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Infant Circumcision
If circumcision were a choice I had to have made, I would have run frantically from the hospital with my newborn son to protect him from the procedure. His father would have chased me down, insisting his son "look like he did." All I can say is I'm terribly relieved I did not have to live through that. Nor did I have to make the agonizing choice of protecting my baby from pain or disrespecting my husband. It would have been a huge battle of conscience. I was spared and given daughters. The decision to circumcise an infant boy or not is, in the USA and I'm assuming, most of the world, still a parent's sole responsibility. More and more doctors and pediatricians are recommending against routine circumcision. The controversy is beginning to reach epidemic proportions and will soon be a major issue facing new parents. I feel very sorry for those parents. They will be bombarded with opinions at every turn and surely go though hell with it, unless they have settled this issue between them before the baby's birth. Hopefully, they will agree. The problem I foresee is the parents not agreeing on circumcision, creating a stressful situation where there should be only joy. Cultural tradition and religious practices notwithstanding, there is no longer a medical or rational reason to circumcise a child other than for purely "cosmetic" reasons. Circumcision is a very painful procedure, performed on a completely innocent and unsuspecting baby. This procedure rattles me to the point that I have refused to attend the Bris of more than one friend's baby son. (A Bris is a Jewish ceremony whereby a Rabbi circumcises an infant boy ... with a lot of witnesses.) Please understand, I have absolutely nothing against the Jewish faith. I have nothing against any faith, even if I do not agree with their beliefs or practices. I DO, however, have something against anyone who inflicts pain on an innocent child. This would include some cultures that also routinely circumcise adolescent girls. If we agree that this is a barbaric ceremony, can we then apply some of that sensibility to infant boys? Sure, male circumcision does not alter a boy sexually but it does cause considerable pain to our babies without any apparent benefit to the child. The issue of cleanliness is no longer a factor. In modern society, frequent bathing is as common as brushing one's hair. Routine circumcision is obviously not malicious intent to senselessly cause pain to an infant, however, there is much information available today, most of which supports the case against circumcising. Not at least questioning this practice is burying one's head in the sand no matter how the parents choose to proceed. Consider the recent poll numbers obtained by American Baby magazine on circumcision: 57% chose to circumcise 42% chose not to 2% were undecided 20% said it was a hard decision to make. Granted, as life decisions go, circumcision is not one of the most enormous in relation to the impact it will have on our babies. I believe it is more an issue of questioning generally accepted practices that no longer serve logical purposes. As neonatal circumcision is still performed on the majority of boys, (at least in the United States), this controversy should continue for a number of years. It will be interesting to see how our culture progresses and what the poll numbers will be like ten years from now. Copyright 2000-2002- Rexanne Mancini Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne's Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html
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Alternative Medicine To Develop Your Childs Genius - Start with Your Unborn Baby Research has shown that babies in their mom's womb can hear sounds from the environment, and it is widely believed that the baby is sensitive to their environment - inside and outside of their mother's womb. It is a known fact that the mother's moods and activities can affect the unborn baby (I use the term baby instead of fetus, it is my personal preference.) Six Ways to Save on Your Baby Shower It's time to celebrate the baby! As Keepsake Favors' resident baby shower expert, I've learned how to plan a great party without draining your bank account. Here are my top choices for fun, festive baby showers that won't put you in the poor house. Host the Baby Shower at Home Planning a Baby Shower? These Tips Make It Stress Free One of the most pleasant parties to plan has to be the baby shower. The mom-to-be gets so much attention and she can just sit back and enjoy all of the fuss. The key to creating this wonderful event is organization. Here's everything you need to make your upcoming baby shower as festive and memorable as possible! Family Life or How to Buy Chair for a New Baby Even if your baby is just weeks old now, you'll soon see how amazingly quickly she develops. Preparing for New Baby or Traveling with Baby this Summer Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. In 2003, 1,591 children ages 14 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes and approximately 220,000 were injured. That's an average of four deaths and more than 600 injuries each day. