Parents of newborn baby boys are always posed the question – to circumcise or not to circumcise. Circumcision, which is the removal of the penile foreskin in male infants, is still a subject that draws debate from the medical community, and now the Center of Disease Control (CDC) has released data that shows rates of circumcision are going down among baby boys.
The percentage of newborns being circumcised in 2006 was about 56% and in 2009, this rate has gone down to 33%.
As of now there is no conclusive evidence that circumcision is able to prevent sexually transmitted disease, cancer or urinary tract infections.
Another report from the CDC shows that breast feeding rates are going up.
Three out of four new mothers are choosing to breast feed their newborns. However, this rate drops drastically in six months, so that only half of those women are still breast feeding when the baby reaches the 6 month mark in life.
So even though rates of newborn breast feeding are up, the rate of women who are still breastfeeding their babies at the ages between 6 months and one year of age, remain below the national target. So as of now more effort is needed to give new mothers support at workplaces, in hospitals and in their communities.
