Introduction
Right after the baby is born, the doctor’s do an Apgar’s Test on the newborn. This test is done to assess the condition of the newborn baby. This is the test that helps a physician in deciding whether the baby needs any immediate emergency care or to put it another way, it indicates the basic well-being of the baby.
History of Apgar’s Test
In 1952, an anesthesiologist named Virginia Apgar developed this test. She developed this test as a simple test containing five categories. The five categories are as follows:
A: Appearance (color of skin)
P: Pulse (heart rate)
G: Grimace (reflex irritability)
A: Activity (muscle tone)
R: Respiratory rate (breathing)
How is the test administered?
The Apgar test is given twice after the baby is born. The first test is given at 1 minute after birth and the second test is given at 5 minutes after birth. In some cases, where the scores of the tests are low, i.e., the scores of both the first and second tests are low, the test may be given a third time at 10 minutes.
As mentioned above, five factors are used to assess the newborn’s condition. See below for the Apgar’s chart.
As you can see from the chart, if heart rate is absent then a score of 0 is given. Similarly, if respiratory rate is slow then a score of 1 is given. The total score is obtained by adding individual scores of all five factors like heart rate, respiratory rate, etc.
Understanding what the score actually means
At 1 minute, a score of 7 or above means that the newborn is in good health. Now, if the baby scores below 7, it does not mean that the baby is abnormal or not healthy. A low score just means that the baby may need some special care or attention which may be in form of suctioning and clearing the airways to help baby breathe. Sometimes oxygen may be needed as well. The baby generally improves after appropriate care is given.
After 5 minutes, the test is done again. If newborn’s initial score at 1 minute was low, it may improve by this time. However, if it does not improve, this means that additional attention and medical care may be required for the baby. The babies with low scores are kept under close monitoring. Please note that low score at 5 minutes is not an indication that the baby would not do well in the long-term. It also does not mean that the baby is abnormal or has long-term health risk. A low score generally is an indication that the baby requires special attention and is taking time to adjust to conditions outside of the womb. These babies generally with medical care do quite well later on. So there is no need to panic in case the score is low.
Also it is also important to bear in mind that scores at 1 minute are generally low especially if the mother had Caesarian section or complicated labor and delivery. Low scores are also sometimes observed in pre-term deliveries as the babies have less muscle tone than babies born at full term.
Lastly, the doctor attending the baby is the best judge. If there is any cause of concern, he will inform of the same but generally there is nothing much to worry about. The babies generally do absolutely fine later on. So sit back, relax and enjoy the moment.