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if babies were properly restrained. Inventive Parent (www.inventiveparent.com), a premiere online parenting resource and a provider of solutions invented by real moms and dads, is pleased to announce important baby passenger safety information. Designed to eliminate the confusion around rear-facing car seats and when or what type of car seat baby needs to be in, this is information parents should know whether preparing for new baby or traveling with baby this summer. The Personality Traits of an Aquarius Baby Your Aquarius Baby.. Make Your Own Baby Food - The Easy Way! Is your baby about to start solid foods? Are you thinking of making your own baby food? Baby Shower Food Items Baby shower food items are one of the most important features of the baby shower. When guests arrive at a baby shower they are expecting food that includes desserts, appetizers, and baby shower finger food. You don't really have to plan an entire meal, it isn't really expected at this kind of event. Shared Dancing has Benefits for Babies and New Moms Alike Every parent knows the calming effects on their baby of rocking and gentle motion. After all, who among us has not paced the floor at 2 am trying to entice a little one back to sleep by rocking, bouncing or swaying? Baby Product Recall Products are recalled all the time for posing a danger to the people who use them. Even large, established companies have to make massive recalls, and when this happens we all notice. Who could have missed the series of Ford recalls for rollovers, defective door latches, and then Ford fires? But for every high profile recall there are hundreds of smaller, less noisy recalls of dangerous products every day. Possibly the most concerning of these are recalls of baby products. Your baby cannot tell you if he notices a problem with his high chair, and if you do not stay on top of recall notices you could be putting your baby in danger. How To Deal With Toddler Temper Tantrums It's one of the few things your child can do that will make your cringe. A high-pitched, eardrum shattering, teeth grinding scream that goes on and on and on. Sometimes to the accompaniment of heels beating on the floor, or fists on the wall. You may have to duck as the toys start flying, because your toddler is having a temper tantrum. How to Choose a Baby Swing According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1,000 American infants are taken to emergency rooms every year for injuries sustained while using swings. This is generally a result of the infant's head or neck becoming trapped between the back rest and the bars the swing is suspended from. If figures like this concern you as a parent, then knowing how to choose a baby swing that is safe and durable, will be one of your first priorities. Facts You Should Know About Baby Shower Etiquette Whether you are hosting a baby shower for the first time or not, chances are you've got some questions regarding the right baby shower etiquette. You want to create a truly special time for the guest of honor without any unintended faux pas. This guide was specially created to help you do exactly that. Breast Feeding Basics For Your Newborn Baby It is a myth that bottle-feeds and breast-feeding is equally good. Mother's milk is the best for proper growth of the child. There are certain nutrients in the mother's milk that helps the baby fight illnesses while also promoting brain development. As compared to breast fed babies, the formula-fed babies are more prone to illnesses. Baby Gift Registry A furniture gift registry helps us streamline to the best choice. Through an online gift registry, parents can find out exactly what is required for their baby. The guests could also use the help of the gift registry to make the choice of that perfect gift. It takes 15 minutes to create a furniture baby gift registry and the amount and variety of baby furniture you could possible see has to been seen to be believed. While going through an online gift registry, you could see furniture which would serve the needs of the baby. For example, High chairs are something which would help the baby eat comfortably. Long Distance Baby Shower A long distance baby shower is for when mothers won't be attending the physical party. Most of the time, baby showers are held around the 7th or 8th month of pregnancy. But for some mothers who live far away from family, this presents a problem. Introducing Your New Baby to Your Pet Having a child is a life altering event for you and your family. If you own a pet and are concerned about how your pet will respond to the bringing home of a little bundle of joy, then you are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of new families each year have to deal with how their pet might respond to the new baby. If you have a small child or are expecting in the near future you may have many questions such as, what if my pet gets jealous, what if he or she bites the baby, how do I get my pet used to the new baby, and vice versa? The Best Way To Give Medicine To A Baby So you carefully fill a spoon with medicine for baby, move it near her mouth and the mouth doesn't open! Maybe it's the smell, but there's no way she is going to open her mouth. Frustrating isn't it. Where can you rest the spoon without spilling the contents! You haven't got a hand free to try to open baby's mouth. There's only one winner in that battle, and it's not you! Sharing Baby Photos Online with Birth Announcements & Baby Photo Album Services Congratulations! You're a new parent and you've brought your precious, beautiful baby into the world. You want to shout from the rooftops that you have this wonderful bundle of joy and you are so proud! You have seen or heard about online birth announcements before, and realize that they are a quick, easy, and no hassle way of spreading the news of the birth of your precious baby. Below we'll outline ways you can share your baby photos online or create your own online birth announcements. Baby Names - Choosing Trendy or Traditional Lists of baby names are always fun to look at, whether you are seeking a name for your soon-to-be-born baby boy or baby girl, wondering about the popularity of your own first name, or just curious about what baby names are currently hot.
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