Circumcision is a procedure that removes the skin covering the tip of the penis, known as the foreskin. In a Plastibell circumcision, doctors use a plastic ring to do the procedure. The ring will fall off in about 5–10 days. Your baby should be able to urinate (pee) normally before and after the ring falls off. Follow these instructions as you care for your baby.

• Put some petroleum jelly on the tip of the penis with each diaper change until the ring falls off and the area is healed. This helps protect it from sticking to the diaper.
• Gently wash the area with warm water every day. Do not scrub or rub the penis. If poop gets on the penis, gently clean the area with soapy water.
• Apply any antibiotic ointments as recommended by your health care provider.
• Some swelling and redness of the tip of the penis, crustiness, and a small amount of blood on the diaper are normal.

• Your baby is not urinating (peeing) normally by 6–8 hours after the procedure.
• Swelling or redness of the penis becomes worse or does not go away.
• Yellowish crusting lasts more than 1 week.
• The ring does not fall off within 10 days.
• The ring seems to have slipped out of place on the penis.
• You see a bloodstain larger than a quarter on your baby's diaper.

• Your baby has a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher.
• Your baby seems to be in severe pain.
• There is new bleeding or a large amount of bleeding.

What is circumcision? Circumcision is a procedure that removes the skin that covers the tip of the penis. Parents may choose to have their baby circumcised due to religious beliefs, for hygiene reasons, or because of tradition or cultural factors. Circumcision often is done before a newborn goes home from the hospital. The procedure to remove the foreskin takes about 5–10 minutes.

What happens before a circumcision? Before a circumcision, your baby's penis was numbed with a cream or injected medicine. The doctor may have also given a sweetened pacifier, which can be soothing.