Circumcision After Care

What to expect after the procedure:

  • After circumcision, your baby's penis may look red and swollen.  You should expect some oozing and bruising, this is a part of the normal healing process. If there is oozing, you can use clean gauze to apply gentle pressure for 3 minutes. 

  • A wet scab will form usually one day after the surgery.  The appearance will look white or yellow and soft/mushy. Leave it alone.

  • Your baby may be fussy while the area heals.  It may be painful for your baby to urinate.  This pain usually gets better in 1-2 days.

  • The swelling and bruising will start to improve after about 7 days.  

  • You may bathe the baby after 7 days with soap and water.

Circumcision Care:

  • Continue Petroleum Jelly dressings for 1 week 

  • Please change your baby’s dressing with every wet diaper.

  • If you run out of Petroleum Jelly, any over the counter petroleum jelly based product is okay to use. 

  • BLUE BANDAGE CARE: 

    • IF your baby has a blue bandage- please remove the bandage tomorrow morning. 

    • If the blue bandage falls off anytime before tomorrow morning, no problem! Start your petroleum jelly and gauze dressings. 

    • If the bandage becomes soiled with feces, gently unwrap the dressing, rinse the area with warm water, air dry completely and start the petroleum jelly and gauze dressings

    • If this is the first gauze change from the blue bandage, gently unwrap the blue bandage from around the penis, if it does not easily come off, use warm water to loosen the gauze.

  • You can give your baby a sponge bath after the day of surgery.  

  • Do not use soap, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to clean the circumcision area. 

  • If your baby has a “blow out” and stool get on the penis, please rinse the area with warm water, pat dry. And apply vaseline dressing. 

  • Day 7 after procedure -  If you do not see the “rim” of the head of the penis with diaper changes - gently push down on the base of the penis to ensure the foreskin does not adhere to the rim of the penis until fully healed.

How to Make a Petroleum Jelly Dressing

  • Remove two pieces of gauze from packaging and place a large dollop of Vaseline on each. 

  • Gently press the two pieces of gauze together with the penis in the middle with only the petroleum jelly touching the penis.

  • Please change the dressing every diaper change. You do not need to change their diaper more frequently than needed.

Medications:

  • If your baby appears to be uncomfortable or in pain, you should give children’s acetaminophen (Tylenol).  Follow the dosage instructions on the bottle.  DO NOT GIVE your newborn baby ibuprofen (Motrin). 

  • CHILDREN’S TYLENOL (160mg/ 5mL) 

    • 6-11lbs → 1.25ml

    • 12-17lbs →2.5ml

  • Administer every 4-6 hours for the first 24 hours after the procedure.

Call your doctor now at (425) 610-9426 or seek immediate medical care if:

  • Your baby has a fever over 100.4°F(38°C).

  • Your baby does not have a wet diaper within 12 hours after the circumcision.

  • If there is heavy bleeding

  • Your baby has signs of infection such as severe swelling

Frenectomy After Care

Our goal is to have the frenum heal by secondary closure.  In order to achieve great secondary healing, we must be consistent with manual stretching exercises to minimize re-attachment of the frenum.  Please begin exercises ONE DAY AFTER lip and tongue-tie release.

Upper Lip and Cheek Exercises 

  • Nitrile gloves or thoroughly washed clean hands recommended prior to start.

  • Position infant lying down with head towards you and feet away.

  • Place fingers under the fold of the upper lip and lift UP and OUT as far as possible using gentle controlled force.  You should see a white-ish diamond shape form.  Mild bleeding may occur during the first couple of days.  This is not a concern.

Tongue Exercises

  • Nitrile gloves or thoroughly washed clean hands recommended prior to start.

  • Position infant lying down with head towards you and feet away.  

  • Place index fingers at the base of the underside of the tongue just above the white diamond.  Gently lift up the tongue to stretch the diamond and hold for 10 seconds. Mild bleeding may occur during the first couple of days.  This is not a concern.

Frequency 

  • Ideally 4-6 times a day.  

  • Continue exercise for at least 4 weeks. 

  • When not doing exercises, play in your child’s mouth with clean fingers.  Examples are tickling/tapping lips and gums.  

Things to consider

  • A wet scab will form usually one day after the surgery.  The appearance will look white and soft/mushy.  The color may change to yellow or even somewhat green.  This is all normal and IS NOT an infection.  As the healing progresses, the wet scab will get smaller.  It is very important to be continuing the exercises so that the frenum does not reattach.  

  • If needed, give CHILDREN’S TYLENOL (160mg/ 5mL) 

    • 6lbs → 1.25ml

    • 7lbs → 1.5ml

    • 8lbs → 1.75ml

    • 9lbs → 2.0ml

    • 10lbs → 2.25ml

    • 11lbs → 2.25ml

    • 12-14lbs → 2.5ml

    • 15-17lbs → 3.0ml

  • Lips/tongue may appear to look swollen 1-2 days following the surgery.  This is also not concerning.  Things will look better in 7-10 days and should completely heal around 14 days.  Even after complete secondary healing, please continue lip and tongue stretches/exercises for at least 4 weeks.