I have the highest regard for Judaism and the *religious* practice of circumcision; it certainly doesn't mirror the more barbaric practices of female circumcision that we read and hear about! When I teach Infant Care classes and discuss circumcision, I am challenging parents to examine their reasons for their decisions. To the non-Jew, there is no religious significance for circumcision; even for Christians who camp onto Jewish heritage, the choice to circumcise is more traditional than rooted in absolute belief. When I discuss the particulars of the procedure, I point out the differences in current American circ practices and the Jewish tradition, most especially the health issues of blood clotting, the use of wine, and the initiation of breastfeeding. What irks me is the parents who choose to circumcise "just because", for no particular reason, and who blithely ignore the risks of American practices that I outline. Many Lactnetters, myself included, have witnessed a newborn boy "shut down" and be disinterested in feeding after a circumcision. When my firstborn was circ'd, it was done in the nursery, day 2, just before we left. I did struggle with bfg for a few days. Baby#2 was born in a birthing center and I had to bring him back on day #3 (the MD talked me out of waiting until day 8 as I was considering); I observed the procedure and nursed immediately afterwards. (My last boy I did not circ at all) What is more the norm, however, is for the baby to be circ'ed in the nursery and not necessarily brought to mom; he often goes into "shutdown", and then doesn't feed very well the next couple of days. I am convinced that we are too aggressive, and that our haste is an insult to their system that disrupts the adjustment to the extrauterine world. Waiting 8 days means that bfg and such is much better established than at day 1 or 2, and truly is a different circumstance than traditional American practices. -Lisa ************************************************* Lisa Marasco, BA, LLLL, IBCLC [log in to unmask] / [log in to unmask] *************************************************