Rabbi J. Abraham

Expert Circumcision Specialist
& Member Of The Initiation Society

FAQ’s

FAQ's

Besides being a most fundamental religious requirement for Muslims, Jews & some Christians, circumcision also has huge health benefits.

• Circumcised men are much less susceptible to cancer of the penis.

• Females with circumcised partners are at a reduced risk of contracting cancer of the cervix of the womb than females with uncircumcised partners.

• Circumcision improves the hygiene and cleanliness of the penis.

• Circumcision reduces the risk of getting balanopothitis & balanitis (inflammation of foreskin & glans).

• Circumcision decreases the risk of HIV (AIDs) in men.

• Circumcision eliminates the risks of phimosis (the inability to retract the foreskin during an erection) and paraphimosis (the inability to relax the foreskin after an erection).

• Circumcision reduces the risk of urinary tract infections.

When done professionally by a qualified & experienced specialist, complications are very rare, so circumcision poses no significant risk at all.

Yes it is. Indeed there are some unscrupulous individuals and cheap clinics out there offering this service. Some of them may claim to be doctors but that is of little comfort since circumcision is not part of doctor’s training.

Rabbi Abraham  however, is a long standing member of The Initiation Society. The Initiation Society was set up more than 250 years ago, and is the only body of it’s kind in the UK. It’s role is to train, examine & monitor it’s members in the field of baby-circumcision SPECIFICALLY, to ensure that they are able to provide the highest standards of professionalism and service. Only if you use a member of The Initiation Society are you assured that your baby is in reliable hands.

Additionally, and more importantly, with London Baby Circumcisions, before you decide to book an appointment, you have the opportunity to first speak to REAL PEOPLE who have used our services before, and find out from them about their experiences. So for extra peace of mind, don’t take our word for it; simply have a look at the testimonials on this site and you can request the contact details of those people who wrote them. Once you have spoken to them, you will be in a much better position to decide whether to book an appointment.

Most certainly! The circumcision is performed as Sharia Law prescribes. Indeed many Muslims prefer this traditional manner of circumcision in line with the traditions of Islam, as opposed to the modern Plastibell/ring method.

The Initiation Society was set up in 1745 to train, qualify and monitor its members in the field of circumcision. It is the only body of its kind in the whole of Europe. Choosing a circumcision specialist who is a member of The Initiation Society gives you peace of mind & assurance that your baby is in good hands. Please note that even if you get a doctor to do the circumcision, you have no way of knowing that they specialise in circumcision, since circumcision is not part of a doctor’s training.

Circumcision is a specialist area which doctors are not trained for. In fact, doctors & paediatricians use our services for their own children!

The following is a quote from the The Memoirs of Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone, “A Sparrow’s Flight“, (written by Quintin Hogg, Baron, Published by London William Collins & Sons Ltd 1990) Chapter 1:

My mother, who had strong views on certain subjects, saw to it that I was immediately circumcised by a doctor. One would think that, even then, this was a fairly simple operation, but for some reason it was not completely or immediately successful. It had to be done again when I was nearly ready for my private school. I was not told that it was going to be done; no anaesthetic was administered; I was just laid across the doctor’s knees and recircumcised (if there is such a word). I still remember the pain, the blood, and my sense of total betrayal by the adult world. My younger brother, Neil, benefited by my misfortune. Deciding in future to trust only specialists in the matter, my mother engaged the services of a Rabbi to do the job on him, and this functionary, whatever his description, was entirely successful

Unfortunately, this service is not routinely provided on the NHS.

There are a few private hospitals which offer the service but expect to pay in excess of £700! As an example, check out the price in The Portland Hospital here and HCA hospitals here. London Baby Circumcisions will provide the service in the comfort of your own home, at a fraction of the cost.

Firstly, it is much more convenient to have it done in the comfort & privacy of your own home – no travelling, no waiting around and privacy to nurse your baby before & after the circumcision.

Secondly, a clinic is visited by many babies & their families, each bringing with them their own germs & viruses. It is a known fact that many viruses are contracted in hospitals & clinics. The safest place for a healthy baby is in his own home where he is already acclimatized to his surroundings.

Don’t be fooled by the scaremongering propaganda that you may read on some websites about the need for a diathermy machine which they may (or may not) have there. Such a machine is practically unheard of for the procedure of neonatal circumcision. They are just trying to cover for the well established fact that most infections & viruses are contracted at these clinics – which should be avoided at all costs!

Thirdly, by and large, the circumcision clinics all use the Plastibell method – which is not recommended; see “Why should I avoid doing a circumcision using the Plastibell/ring method” question (following this one).

The procedure for the Plastibell method is as follows: First one has to inject A FEW TIMES into the base of the penis. A probe & a haemostat are then used to detach the foreskin from the glans. Once that is done, using a scissors one makes a dorsal cut straight down the foreskin all the way to the base of the glans. The Plastibell ring is then forced down, in between the foreskin and the glans. After pulling the foreskin back up, a ligature (a type of string) is tied VERY TIGHTLY on the outer side of the foreskin, CRUSHING it in between the ring & the ligature and blocking any further blood circulation. Once the ring is tightly in place, using a scissors the foreskin is cut slowly all the way round just above the ring. Finally the handle of the ring is broken off leaving the baby with the ring around his penis, tied very tightly by the ligature. You can watch the whole procedure here.

This procedure requires painful injections, takes approximately 15 minutes (!) and it leaves the baby with a plastic ring tied TIGHTLY on his penis, normally for a week or more!

