Apgar score, a mandatory test to assess the condition of a newborn

The Apgar Score is a simple assessment performed by doctors to ensure the overall health condition of the baby after birth. This assessment helps the doctor determine whether the baby is in good condition or needs medical help.

If your baby gets a low score after the assessment, it means that your baby needs special care. Meanwhile, if your baby gets a high score, it means that your baby is in good condition so it does not need certain medical care. Check out the full explanation of the Apgar Score below.

What is the Apgar Score?

The Apgar Score or Apgar Score (apgar score) is a method created in 1952 by an anesthetist from America, dr. Virginia Apgar. This method is used to assess the health condition of the baby at the age of 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth. In certain cases, the Apgar Score can also be done at 10, 15, and 20 minutes after the birth of the baby.

The word Apgar, apart from coming from the last name of its creator, is also an acronym for Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), G.rimace (reflex motion), Activity (muscle activity), and Respiration (respiration). Yes, the Apgar Score has five rating criteria from a scale of 0 to 2. Later, the scores for each criterion are added up. Well, this sum is used as a reference to determine the baby's health condition.

Apgar Score assessment criteria

The Apgar Score has a certain value to indicate the condition of the newborn. The values ​​that emerge will vary from baby to baby. As explained above, the assessment is carried out based on the baby's heart rate, breathing, muscle activity, movement reflexes, and skin color. The criteria for the value of each of the Apgar Score criteria are:

Activity (muscle activity)

• If the baby moves his arms and legs spontaneously after birth, the score is 2
• If the baby makes only a few movements at birth, the score is 1
• If the baby does not move at all at birth, the score is 0

Pulse (heart rate)

• If the baby's heart beats at least 100 beats per minute, then the score is 2
• If the baby's heart beats less than 100 beats per minute, the score is 1
• If the baby's heart is not beating at all, the score is 0

Appearance (skin color)

• If all the skin on the body is reddish, the score is 2
• If the baby's skin is reddish, but the hands and feet are bluish, the score is 1
• If the baby's entire skin is bluish, grayish, or very pale, the score is 0

Grimace (reflex motion)

• If the baby cries, coughs or sneezes, and pulls away when the doctor provides stimulation, the score is 2
• If the baby grimaces, cries weakly when the doctor provides stimulation, then the score given is 1
• If the baby does not cry or even responds at all when the doctor provides stimulation, the score is 0

Respiration (respiration)

• If the baby immediately cries loudly and strongly, the score is 2
• If the baby is only moaning, then the score given is 1
• If the baby does not cry at all or is silent, then the score given is 0

After the assessment is carried out, the scores obtained are then added up. The number that appears from the sum of the five criteria above will describe the condition of the baby after birth. This number also determines whether your baby needs immediate medical care or not.

How to read the Apgar Score

Apgar scores range from 0 to 10. Babies who score above 7 are generally considered to be in normal condition and therefore do not need any special medical procedures. Even though 10 is the highest score, only a few babies manage to get it. Most babies get an 8 or 9.

A low Apgar Score reading does not mean that your baby is abnormal. This condition actually tells the medical team that your baby needs immediate medical care. Some medical measures that doctors generally take to help stabilize the baby's condition are suctioning the mucus or administering oxygen so that the baby can breathe better. The doctor may also perform various other actions so that the function of the baby's organs with problems can run more optimally.

Another thing to know about the Apgar Score

In fact, babies who were declared very healthy occasionally had lower than normal scores, especially in the first minute of a newborn. A slightly low Apgar Score result in the first minute after birth is a normal condition. Especially if the mother gives birth with a high-risk pregnancy, underwent a caesarean section or gave birth to a premature baby.

After assessing the baby's condition in the 1st minute, the doctor will return to the assessment at the 5th minute after birth. If your baby's Apgar Score does not increase or does not go up to 7, it means that your baby needs more intensive care. Your baby will also be closely monitored by a team of doctors. This condition is usually experienced by babies who have disorders of the heart and lungs. While some other babies just need a longer time to adjust to the new environment outside the womb.

It should be noted that the Apgar Score is a method that is only designed to make it easier for doctors to assess a baby's overall condition after birth. The results of the Apgar Score assessment are not a reference for estimating the health, behavior, or even intelligence of the baby in the future.

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