless procedure.

Fact – Surgically removing part of a baby boy's penis causes pain, creates immediate health risks and can lead to serious complications. Risks include infection, hemorrhage, scarring, difficulty urinating, loss of part or all of the penis, and even death. Circumcision complications can and do occur in even the best clinical settings.


Myth – Circumcision is just a little snip.

Fact – Surgical removal of the foreskin involves immobilizing the baby by strapping him face-up onto a molded plastic board. In one common method, the doctor then inserts a metal instrument under the foreskin to forcibly separate it from the glans, slits the foreskin, and inserts a circumcision device. The foreskin is crushed and then cut off. The amount of skin removed in a typical infant circumcision is the equivalent of 15 square inches in an adult male.


Myth – Circumcision is routinely recommended and endorsed by doctors and other health professionals.

Fact – No professional medical association in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world recommends routine circumcision as medically necessary. In fact, leaving boys intact is now the norm in the U.S., with circumcision rates well below 40%.


Myth – The baby does not feel any pain during circumcision.

Fact – Circumcision is painful. Babies are sensitive to pain, just like older children and adults. The analgesics used for circumcision only decrease pain; they do not eliminate it. Further, the open wound left by the removal of the foreskin will continue to cause the baby pain and discomfort for the 7-10 days it takes to heal.


Myth – If I don't circumcise my son, he will be ridiculed.

Fact – Times have changed and so has people's understanding of circumcision. Today, although the popularity of circumcision varies across geographical areas, more than 60% of all baby boys born in the U.S. will leave the hospital intact. Most medically advanced nations do not practice child circumcision. Three quarters of the world's men are intact.


Myth – A boy should be circumcised to look like his father.

Fact – Children differ from their parents in many ways, including eye and hair color, body type, and (of course) size and sexual development. If a child asks why his penis looks different from that of his circumcised father (or brother), parents can say, "Daddy (or brother) had a part of his penis removed when he was a baby; now we know it’s not necessary and we decided not to let anyone do that to you."


Myth – Routine circumcision of baby boys cannot be compared to Female Genital Mutilation.

Fact – Rationales offered in cultures that promote female genital cutting – hygiene, disease prevention, improved appearance of the genitalia, and social acceptance – are similar to those offered in cultures that promote male circumcision. Whatever the rationale, forced removal of healthy genital tissue from any child – male or female – is unethical. Boys have the same right as girls to an intact body, and to be spared this inhumane, unnecessary surgery.


Myth – To oppose male circumcision is religious and cultural bigotry.

Fact – Many who oppose the permanent alteration of children's genitals do so because they believe in universal human rights. All children – regardless of their ethnicity or culture – have the right to be protected from bodily harm.


Myth – Circumcising newborn baby boys produces health benefits later in life.

Fact – There is NO link between circumcision and better health. In fact, cutting a baby boy's genitals creates immediate health risks. The foreskin is actually an important and functional body part, protecting the head of the penis from injury and providing moisture and lubrication. Circumcision also diminishes sexual pleasure later in life.


Myth – Male circumcision helps prevent HIV.

Fact – Claims that circumcision prevents HIV have repeatedly been proven to be exaggerated or false. Only abstinence or safe sex, including the use of condoms, can prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
This myth vs fact exerpt from http://blindedbythelightt.blogspot.com/p/myth-vs-factcircumcison.html
   
*Also, to add my own little blurp here: Many people have expressed to me their concerns over how clean it it to be uncircumcised, or intact. But let me assure you, cleaning the intact penis is just like cleaning a finger, you do not retract anything and it is just wiped clean. Personal hygiene is important for any person no matter the foreskin or lack thereof, and can be just as clean or unclean depending on the level of hygiene.

Some tidbits of Info you should know:
Here are some facts regarding circumcision that most parents are unaware of, and some websites and many physicians fail to mention:
  • About 117 boys die each year in the United States as a result of their circumcision, most from infections or blood loss.1
  • The current U.S. circumcision rate is steadily declining. In 2010 it was 32% 2. That’s a huge drop from 56% in 2006 and 65% in 2002.
  • Most physicians do not have their sons circumcised.3 Why not, if circumcision is medically advisable? Since most have performed the surgery as part of their training, they are the ones who should know more about its consequences than anyone else.
  • Contrary to frequent claims, infants do feel pain as intensely as adults, and very possibly even more. 4
  • Circumcision regularly removes a shocking 3/4 of the penis’s sensitivity through the removal of the ridged band, foreskin “lips,” and most often the entire frenulum. 5
  • Anesthesia is used in only 45% of circumcisions; the type of anesthetic varies.6 The most effective method does not eliminate all pain, and the most common type used, a topical creme, does almost nothing to reduce it. In fact, a major clinical test of the various types of anesthetics, on actual infants, was halted for humane reasons because of the intense pain.7
  • As adults, men circumcised in infancy are 4.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with erectile dysfunction (ED). They are also 1.6 times more likely to suffer from alexithymia, a psychological trait disorder which causes difficulty in identifying and expressing one’s emotions. 8
  • Circumcision has never been proven to be effective in either reducing or treating cervical cancer, penile cancer, urinary tract infections, or sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. 9
  • Not one medical association in America, or anywhere else in the world, recommends infant circumcision; some even recommend against it. 10
This information has been reviewed by our panel of experts and other trusted advisors, however, it is not a substitute for professional medical, legal, or spiritual advice.
  1. Bollinger, D. Lost Boys: An Estimate of U.S. Circumcision-Related Infant Deaths. Thymos: J Boyhood Studies, 2010;4(1), 78-90.
  2. El Bcheraoui C, Greenspan J, Kretsinger K, Chen R. Rates of selected neonatal male circumcision-associated severe adverse events in the United States, 2007-2009 (CDC). Proceedings, AIDS 2010, Vienna, Austria. 5 Aug 2010.
  3. Topp, S. (1978, January). Why not to circumcise your baby boy. Mothering, 6, 69-77.
  4. Anand KJS, for the International Evidence-Based Group for Neonatal Pain. Consensus statement for the prevention and management of pain in the newborn. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155:173-80.
  5. Sorrells ML, Snyder ML, Reiss MD, Eden C, Milos MF, Wilcox N, Van Howe RS. Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis. BJU Int. 2007;99:864-9.
  6. Stang HJ, Snellman LW. Circumcision Practice Patterns in the United States. Pediatrics. 1998;101(6):e5.
  7. Lander J, Brady-Fryer B, Metcalfe JB, Nazarali S, Muttitt S. Comparison of ring block, dorsal penile nerve block, and topical anesthesia for neonatal circumcision. JAMA. 1997;278:2158-62.
  8. Bollinger, D., Van Howe, R. S. (2010). Alexithymia and Circumcision Trauma: A Preliminary Investigation (in press).
  9. Van Howe RS. A cost-utility analysis of neonatal circumcision. Med Decis Making. 2004;24:584-601.
  10. CIRP. Medical organization official policy statements. Available online at: http://www.cirp.org/library/statements/


*And lastly, if you have the guts, watch this video. It is nitty gritty, gets down to the core of the issue, and very profane. But its good and very informative. *

http://www.videobb.com/watch_video.php?v=vF6plsoKFocM




Think before you make this decision for your baby boy. He was born perfect, why would you change that?