Circumcision is Painful, Especially for Infants

The AAP in their policy statement acknowledge that newborns feel pain and are stressed physiologically during circumcision. Their screams and cries make their discomfort quite apparent. Some children are shocked into silence, so overwhelmed by the pain that their eyes gloss over as they stare in anguish at the world. Beyond that, they display "changes in heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and cortisol levels." (AAP Circumcision Policy Statement.) It is abundantly clear that the procedure is overwhelmingly painful, regardless of claims to the contrary.

Anesthesia is rarely used on newborn infants. Sometimes a topical cream is applied, but rarely do doctors wait the full time it takes for the cream to become effective before operating. They often begin as soon as the cream has been rubbed on, without waiting until the groin is completely numb. The shot in and of itself is painful, and again, rarely do doctors wait the full amount of time before beginning. Most of the time, the child is given a pacifier or finger dipped in sugar water as the sole comforter during the procedure. It is better for a child not to have drugs anyway, but circumcision with pain relief is much more humane.

Some will use anecdotal evidence about children remaining quiet or fast asleep during circumcision as "proof" that it is not painful. Newborns spend most of their time sleeping, and in the first few days, their slumber is usually very deep. A sleeping newborn may not feel the pain, but that doesn't mean that a newborn who is live awake will not feel it or that the pain is not there. Either way he will certainly feel the discomfort during the healing process. Remaining silent during the procedure is also not a sign that it is painless. The infant is probably too shocked to scream.

Some claim that circumcision hurts less when a person is an infant than when he is older. This is absolutely untrue. An infant feels pain as sharply as anyone else, and there is no evidence to the contrary. An older person, who is capable of speaking up for himself, is more likely to receive anesthesia and have it properly administered to them. Babies cannot complain in words of the pain and discomfort or alert a doctor as to whether or not they are numb. They also cannot sue. That does not mean that newborns cannot feel--only that their feelings are less likely to be respected.

The idea that a child will not remember the circumcision is disputed. Some theorize that the trauma of circumcision has an impact on personality. The AAP acknowledges that circumcised infants have a more sensitive to the pain of vaccinations and have more severe responses. Others believe circumcision may be linked to colic. There is no evidence that children retain no subconscious memory from their infancy. A growing number of studies demonstrate that many things from infancy affects a child in his later years, including being allowed to cry for long periods of time. It is clear that the events of infancy and childhood do remain with the child throughout his life, so there is no reason to believe this is any less true of circumcising.

Even with anesthesia, the pain of circumcision is not completely deadened; the child will still feel the pain. Whether or not a child remembers the pain does not make the pain any less real or hurtful. Having your penis cut hurts no matter how old you are. Going through that intense pain is traumatic regardless of your age. There is no proof that infants do not remember the pain and are not damaged at all by it psychologically, so we should err on the side of caution.

As if the procedure isn't painful enough, the infant also must recover. The sensitive glans is now exposed to air, and it is sore and burning because of that until it fully heals. Every time the penis is wiped at diaper change time or accidentally bumped, the child feels pain. He may not be in enough pain to start wailing, but the discomfort is still very real and existent. If you pulled your fingernail off and then wiped your finger or bumped it, the sensation you'd feel is comparable to what a child whose glans and shaft are exposed to air prematurely would feel.

It is abundantly clear that circumcision is painful. There is no way to completely take away the pain of circumcising. Pain is pain, no matter what, and putting a newborn through such intense pain for trivial reasons is wrong. Having a functioning organ removed is a traumatic event for anyone. There is evidence that the events of our youth stay with us throughout our life and affect us. Why would you inflict unnecessary pain on your baby when there are so many gentler, more effective ways of preventing infection, promoting hygiene, and forming a father-son bond than circumcising?