Here's my two cents.
Circumcision is a surgical procedure that is done primarily for cosmetic or religious reasons, in the same way that some cultures pierce an infant girl's ears. It certainly CAN be done under penile block anesthesia, even in a newborn, but often isn't because... well... allergic reactions to anesthesia are possible, and the little buggers scream non-stop anyway just because they make 'em fast for a couple of hours beforehand so they don't throw up and choke, and they REALLY hate being strapped down into the circumcision board. Believe me. I've done the procedure hundreds of times. Even if you numb them, they still scream bloody murder. The only literature I've seen on the subject is equivocal about any health benefit to the procedure. Last I saw, the only increased cancer risk is in males who fail to clean themselves properly, because debris which collects beneath the foreskin can conceivably cause chronic inflammation and thus cause skin cancer. Oh, and there's some questionable evidence that perhaps newborn boys who are circumcised MIGHT have a minutely reduced incidence of urinary tract infections. When you compare that to the discomfort and the risk of bleeding and infection, most authorities agree that the risks outweigh the benefits for strictly health reasons. That being said, I must admit that my son is circumcised. His father did the procedure. It's a cosmetic thing.
justTrip'n, I'm thrilled that you had good experiences with midwives. Most people who choose midwives do. The main problem I have with midwives is that here in the U.S. the delivery is usually done at home or in a birthing center without operative delivery capability or a trained surgeon on site. This, in my view, is asking for trouble. While the overwhelming majority of births go as planned without complications, and with good prenatal care many complications can be predicted, there is a tiny set of potential obstetrical complications which are completely unpredictable and which can result in the death of the mother and/or the baby within MINUTES. Some of them can be fatal even if the patient is in a hospital with operative capabilities at the moment they occur. These days, no one expects a fatality during a delivery. Two centuries ago, one in six women died in childbirth. Delivering a child at home is like playing Russian roulette with a 1,000 chamber revolver. The odds of a serious problem are miniscule, but when one happens, somebody usually dies. And that's my opinion on the matter.
. Ok, nerd joke, but that totally cracks 
The midwife was there with me for a longer period of time than the doctors ever were, though, I will say that. When I was having my second child (9lbs, 2 oz), I do distinctly remember the doc coming in and remarking how big the baby's head was and then going out in the hallway and laughing while talking with someone. Such is life. He was a good doctor.
