If you have any questions about the procedure, including what types of pain control medication your baby will receive, ask the doctor. You can also ask to be in the room while the circumcision is done.
During a circumcision or frenulotomy procedure, parents have the option to be present in the room to observe the procedure or just to be with the baby in the same room, or may opt to wait in another room until the procedure is done.
Pat the cut (incision) dry. You may also take short baths if you wish. Avoid strenuous activities, such as bicycle riding, jogging, weight lifting, or aerobic exercise, for 4 weeks or until your doctor says it is okay. You can return to work and normal activities, including driving, when you are comfortable doing them.
When you're discharged from hospital, you'll be given advice about your recovery at home, including when you can drive, return to work and have sex. It usually takes at least 10 days for your penis to heal after circumcision. You'll probably be advised to take at least 1 week off work to recover.
Wash the area daily with warm water and pat it dry. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the area with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and gauze bandage if it weeps or rubs against clothing. Change the bandage every day.
You should remain relatively inactive the first 72 hours following surgery. We do encourage walking around for a few minutes every two hours to maintain good circulation, but otherwise, no activity.
Breastfed infants voided up to 8 hours after the procedure, compared with up to 6 hours in formula-fed infants, but without a significant difference.
To reduce the effect of night erections pulling on the stitches during the first few days, empty your bladder before retiring and a few times during the night. Do not lie on your back, but on your side. It may be helpful to draw your knees up a bit into a more foetal position.
The procedure generally takes about 10 minutes. Circumcision is similar for older boys and adults. However, the procedure might need to be done under general anesthesia, recovery might take longer and the risk of complications might be greater when done later in life.
It may be more comfortable to wear loose clothing – or no clothing at all – on his bottom half for a few days after the operation. Passing urine while in the bath or shower may also be more comfortable. He should be able to return to school or nursery about a week after the operation.
During the first 48 hours after the procedure, sponge bathing is recommended. Then, you can resume bathing your newborn in a tub of warm water. If his stool gets on the incision, pour warm and soapy water over it and pat dry. Please avoid scrubbing the incision site.
If local anesthesia is given, the child will feel pressure and movement but not pain. The child may be briefly upset while he is being held in place. If the circumcision is performed under general anesthesia, he will not experience any pain during the procedure.
Most parents elect not to watch the procedure, although you can ask your hospital what their policy is if you'd like. “Most male babies are circumcised after birth/delivery and prior to discharge from the hospital,” explains Vanessa Elliott, M.D., a urologist at UCP Urology of Central PA, Inc.
Pain response during circumcision
According to adult listeners in one study, the infant's response during circumcision included a cry that changed with the level of pain being experienced. The most invasive part of the procedure caused the longest crying. These cries were high pitched and were judged most urgent.
Bathing. It's best to avoid full-body bathing until the second day after surgery, but sponge baths are fine. After the second day, you can shower or bathe as normal, but don't scrub the incision site — just let the soapy warm water run over the incision and pat it dry.
These findings suggest that it is better to perform circumcision when boys are < 1 year old, when the anesthesia complications are also at a minimum. A longer hospitalization is associated with an increased risk of infection as well as increased costs (24).
Your baby may seem fussy while the area heals. It may hurt for your baby to urinate. This pain often gets better in 3 or 4 days. But it may last for up to 2 weeks.
After the Procedure
It is common for your baby to be sleepy after circumcision. Be sure to wake him to eat if he sleeps longer than 2 to 3 hours since the last feeding. To soothe your baby after circumcision: Swaddle him and hold him close.
Infants may be fussy and in pain for some hours after a circumcision, but this usually does not last more than a couple of days. Signs of pain can include crying and problems with sleep and feeding. During the first 24 hours after circumcision, you may give acetaminophen regularly to manage your child's pain.
Quick Tip- Excess red meat, cheese, and dairy products can also lead to constipation. So, limit the consumption of these food items after circumcision.
Our questionnaire used VASs, which were completed on days 1 to 3, 7 and 21 after circumcision. Pain was scored as mild—1 to 3, mod- erate—4 to 6 or severe—7 to 10.
After your baby has a circumcision, you will need to keep the area clean. Gently clean with warm water — do not use diaper wipes. Soapy water can be used if needed. If there is a dressing on the surgery site, put a new one on (with petroleum jelly) every time you change a diaper for the first day or two.
Urine will not hurt the circumcision and should not cause pain since surgery was not performed on the area where the urine comes out. Urine is sterile and does not cause infections. It is not unusual to see a small amount of bleeding from the incision for the first day or two.
The same basic principles apply whether you have a foreskin or have been circumcised. Gently wash your penis each day. Carefully pull back and clean underneath the foreskin, as well as the tip of your penis (the glans) using only water and a very gentle soap. Don't scrub this sensitive area.