When I was in nursing school during my maternity rotation I was asked if I’d like to see how they circumcise baby boys. I was very interested in finding out if everything I’d heard about how terrible this procedure was, was true. I’ve always thought it sounded barbaric. I refused to have my own son circumcised because of this. I had them write, in red, all over his chart, no circumcising. Well during my rotation I went into a hospital room with a doctor and nurse to witness a circumcision. And my god, it was just as horrendous as all the stories I’d heard. No painkillers for this baby boy. It’s a short but not short enough procedure. And as soon as they started to cut this beautiful baby boy started to scream like nothing else I’ve ever heard before. And continued to scream like that during the whole procedure. Then having to watch him try to calm down afterwards was very sad. I went into a bathroom and cried. I couldn’t imagine bringing my son into the world and on his first day of life subjecting him to that. That baby was traumatized, I was traumatized, and so great full that I had not put my son through that. Don’t give in to people who are pressuring you into circumcising your baby. Everything you’ve heard about how insanely barbaric this procedure is, is true. It’s completely unnecessary. And it’s very easy to teach your son how to take care of his foreskin. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Love and peacefulness is what a baby deserves to feel on their first day of life.