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PARENTS: PRINT THESE PAGES

Before the Bris Preparations:

Please e-mail the following information to me at imohel@imohel.com, print a copy for yourself and bring it to the bris:

1) Date and time of the bris.

2) The full English names of the parents & the Hebrew (transliterated) names of the parents.

Please inform me if the father and/or the mother is a cohen (bat cohen), levi, yisrael, or convert.

3) The full English name of the baby & the Hebrew name of the baby (the name that he would be called to the Torah and married).

If you have not yet decided your baby’s English and/or Hebrew name, leave this line empty.

4) The date and time of Birth.

5) Phone number(s) and e-mail address of the parents.

6) Address of the parents.

7) Location of the bris.

8) English name of Sandek (godfather)

9) Whether the baby was born naturally or by cesarean section (only relevant if the baby was born on Shabbat or a Jewish Holiday).

10) Any other relevant information and /or unusual medical / physiological details about the baby.

 

Please prepare and email this list designating the people who will receive the following kibbudim i.e. honors, during the ceremony:

11a) Kvatter (the person who takes the baby from the mother and brings him into the room).
11b) The one who takes the baby from the kvatter, and puts him on the Chair of Elija.
11c) The person who brings the baby from the ‘Chair of Elija’ and gives him to the Sandak.
11d) Sandak (godfather) [this is the same as question 8.  The Sandak is traditionally a grandfather or a male individual highly esteemed by the parents].
11e) The person who holds the baby during the naming.
11f) The person who says the benediction over the wine at the end of the ceremony.  Make sure that this individual can read Hebrew.  The mohel often assumes this role.
11g) The one who names the baby (usually the same as #11f).

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Please bring the following items to the location of the Bris:

1) Kiddush Cup & sweet kosher wine.
2) Some yarmulkes (kippot) i.e. head coverings for the men present.
3) Large, thin pillow in a pillow cover.
4) 3 prayer shawls (talis).
5) 1 elevated chair (2 1/2 feet from floor is sufficient).
6) Foot rest (approx. 6''-12'' high).
7) Some (non disposable) cotton diapers and/or pampers.
8) Glucose (sugar) water solution.  This can be prepared by mixing sugar with warm water until it is very sweet.  Reminder:  Parents should feed the baby the sugar water approximately 15 minutes before they expect the bris to start.  This is intended to reduce the baby's blood pressure.

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Please obtain the following items for the post & after bris care:

1) Bacitracin ointment
2) Gauze pads

3) Infant Tylenol
4) Povidone Iodine topical solution (app. 1 FL. or 30 ml.) [A solution without alcohol ex: Betadine]

5) Purell or any generic antimicrobal hand sanitizer

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The Halacha / Jewish law considers the baby's health as an utmost priority:

The following factors are possible health concerns and reasons to possibly postpone the bris:

1) If the family doctor recommends postponement of the bris.
2) A birth weight is below normal.  As a general rule of thumb, the baby's weight should not be less than 5 pounds for an 8th day bris.  For a bris after the 8th day, the baby's weight should be at least 6 pounds.
3) A fever above 100.4 deg. Fahrenheit, eye infection, or jaundice.

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After the Bris preparations:

 

One week of healing: The healing process, what to expect and what to do (print out this page and keep it near the crib):

Day 1 (the first 24 hours after the bris):

Soon after the bris, I will show you how to make and put on a simple gauze bandage.

As a reminder, * tear or cut the gauze pad into a long thin strip (about 1 ½ cm wide), smear Bacitracin on the gauze, then place it on the shaft below the head of the penis.  Wrap it around until it is snug, but not tight.

A note on bleeding:
Bleeding is common, especially during the first day.  If your son is bleeding, first try to determine the cause of his bleeding.

Often hard kicking causes bleeding, since it is abrasive to the penis.  Try to calm him down to keep him from kicking.  When the bleeding stops, monitor him to prevent any further kicking (which is usually when his diaper is changed).
An erection may lead to bleeding, though usually not to a large flow of blood unless there are other combined factors, such as larger veins or severe kicking.]

You may feed the baby as you feel fit.  You may sponge bath the baby around the bandage, but do not fiddle nor remove the bandage.

If your baby appears particularly uncomfortable, you may give him up to 0.4 of the syringe of infant Tylenol.  Do not give him Tylenol on any other day without asking your pediatrician first.  If you feel that he may be experiencing discomfort from some other source besides the circumcision (ex. fever), do not give him any Tylenol and call you doctor immediately.

Your baby will be double or triple bandaged.  Whenever you change his diaper, pour some of the Povidone iodine solution on the bandage.

Urine is sterile, but feces have bacteria.  Keep all feces away from his bandage.  If feces come in contact with his bandage, remove the feces immediately.  You may remove the outer bandage if you feel that the feces cannot be entirely removed.  If one part of the bandage has feces on it but the rest is clean, you may cut off the dirty part.   After you see some feces on the bandage, pour some iodine on that part of the bandage to disinfect it.

If the outer bandage(s) fall off, throw them away.

If the inner bandage falls off, go to “Day 2 &3”:

Day 2 & 3:

If the bris took place on Friday, wait until Shabbat is over before removing the bandage.

Remove the inner bandage very slowly.  The baby may bleed when removing the inner bandage because some dry blood may be sticking to the gauze.  You may make the dry blood wet by pouring iodine on the gauze before removing it.  Replace the day old bandage with a new gauze bandage according to the directions that I have provided above*.

After day three, if (and when) the umbilical cord falls off, you may tub bathe him.  Do not scrub the penis; only wipe it very softly.

Day 4, 5, 6 and 7:

It is not necessary to use gauze as a bandage, though you should swab the upper half of the shaft of his penis with Bacitracin without any gauze.

Congratulations!!

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