Most first-time mothers are familiar with the name Apgar score in newborns but are still a little uncertain as to what they actually are. Fear not all shall be explained to you in this article so that you will be well aware of what to expect when your baby is born and understand the Apgar score importance.
What is the Apgar Score?
Apgar score is a newborn's fast test that doctors perform on a newborn infant to check how he or she is doing. It's really like a report card on whether or not your baby passed when he was born. The exam was developed by doctor Virginia Apgar way back in 1952. Apgar score full form is actually named after her surname in a technical sense, but it also represents the five Apgar score components doctors test for:
- Appearance (color of skin)
- Pulse (rate of heart)
- Grimace (reflexes)
- Activity (muscle tone)
- Respiration (breathing)
We must realize how valuable the Apgar score uses since this test is conducted throughout the globe. It is easy, quick, and provides physicians with helpful information regarding Apgar score and neonatal health.
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When and How is the Apgar Score Done?
The Apgar score test is conducted twice when your baby is born:
- First time: 1 minute after birth
- Second time: 5 minutes after birth
Sometimes, if the 5-minute score is weak, doctors will recheck at 10 minutes.
It's an extremely fast test – about 30 seconds each time. Your baby doesn't hurt or even feel uneasy with this test. The doctor or nurse just looks and softly pushes your baby to check out the five Apgar score components.
The Five Key Criteria of the Apgar Score
Let's go over each element of Apgar score components that doctors check:
1. Appearance (Skin Color)
Physicians examine for the color of your baby's skin, particularly in the lips and fingers. Pink-colored healthy skin is normal. Pale or blue-colored skin may indicate that the baby would need help with breathing.
2. Pulse (Heart Rate)
The physicians check the rate at which your baby's heart beats. A healthy fast strong beat of more than 100 beats per minute is normal. Weak or slow beating needs to be seen.
3. Grimace (Reflexes)
This tests how your baby reacts to being touched lightly, such as a light touch or a puff of suction on the nose. Good reflexes are when the baby squirms away, cries, or coughs. Bad reflexes are when the baby requires assistance.
4. Activity (Muscle Tone)
Physicians observe whether your baby's arms and legs can move freely. Healthy muscle tone babies with no problems will crawl with flexed arms and legs. Too much floppiness or stiffness needs attention.
5. Respiration (Breathing)
This is the way your baby is breathing. Succeeding breathing is described by the way of good, vigorous, strong crying. Not crying or weak crying needs to be corrected promptly.
Apgar Scoring System Explained
All five categories are a score of 0, 1, or 2. The Apgar score chart is the below:
Score of 2 (Best):
- Appearance: Pink all over
- Pulse: More than 100 beats per minute
- Grimace: Good responses (crying, coughing, pulling away)
- Activity: Active movement
- Respiration: Good cry and breathing
Score of 1 (Okay):
- Appearance: Blue arms and legs, pink trunk
- Pulse: Less than 100 beats per minute
- Grimace: Some responses (grimace, weak cry)
- Activity: Some movement
- Respiration: Slow or irregular breathing
Score of 0 (Needs Help):
- Appearance: Blue or pale all over
- Pulse: No pulse
- Grimace: No grimace
- Activity: No movement
- Respiration: Not breathing
The sum scores in computing the Apgar score calculation are easy to compute: add all five scores. The total sum could be 0 to 10.
Apgar Score Normal Range
The following is what the total scores indicate for Apgar score interpretation:
- Apgar score 7-10: Your baby is fine and does not need special attention. If your baby's Apgar score 7, your baby is fine and adapted well from your body.
- Apgar score 4-6: Your baby will need some help, such as oxygen or some stimulation.
- Apgar score 0-3: Your baby should be treated right away by a doctor.
Apgar score 10 isn't normal, but what most healthy babies are actually going to have is a 7 to 9, and that's perfectly within the Apgar score normal range.
What Does a Low Apgar Score Mean?
Low Apgar score does not indicate that your baby will always have difficulties. It only means that your baby required a bit of extra support at birth. Some low Apgar score babies will improve dramatically by 5 minutes.
Low Apgar score causes include:
- Difficult or prolonged labor
- C-section delivery
- Premature birth
- Drugs used during labor
- Fetal lungs filled with fluid
Good news: Physicians are capable of assisting low Apgar score babies. They can:
- Provide oxygen
- Clear baby's airway
- Stimulate breaths
- Provide warming
- Provide CPR if necessary
Keep in mind, the 5-minute score is greater than the 1-minute score in how your baby will be.
Myths and Misconceptions
- Myth 1: "Low Apgar scores mean my baby will have problems later"
- Reality: The majority of low Apgar score babies are normal. The score is only a reflection of the status of the baby at birth.
- Myth 2: "Only Apgar score 10 is normal"
- Reality: Every one of the Apgar score normal range 7, 8, and 9 scores is great. Very few babies score a perfect Apgar score 10.
- Myth 3: "The Apgar score measures intelligence"
- Truth: There is no relationship between Apgar scores and how intelligent your baby will be.
- Myth 4: "I can boost my baby's Apgar score before giving birth"
- Fact: Apgar score is measured by how well the newborn is doing at birth, and not by those things which are in your control during pregnancy.
- Myth 5: "Low scores indicate that I did something wrong"
- Fact: Low Apgar scores are not your fault. They even occur in those pregnancies which are entirely healthy.
Significance of Apgar Score Applications
Apgar score importance cannot be overstated since Apgar score uses include:
- Helps doctors to identify babies needing special care at the earliest
- Directs the medical staff regarding treating
- Offers a standardized procedure for all medical staff to note Apgar score and neonatal health
- Helps monitor the child's response to treatment
The test has preserved thousands of new-born lives by providing the correct treatment at the right moment. The Apgar score importance in contemporary medicine is the reason why every hospital employs this effective yet simple tool.
Conclusion
Apgar score is a quick but helpful tool that allows physicians to give you their best service for your baby while in birth. Knowing what the Apgar score meaning is will make you safer and less concerned about what is happening while you are in the first two minutes of birth.
Keep in mind that the Apgar score interpretation is just an instant photo of your baby's condition at the moment of birth. It will not reveal your child's general future health or outcome. The majority of babies are just fine despite low scores on the initial test.
If you have questions or concerns as to whether or not you have any regarding your baby's Apgar score, then you will need to speak with your doctor. Your physician will be able to tell you precisely what your baby's score was and what the correlating implications in terms of Apgar score and neonatal health are.
Please book an appointment with the best Pediatrician in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and all major cities of Pakistan through InstaCare, or call our helpline at 03171777509 to find a verified doctor for your disease.
