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Expecting A Baby? Learn More About Apgar
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This important test assesses newborn health When a baby is born, excitement fills the air. Parents rejoice. The baby cries as cold air and light greet her arrival into the world after nine months in mother’s warm, protective womb. As soon as the infant is born, her medical team gets to work examining her to make sure she is healthy. One way practitioners determine the child’s condition is through something known as the Apgar score. What is the Apgar score? This scoring system (named after its creator Virginia Apgar) helps health care practitioners estimate a newborn baby’s general health at birth. The test measures heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflex response and color. Assessments are completed after one minute and then after five minutes. If there are problems, an additional score is determined at 10 minutes. The one-minute Apgar score conveys information about baby's condition after her first minute of life and helps the practitioner determine whether she needs any immediate or further treatment. The five-minute Apgar score helps determine how baby has responded to any resuscitative efforts and whether she will need further monitoring. A score of seven to 10 is considered normal. If the score is less than seven, the baby will be observed closely and an Apgar may be done again every five minutes for up to 20 minutes to monitor the baby's changing condition. How is the Apgar score calculated? The practitioner will check each of the following factors and assign a score between zero and two. Then the scores are totaled. Heart rate
Respiration
Muscle tone
Reflex response
Color
Why do hospitals perform Apgar score assessments? Apgar scores are routinely performed to assess the baby's well-being immediately after birth. All hospitals, including Baptist Memorial Health Care facilities, have adopted this universal scoring system, said Pam Sere, program manager for childbirth and family education at Baptist Memorial Health Care. Who will assign my baby’s Apgar score? At Baptist, the Apgar scores are assigned by the labor/delivery nurse right after the baby's birth. In some cases, a neonatologist (high-risk newborn specialist) is present at the delivery because of possible problems with the baby. If so, the neonatologist will assign the Apgar score. Should I worry if my baby doesn’t get a perfect score? Parents shouldn't worry if their baby doesn't get a perfect score of 10, Sere said. “Most babies will have a point taken off in the ‘color’ category because it normally takes the newborn’s hands and feet longer than the time frame of the Apgar score measurement to get completely pink. Most babies at the five-minute Apgar will still only score a ‘1’ in the color category,” Sere said. Is a lower than normal score an indicator of long-term problems? A lower than normal score alone is not an indication of permanent problems and may be explained by a number of factors, including premature birth or medication that the mother was given. “Many do just fine over time; some may have lingering problems that can't positively be predicted right after birth,” Sere said. Parents should not be anxious about the Apgar score. The Apgar score is an excellent and immediate way of assessing a baby’s general health right
Published: June 29, 2006
Source: Pam Sere, program manager for childbirth and family education at Baptist Memorial Health Care Writer: Elizabeth Todd Bartholomew, MA, APR  Top of Page |
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