Newborn circumcision is becoming quite prevalent nowadays. Parents may choose to have their newborn baby circumcised to get it over with right away to spare their child the trouble and pain of circumcision when they grow older. Or in some cases, some parents may be left with no other choice but to circumcise their children right away, for health or medical reason.
Whatever the case may be, newborn home circumcision Manchester is still a big surgery. Even if the doctors are removing only a smaller part of your little boy’s penis, the discomfort and pain will still be there. For newborns who are adjusting to life out of the womb, this added pain is struggle enough. In a week or two, the wound will heal. But, before that, it’s on you, the parents, to learn what you should and shouldn’t do as regards their care.
This article will outline helpful tips on how you can care for your newborn’s circumcision.
The Do’s
1) Keep It Clean
The fundamental rule of newborn circumcision care is to keep it clean. This can be a tad bit challenging, given how newborns still wear diapers. As the wound starts to heal, you must change their diapers regularly, or as needed, to reduce the risk of getting irritation and infection.
Use warm water and mild soap when cleaning the site. You may also need to put a new dressing every time you change the diaper and apply a petroleum-less jelly on the area until it is healed completely.
2) Stick With Sponge Baths For Now
After the procedure, it is ideal to avoid giving your baby full-body bathing first. In the meantime, you can stick with sponge baths.
You may consider doing this until the wound is completely healed. More so, you may ask your doctor when the go signal to bathe your newborn is.
3) Limit Any Active Physical Activity
Unlike older children who undergo circumcision, newborn babies are already inherently less active since they are mostly just resting and sleeping the entire day. With fewer movements and limits in physical activity, the circumcision site will be less irritated.
With that said, parents should consider limiting any physical activity for now.
This means staying at home as much as you can to give your newly-circumcised baby a full chance to rest and not disrupt their sleep-wake cycle. More importantly, to avoid the risk of your child getting an infection. The healthier your newborn stays, the faster they can recover.
The Don’ts
1) Don’t Neglect Calling Your Doctor
Once you’re sent home from the hospital, the management of your newborn baby boy’s symptoms will now rest in your care. But this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t call, inform, or visit your doctor, should the need arise.
Aside from checking for signs of infection, you must also observe if there is abnormal bleeding on the site. While bleeding is considered normal as the circumcised site is a wound, it should only be minimal. However, in some cases, if the bleeding causes a large soaked spot, it is best to bring your baby to the hospital right away to get proper medical attention.
With that said, these are some of the other signs of when you should call a doctor:
- Severe pain that lasts beyond three days
- Fever that is higher than 100.5 degrees F under the arm
2) Don’t Fasten the Diaper Too Tight
When changing your newborn’s diaper, be sure it is loosely fastened to give more air room for the penis to breathe. Another good trick is to use diapers that are at least one size bigger. This tip is very important as it can help avoid the diaper from rubbing too frequently on your newborn’s skin.
Aside from not fastening the diaper too tightly, you can also apply petroleum-less jelly with each diaper change. This will act as a moisturizer, so even if your baby’s skin rubs on the diaper, it won’t hurt them or lead to irritation.
Final Words
With the do’s and don’ts listed above, you should be feeling more confident now about taking care of your newborn who has just undergone circumcision. They can be fussy and irritable, but that’s expected.
Also, it’d be good to note that every child heals at their own pace. The most important thing is you’re there to help your newborn recover in the best and healthiest way possible. As their parent and caregiver, you can significantly contribute to helping your little one go through this major change in their life.
