Richard Nadel

Below you will find instructions for post-circumcision care.

I will wrap two bandages around your son's penis at the time of the bris. One bandage to stop any bleeding, and another one to keep the area clean. Please remove the outer bandage the day following the bris, by carefully unwinding it. The outer bandage is made of gauze which is saturated with Vaseline. It cannot stick to the penis, so don't worry about pulling a scab. The inner bandage may or may not come off with it. If not, you may saturate it with water by squeezing a wet cotton ball over it. This should make it easier for you to remove it. The inner bandage is made of material that will cause blood to coagulate. As your son urinates, some of the coagulated blood will dissolve. You might see a pink or red stain on the diaper or gauze pad. DON'T WORRY.

After the bandages come off you will see several things:
Your son's penis will be very red. It is red because until now, it has not come into contact with light or air. This redness is not indicative or any soreness or sensitivity. This redness will disappear within a few weeks. You will also see a red swelling behind the glans. This is normal. The swelling will go down within a few weeks. You might also see a mucous discharge. This is lymphatic secretion which is akin to the beginning of a soft scab. It might vary in color from white, yellow, green to gray. It will cover the head of the penis and very much resemble skin. Some parents have reported that build up of the secretion on the shaft of the penis might tend to look like a blister. It is not a blister. Do not attempt to remove this from the shaft or the penis since the secretion functions as a soft scab; removing could cause bleeding. Just leave it alone and it will eventually go away. To the untrained eye, this secretion may look like pus. IT IS NOT PUS! All of these may be expected in varying degrees.

Care
Until the bandages come off, place a sterile gauze pad over the penis with each diaper change. After the bandages come off, use a Q-Tip to apply Neosporin ointment directly to the incision. Spread a thin layer of Vaseline on a sterile gauze pad, and place the pad over the penis. The Neosporin and coated gauze pad should be used with each diaper change and may be discontinued after one week.

Please limit the time that your son is without a diaper. His legs are naturally curved inward because of the fetal position. If he kicks without a diaper, he will probably kick himself in the penis and start to bleed.

If you should happen to catch your son urinating and the flow is not strong (assuming that this is not the end of the flow), please call me at once. If your son is unusually fussy (i.e. you cannot quiet him by feeding, burping, holding or changing), please call me.

I am on call twenty-four hours a day. If you think you see something that worries you, please do not hesitate to call me.

Just relax and enjoy your son!