Family Birth Center
Care of the Circumcised and Uncircumcised Male
For the circumcised male, it takes about one week for the
circumcision site to heal.
- Discuss with your physician and nurses the care your
baby needs.
- Initially, the penis tip will be bright red. As healing
occurs, the redness fades and the penis is a normal skin
color from tip to base.
Right after the circumcision has been performed, it is normal
for your baby to be sleepy and not too interested in eating,
sometimes for one or two feedings. Don't worry - he'll soon
realize he's missed a meal or two and make up for lost time.
If you go home the day of the circumcision, make sure your
baby has a wet diaper within eight hours of the procedure.
Sometimes, giving the sleepy baby some water will accomplish
this.
For the "gomco" circumcision, a small piece of gauze with
petroleum jelly in the center is wrapped around the penis
after circumcision. This should fall off after a few diaper
changes. Do not reapply gauze, only apply a large amount of
petroleum jelly for a few days to assist with healing and
comfort. If gauze has not fallen off within 24-48 hours after
circumcision, soak with warm water or a wash cloth and carefully
remove and apply petroleum jelly for 2-4 more days. Do not
forcibly remove gauze. This dressing helps prevent any irritation
to the site and the diaper from sticking to the skin. The
penis can be washed with warm water and should be kept clean
of stool.
For a "plastibell" circumcision, no dressings are required.
The plastic ring will drop off five to eight days after circumcision.
A dark brown or black ring of dead tissue encircling the plastic
rim is normal and will fall off with the plastic ring. The
result is a clean excision. Notify your doctor immediately
if you notice any unusual swelling, active bleeding (usually
appearing as a spot of blood larger than a quarter on the
diaper) or foul odor, or if the plastic ring has not fallen
off within eight days, or if the ring has slipped onto the
shaft of the penis.
For the uncircumcised male, it's normal to have a tight foreskin
that does not retract over the head of the penis. External
washing is all that's needed. Forcing the foreskin back can
cause pain, bleeding and adhesions. As the baby grows and
develops the foreskin will naturally loosen. Your pediatrician
will instruct you later on the daily care required. Normally,
by the time he starts school, the foreskin can be easily retracted.
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