HELP! My son is almost 5 months old and still is not circumsized. The insurance I have does not cover it and doctors have told us it will be about 8,000 dollars. Does this sound right to any of you? My friends and family think this is outrageous. I feel that this is so important because his father is circumsized and I want him to be able to identify with him. Im not sure if this could be healthy to his self esteem! Does anyone know any surgeons or recomendations? Does anyone feel it is as necessary as I do to have this procedure done?
hi J.,
you don't need to do it. it's not a necessary pain you need to inflict on him if not 100% important to you. if you go to the motherhood magazine website there are articles you can read up on to help you decide. my pediatrian said he was seeing more and people not doing it, so he would't be alone or the only one that looks that way in a locker room type situation. tricky question...good luck!
I worried about that as well. Son looking different then father, but it wasn't an option but it wasn't an option in Ireland (where my oldest was born) without alot of hoops to go through. And then it donned on me that my husband was different then his father since Grandpa wasn't circumsized and there wasn't any issues with self esteem or even identifying with his father.
The only thing I see as an issue would be the locker room. But our world is so diverse now days, I'm sure it's not going to be an issue.
Good luck with your decision.
I don't think it should be $8000. We had our son's done at Metro Urology in St. Paul and if I'm remembering right, it was more like $1200, and this included anesthesia and a one month post-circ check up. Our insurance ended up covering it, but the $1200 was the amount before submitted to insurance. He was 11 days old, though, vs. 5 months so maybe that's the difference??
I'd get it done. I have two boys and it was a no brainer for me. You shouldn't need a surgeon. What did your Ped say? I love Partners in Peds. Dr Bruce Cantor is who all my kids see. He is terrific and cares very much about families. I'd make an appointment with different Peds and get their opinions as well as prices. And even if it does end up being expensive, I'd bite the bullet and pay it. Our current car cost twice that anyway. There really are no medical reasons to get it done, but I just think hygiene and being the same as other boys is just as important. Good luck!
Jews do not have it done in the hospital. Instead we have a bris and a mohel comes to the house. We paid about $200. We used Dr. Karasov who is a pediatrician at Park Nicollet in St. Louis Park. You could contact him and see if he can perform the surgery for you. Also, because he is a mohel he does circumcisions on a regular basis. Therefor, he gets the job done in about 1 minute where at the hospital it takes closer to 10 minutes. He has circumcised 2 of my sons and other friends' sons as well and we have all been happy with him.
I wanted to get my son circumsized for the same reason, but when I told my husband about it he FREAKED OUT. He feels like he was cheated out of something and mutilated without having a say in it. So we didn't get my son circumsized (I had no idea he felt that strongly about it- I just assumed no one cared, but a lot of guys really feel hurt that it was done to them when they were too young to make that decision for themselves). Anyway, it has as yet not affected his self-esteem in any way. I'm not sure he even notices (its not like my little boy is over there closely inspecting his father's willie!) And since so many people these days are choosing not to circumsize (I've heard its now 50/50), he's not going to be the only one in the locker room at school.
I hate to ask, but if this is so important to you why didn't you have it done when he was 3-7 days old? I didn't circumsize my son, however it is an extremely personal decision. Medically the longer you wait the greater the chance for permanent nerve damage which is why it costs so much. You say it is important to you that he look like his father. How does his father feel? I honestly don not feel his self esteem would be damaged in any way. Many circumsized fathers have opted NOT to circumsize their sons.
Good Luck.
J.,
Where do you live and what doctor do you do to that is charging $8000.
This is only a $300-$400 procedure.
I have 1 son and 2 daughters and my son was circumsized no questions asked.
$8,000 for in hosptial circumsicisions. $300 at Partners In Pediatrics (in the clinic) and was not covered by insurance. It might be a little more $ the older your child gets, since there are greater risks of complications. We had our twins done when they were 33 days old, and in retrospect we wish we hadn't. It looked so painful while they were recovering, and it's not nearly as common amongst this generation as it was our generation or generations prior. Thus, we felt like we had imposed an unnecessary pain on them. And trust me, I doubt that the boys (your son and his father) will be comparing penises.
If your heart is set on it, I would talk to his pediatrician about where he can go. Also call clinics. Clinics are always cheaper than the hosptial versions.
:)
If your doctor wants to charge you $8000 I would find somewhere else to go! Both of our sons are circ'ed and it didn't cost anywhere near that, I believe it was around $300. Our pediatrician did both of our boys, one at the hospital while he was in the NICU and the other at his office a few days after he was born. If you want his information let me know, we really like him. As far as the self esteem goes, I don't believe it would be an issue and isn't a reason why we chose to circumsize. I know there are a LOT of people now that aren't getting their boys circ'ed as it is no longer looked at as a health and hygiene issue.
Hi J.-
That is crazy. Our insurance company did not cover it but it only cost $400 out of pocket, through Southdale peds.
I would check around.
I hope you are able to find some answers.
Andria
We had our son circ'd in the peds office for a couple hundred dollars. We had him circ'd because he had a bladder infection and his urologist ended up saying he really wanted him to be circ'd. In fact he insisted on it. Food for thought.
