Whose Decision is Circumcision?

34w1d - We have still not peeked into the Sex Envelope, which means knowing whether the Tertiary Bambino is of the sugar/spice or snails/tails persuasion will likely wait until D(ue) Day. Not that we haven’t considered looking: We talked about bringing and tearing open the envelope on our Sedona Babymoon as a way to ratchet up the specialness of that trip, but either we didn't remember to bring the envelope or subconsciously chose not to pack it because it wasn't available when I woke up from yet another afternoon coma and inquired as to its whereabouts. 

And now, with about 6 weeks left to go and the registries full of pumpkin-colored pants and forest green infant caps and lots and lots of brown and grey stripes, I just don't feel any urge at all to uncover what feels like both the grandest and least important mysteries of them all.

In a move cribbed from a friend, we'll be requesting on our birth plan that The Mister gets to announce the sex of this baby once it is apparent in the delivery room. There are so many things about this pregnancy that I've been privy to first or solely, in-utero shimmy-shakes notwithstanding. To me, it seems only fitting that The Mister should get to have his own moment of being the only one between us to know more about this baby than I do. There are few Incoming Baby Experiences that he gets to own, but I'm excited that declaring this baby's gender is one of them.

That, and deciding on where to fall on the circumcision decision.

I don't have a penis. The Mister does. I can research for weeks about the health pros and cons of snipping versus not, as detailed by the governing boards of American pediatricians, U.S. family physicians, and global health experts. I can read about circumcision's potential connections to reduced HIV transmission and its denouncement for being an act lacking medical integrity.

I hear, anecdotally, that about half the kids in my potential son's potential future locker room will have a penis that looks like his no matter what we decide, and I know there is no majority circumcision opinion in this country for us to weigh.

But ultimately, I still don't feel like I have the literal equipment to make this decision, should Tersh be born with some of his own for us to consider. And so, this is a ball I've chucked into The Mister's court to dribble over the next couple weeks.

(He's hoping, hoping for a girl.)

Tell me: Who made the circumcision decision for your son? And who influenced it, ultimately?