The extent of the “informed consent” was the nurse saying “if it’s a boy, do you want him circumcised” and us saying “yeah, I guess so.”

Without that brave mom repeating herself over & over in that Cafemom group, my eyes wouldn’t have been opened. If people remain silent, circumcision will continue to be a cultural norm.

I almost passed out when I watched a video of a circumcision. I didn’t realize that the EMLA cream often used wasn’t approved for use in newborns, nor that it took far more time to take effect than was given before a circumcision began. I didn’t know that a dorsal nerve block wasn’t totally effective, or that babies who appear to be sleeping are often in shock.

By the time I was expecting our second (we didn’t know the gender again), my husband and I were firm in our decision to leave a baby boy intact.