So why is the Plastibell method not recommended?

• It requires painful injections.

• The procedure takes around 15 minutes as opposed to a minute or two.

• Since the area goes through a lot of trauma and a ligature remains in place crushing the foreskin, once the anaesthetic wears off, the baby can be in a lot of pain.

• The baby is left with a plastic ring & ligature firmly attached to his penis, often for as long as a week or more, which can be uncomfortable & could be an invitation to infection.

• The ring doesn’t always fall off on its own and further surgery could be required to remove it.

• Once the ring eventually falls off, the foreskin sometimes grows back on to the glans (above the corona) meaning that further surgery could be required to re-expose the glans.

Yes you are. Circumcision is a delicate procedure which requires specialist training, meticulous expertise and plenty of experience. If someone is offering a cheap circumcision service, there is normally very good reason for it. Your baby’s circumcision is not something you want to get wrong – it’s his future life you are dealing with.
We frequently get calls from distraught parents who had their baby circumcised in one of these cheap clinics and have discovered that they did a very poor quality job, often necessitating a re-do. In some cases, it’s too late.
Beware of the cheap clinics – you only want to get your baby circumcised once!

With London Baby Circumcisions, you can rest assured that it will only be the specialist himself performing the procedure – never a student! You will find some others who will come with an “assistant” who is in fact just a student. The procedure would often be done behind closed doors so the parents don’t actually see that it’s the student carrying out the procedure. With London Baby Circumcisions the parents are welcome to watch the whole procedure so you can see exactly what is done and who is doing it.

Being that this is a dedicated home-visit service, the distance & travelling time is obviously a factor in the pricing and therefore each location will have a different price. The age of the baby is also a factor; the younger he is, the lower the price, which is one of the reasons that it is recommended to get him circumcised as young as possible. But rest assured, you will be getting very good value for money, and you will be paying only a fraction of what it costs to get it done in the hospital.

The conditions are as follows :

  •  The quote must be displayed on a website or in writing from the provider
  •  It must be for a home-visit
  • It only applies to London postcodes & London based providers
  • It must be for a circumcision carried out using the incision method, not the plastibell or any other method
  • It must be provided by a qualified circumcision specialist who is a current member of a recognised body of Circumcision Specialists and who has been practicing for at least ten years and has performed more than 1000 procedures (not including training)
  • It only applies to newborns up to the age of 10 weeks

Although the whole appointment lasts about an hour, the actual procedure is very quick – usually only a minute or two. This is one of the reasons that this method of circumcision is much preferred to the Plastibell/ring method which takes as long as 15 minutes!

Yes – a topical anaesthetic is used to numb the area. No injection is given since an injection is usually more painful than the whole circumcision.

No! With this method of circumcision, no stitching is required – the wound heals beautifully on its own.

Yes. He will have plenty of padding over the penis area so holding him normally should not cause him any pain.

Babies usually go back to normal within minutes after the circumcision. Since the penis is well protected and padded, there is no reason why he should be in any pain provided the aftercare instructions are followed.

Since the dressing is removed after only a few minutes, the healing starts immediately, taking 10-14 days to heal fully – and normally no longer than 2 ½ weeks. During this time your baby should not be in any pain.

The aftercare is very straightforward. It just involves using gauzes & vaseline. It will all be explained to you following the circumcision & you will be given written aftercare instructions to refer to. Additionally, for 24 hours following the circumcision you are able to call the specialist directly AT ANY TIME for any questions or aftercare advice, so you are never on your own!

For the first 24 hours following the circumcision, it is recommended that you DON’T bath him. After 24 hours you can & SHOULD bath him. It is recommended that you give him a bath daily for the 2 weeks following the circumcision.

First the baby is weighed to ensure that he is fit to undergo a circumcision. He is then given a measured dose of paracetamol, orally. A topical anaesthetic is applied to numb the area. Using a special shield, the foreskin is isolated from the glans and in one second the foreskin is removed using a single-use sterile scalpel. A coagulating dressing is applied for only a few minutes, after which it is removed and no further dressings need to be used, leaving the circumcised penis free of any uncomfortable bandages, rings or ligatures.

Most certainly! I am in regular contact with the parents in the hours following the circumcision & I am contactable for any questions or aftercare advice at any time of day or night for 24 hours afterwards.

Provided the baby is healthy, the best age is from 1 week to 1 month old. At this age he feels less, he is less aware & the healing is much faster. Although circumcision can be done at any age, one should try to get it done within the first 3 months.

Once you return from the hospital you should call as soon as possible, so that you will be able to get an appointment when the baby is in his second or third week.

You will normally be able to get an appointment within a week. During busier periods you shouldn’t have to wait longer than 2 weeks.

You can call 930am-11pm Sunday to Thursday and 930am-5pm on Friday. On Saturday you can send a whatsapp message or leave a voice message & your call/message will normally be returned in the evening. But feel free to send a whatsapp message at any time of day or night and you will always get a reply. 

Yes, we can do appointments on Sunday – that way you won’t have to take off work for the circumcision.

All the necessary supplies are provided. The only thing you need to get is a large (250ml) tub of vaseline, which can also be provided upon request. It is useful to have a bottle of baby oil at home but it is not actually required for the circumcision.

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

At London Baby Circumcisions, parents and baby have the best possible experience! If you require more information, we will be happy to assist you. Just give us a call, or send us your number and we will call you back!

Rabbi J. Abraham

Expert Circumcision Specialist & Member Of The Initiation Society