SHOULD THE CHILD BE CIRCUMCISED?

In many communities,circumcision is carried out on male children,and in some communities on female children as well as an essential ritual required by the elders.From a health point of view it is not necessary but in boys is usually does no harm.For girls it is harmful and should be strongly discouraged.
BOYS: A baby boy is born with a long foreskin covering the end of his PENIS( the glans). As long as the urine comes out of the hole at the tip the mother should be reassured that all is well. The foreskin will not usually pull back fully over the glans till the boy is FOUR years old and the mother should not try to push the foreskin back by force. This natural slow development of the penis will not cause the boy to be impotent when he grows up.circumcision is not essential.
However,if the foreskin becomes red,swollen and so tight that the urine cannot be passed by baby without pain,this is not normal. It is then necessary to take him to a health worker for a circumcision to be done as quickly as possible.
If a healthy baby boy is to be circumcised as a family ritual then a midwife or person with experience may do a limited operation using a new razor blade. She will cut off a little of the foreskin beyong the glans which can be felt as a bulge through the skin of the penis. After the cut,there will be some bleeding and the penis should be held firmly with a piece of clean cloth,or gauze for 2 to 5 minutes till the bleeding stops. Some circumcisers use the juice from leaves to reduce the amount of bleeding. If the bleeding does not stop,the clots of blood should be washed away with clean water,and the end of the penis pinched between the fingers with a piece of clean cloth while the child is carried to a health worker for better care. Delay maybe dangerous. No medicine should be used .
GIRLS: So called female circumcision required by some traditions,involves cutting out the CLITORIS,the sensitive little soft knob at the front end of the vagina.
In some cases part of the vaginal lips are also cut away. Removing the CLITORIS is as bad as cutting off the end of the penis of a boy. It should not be done. Those who have the more extensive operation often have difficulty in delivering babies