Pregnant? Yes! Congratulations!!!
Enjoy this phase of your life and keep it filled with good memories. What do we mean? Most families have a few nagging questions about circumcision. You get frank answers from your obstetrician on adjusting diet and travel during pregnancy, as well as your baby’s doctor on baby rearing practices such as “should I immunize?”
Now, you may also consult with the Division of Urology Newborn Health (DUNH). This initiative focuses resolving concerns and questions you might have about newborn circumcision for your soon to be born or newly born boy. In this way, you may enjoy your pregnancy knowing you are in charge of lifestyle choices you are making for your son and feel good about the choices you make. Let’s share a few perspectives on newborn circumcision.
Families who are pregnant or those who just delivered may:
- Seek real expertise in deciding on newborn circumcision or not
- Love their obstetrician, but just want a pediatric specialist to circumcise their son
- Not be interested in circumcision, but would like expert advise on how to care for their boy’s foreskin
- To satisfy religious beliefs.
- It is more hygienic because circumcision exposes the head of the penis (the glans) so that personal hygiene is easier than when the boy has foreskin.
- The father/husband is circumcised and the family wants the “boys” to look alike.
- Other boys in the family are circumcised and the family wants the children to look alike.
- The grandparents would like the newborn circumcised.
- The child was just adopted and the family would like him circumcised.
- While not all uncircumcised males experience these, circumcision does avoid problems of “phimosis,” (tight foreskin) and pain with erections.
- A surgical complication that requires further surgery — if done in a controlled setting, complications are unusual.
- Too much or little skin is removed requiring further surgery — A good result after circumcision involves removing the foreskin surrounding the base of the head of the penis (glans)
- Bleeding following circumcision requiring emergency medical /surgical care — Bleeding is unusual after newborn circumcision. To assure that bleeding does not have a chance to harm the boy, DUNH asks parents to check for bleeding every few hours after leaving the facility.
- Circumcision was done without recognizing that a penis was not “normal” enough to circumcise — DUNH has developed a unique checklist which assures the penis is suitable before circumcision is performed.
- Circumcision was done without recognizing that a bleeding disorder runs in the family — Parents may have a history of bleeding disorders and so the boy’s pediatrician determines the medical care such situations require.
A revision of the circumcision could be needed:
- Skin adhesions formed because no one taught the family how to care for the penis after surgery. DUNH provides families with detailed information on how to care for the circumcision properly.
- The penis skin grew back to cover the head of the penis. “My pediatrician said this is because my boy became overweight.” — While being overweight is becoming increasingly common in the US, having families be cognizant of retracting the skin which covers the penis head will reduce problems of childhood obesity.
Are DUNH services covered by insurance carriers?
DUNH operates within the Division of Urology at your local hospital. Please ask your insurance carrier to evaluate your policy. Services are provided as an outpatient.
- Prenatal consultation
- Newborn consultation
- Circumcision
- Post procedure office visit
After an interview and examination shows the newborn’s genitalia are suitable for circumcision, the baby is soothed with Tylenol. Then Local anesthesia is provided to reduce discomfort. A brief feed soothes the boy. Now circumcision is done by a DUNH team member. The device used is tailored to the baby’s penis. A dressing is applied. This entire procedure takes about 20 minutes. You are asked to remain in the office for up to an hour after the procedure to confirm safety and satisfaction. An appointment for a follow-up visit is made.
Current physician practices offer circumcision before your obstetric discharge. DUNH provides you the new opportunity for circumcision to be done after you return home. You may desire this because:
- Your son will be older and will nurse better.
- Your home arrangements will be better settled.
- Questions about the procedure and its results can be better answered.
- If you were dissatisfied with a previous circumcision, you may want this procedure done by a Pediatric Urologist.
Yes, we notice the boys have a remarkably smoother experience with the use of anesthetics.
Circumcision performed with local anesthesia is reserved for boys who are not too big for the surgical clamp typically used in the procedure. Usually 2 weeks old or younger. After this age, other clamps are used but their use may be associated with bleeding or tissue bruising. So DUNH recommends having the circumcision procedure performed by 2 weeks of age.
Parent information is available through our secure website.
Please use the username & password you were given in clinic to access this video and information. The login button is located in the top right corner of this page.
Below are contact and location information sorted by state.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Lincoln Park Outpatient Center
2515 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60614-3393
Contact: Division of Urology
Phone: 312 227-6340
Provide your contact information, let us know if you are pregnant or just delivered and if you would like to:
- Consult regarding newborn circumcision
- Plan circumcision
Contact: Jack S. Elder, M.D., FACS, FAAP
Email: jelder1@hfhs.org
Children’s Hospital of Michigan
Department of Pediatric Urology
3901 Beaubien Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48201
Phone: (313) 745-5588
Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital
2799 West Grand Blvd., K-9
Detroit, MI 48202
Phone: (313) 916-7025
Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital
6777 West Maple Rd
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
Phone: 313-916-7025
Provide your contact information, let us know if you are pregnant or just delivered and if you would like to:
- Consult regarding newborn circumcision
- Plan circumcision
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Contact: Dr. Seth Alpert
Email: Seth.Alpert@nationwidechildrens.org
Provide your contact information, let us know if you are pregnant or just delivered and if you would like to:
- Consult regarding newborn circumcision
- Plan circumcision
Urology For Children
Phone: (856) 751-7880
Greater Philadelphia Area: Voorhees, Washington Township, and Camden, NJ, and Bethlehem, Langhorne, and Willow Grove
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
34th Ave and Civic Center Blvd.
Wood Bldg., 3rd floor, Division of Urology
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Contact: Michael Carr, MD, PhD
Email: carr@email.chop.edu
Provide your contact information, let us know if you are pregnant or just delivered and if you would like to:
- Consult regarding newborn circumcision
- Plan circumcision
Children’s Urology of Virginia
8700 Stony Point Parkway
Suite 250
Richmond VA 23235
Contact: Dr. John Edmondson
Email: jedmondson@cu-va.com
Phone: (804) 272-2411
Fax: (804) 272-3370
Provide your contact information, let us know if you are pregnant or just delivered and if you would like to:
- Consult regarding newborn circumcision
- Plan circumcision
How healthcare workers align with the Division of Urology Newborn Health (DUNH)
DUNH encourages healthcare givers who deal with newborns to participate in the program. We invite:
- Obstetricians
- Nurse Midwives
- Pediatricians
- NICU Specialists (Physicians, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners)
Programs include facilitating care for Pregnant mothers who wish to clarify how to decide on circumcision for their newborn
Training in:
- Judging suitability for newborn clamp circumcision
- Training for circumcision as a simulation procedure
- Follow up of fetal urological diagnosis