For families
Checklists and aftercare
Everything on this page is made to be printed and stuck on the fridge. There is also a short form about the baby you can fill in and send me, if you would rather not go through it on the phone.
Before the Bris
A short checklist. Anything not on this list is mine to worry about.
- Call me with the exact date and time of birth, so we fix the correct eighth day together
- Decide where it will be held — home, shul, or a hall
- Decide roughly what time in the morning suits you
- Choose the honors and who will receive them (see The Ceremony)
- Have the Hebrew name chosen, including the father’s Hebrew name
- Tell me anything at all about the baby’s health, however minor it seems
- Let me know if any guest needs a step-free entrance or somewhere to sit
On the day, please have ready
- A firm pillow
- A small table, cleared, with good light on it
- Two chairs placed together for the honors
- A clean room where the baby can be changed
- Wine or grape juice, and a cup
- The baby not fed for roughly the half hour before, if that is comfortable for you
About the baby
These are the things I need to know before the day. We can go through them on the phone in two minutes — most families do. But if you would rather write it down, fill this in and send it to me. There are no wrong answers, and nothing here is a test. If you do not know something, leave it blank and we will talk about it.
Aftercare
I go through all of this with you in person before I leave, and leave it in writing. This page is here so you have it again at two in the morning when you cannot find the paper.
The first day
- Change the dressing as I showed you, and no more often than that
- Feed normally — most babies feed within the hour and settle quickly
- Expect the area to look red and a little swollen. That is normal
- A small amount of yellowish film as it heals is normal, and is not infection
- Some spotting of blood on the diaper in the first hours is normal
The first week
- Keep the area clean and dry, and change diapers often
- Apply ointment as I showed you, at each change
- Fasten the diaper loosely so nothing presses on the area
- Healing is usually well advanced within a week
- I will check in with you during these days
For adults: what to have ready
Before an adult Bris I will ask you to complete two short forms — one about your background and what brought you to this, and one about your medical history, which is reviewed by a medical professional. I will send them to you. This is what to have to hand when you sit down with them.
- Any medical conditions you have now, and any significant ones in the past
- Every operation you have had, with roughly the year
- All medications you take, with the dose and how often
- Whether you have ever taken blood thinners, and whether you take them now
- Any allergies — medications, latex, anything else
- Any doctor currently treating you, and their contact details
- An emergency contact: name, relationship, phone number
- Whether you smoke, and roughly how much you drink
- If you are converting: the beis din or sponsoring rabbi handling it
- Someone who can drive you home afterwards
Anything at all you are unsure about
Do not sit with it. Call me and ask. I have heard the question before, and if I have not, I would like to.
Let’s speak.
No obligation, and no question is too small. Call whenever suits you.