The Perfect Bris

Some people hire a mohel based on word of mouth. Their friends or relatives had a good experience, and so they are confident they'll have the same.

Some people hire a mohel based on their own homework and research, and interview several mohels before deciding which they'll hire. 

In either case, everyone wants a smooth experience, and a perfect bris outcome.

Sometimes that happens! But we are humans, which means by definition we are imperfect. 

Not everything is meant to be perfect. And since every baby's anatomical situation is a little different, there are no guarantees of perfection in life. 

In some cases the precise amount of foreskin is removed, the perfect amount of membrane remains, the baby's bleeding is under control within seconds, and the care he needs is minimal in the days to follow. This is about as close to perfect as possible. 

But in some cases, the incision isn't perfectly even, or a little more skin or a little less skin is removed, or the membrane comes out imbalanced or overly swollen, or perhaps even a combination of any of these features are the reality. And maybe the circumcision takes a little more time to clot than anyone has patience to sit through.

The good news is that many of these scenarios work themselves out in due time (I could tell you stories...!) And sometimes, while things looked amazing post-bris, a few months later things look very different. Sometimes the baby builds up internal fluid in the groin, or an excessive amount of baby fat in the thighs that make things look quite different than they did 3-10 days after the circumcision. Sometimes the diaper (brand) irritates the area and causes unnatural (and even unsightly!) swelling.

Some "errors" can be fixed right away after the bris, and some pop up due to a number of possible factors, including mohel error, post-bris-care errors, wrong diaper brand, a too tight bandage, or a too loose bandage.

Some of these are within the mohel's purview to notice and correct, some of these pop up long after the mohel's role with the baby has come to its conclusion. Some clear themselves up over time. Some do require surgical intervention.

Will your son't bris be perfect? It depends on a number of factors of technical skill of the mohel, your son's personal genetic and anatomical makeup, and your attitude about the whole thing.

For the sake of our babies and their parents, all mohels certainly try for perfection each time. Hopefully we are successful! But when we are not, hopefully we fix and make it look as good as possible so it can all heal beautifully, with patience and time being our fundamental assistants in achieving those goals.