Hi all,
Thought I'd pop on with my Orthodox Jewish 2 cents worth of info on why G-d
chose the 8th day for the bris (circ).  It is written in the Talmud that the
baby needs to recover from the birth and is not really viable enough for the
circ until the 8th day.  For this reason, even the most Orthodox Jews will
postpone the bris if the baby is ill in any way.  For example when a baby is
jaundiced, underweight, or otherwise not well, the bris is postponed until the
baby is well.  One of my own grandsons had his bris postponed last year because
there were some breathing problems at birth.  He was treated with antibiotics
and the mohel insisted that we wait for one week after the treatment was
completed.  This too, is written.  The moehl is fully trained and qualified to
make the decision - his is the final word and the family abide by it.  I hope
this answers some of your questions.  Having worked in hospitals and observed
circs on the first day after birth, often done by hospital residents as
compared to the gentle and kind performance of the bris, I, for one, am
certainly in favor of waiting and approaching a circumcision with more concern.

Yaffa Stark, MA, IBCLC