Woo hoo! Wanna hear about my new baby??

Question

We had our baby a week ago today (baby # 4). She was 5lb on the dot. Kinda small, but very healthy. Apgar score was 9. I know this is good, but what does the apgar actually measure?

Answer 1

Congrats on your new baby!!

Apgar": Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration. Here's how they're used to rate your baby:

Activity (muscle tone)
0 — Limp; no movement
1 — Some flexion of arms and legs
2 — Active motion

Pulse (heart rate)
0 — No heart rate
1 — Fewer than 100 beats per minute
2 — At least 100 beats per minute

Grimace (reflex response)
0 — No response to airways being suctioned
1 — Grimace during suctioning
2 — Grimace and pull away, cough, or sneeze during suctioning

Appearance (color)
0 — The baby's whole body is completely bluish-gray or pale
1 — Good color in body with bluish hands or feet
2 — Good color all over

Respiration (breathing)
0 — Not breathing
1 — Weak cry; may sound like whimpering, slow or irregular breathing
2 — Good, strong cry; normal rate and effort of breathing

Answer 2

Apgar: Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration.

Activity
0 — Limp - no movement
1 — Some flexion of the arms and the legs
2 — Active motion.

Pulse
0 — No heart rate
1 — Fewer than 100 beats/minute
2 — Atleast 100 beats/minute

Grimace
0 — No response to airways being suctioned
1 — Grimace during suctioning
2 — Grimace and pull away, cough, or sneeze during suctioning

Appearance
0 — The baby's whole body is completely bluish-gray or pale
1 — Good color in core with bluish hands or feet
2 — Good color all over

Respiration
0 — Not breathing
1 — Weak cry; may sound like whimpering, slow or irregular breathing
2 — Good, strong cry; normal rate and effort of breathing

Good luck!!

Answer 3

WOW Congratulations!!! I am waiting on my second! Well done!

The very first test given to your newborn, the Apgar score occurs right after your baby's birth in the delivery or birthing room. The test was designed to quickly evaluate a newborn's physical condition after delivery and to determine any immediate need for extra medical or emergency care.

Although the Apgar score was developed in 1952 by an anesthesiologist named Virginia Apgar, you may have also heard it referred to as an acronym for: Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration.

The Apgar test is usually given to your baby twice: once at 1 minute after birth, and again at 5 minutes after birth. Rarely, if there are serious problems with the baby's condition and the first two scores are low, the test may be scored for a third time at 10 minutes after birth.

Answer 4

One minute — and again five minutes — after your baby is born, doctors calculate his Apgar score to see how he's doing. It's a simple process that helps determine whether your newborn is ready to meet the world without additional medical assistance.

This score — developed by anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar in 1952 and now used in modern hospitals worldwide — rates a baby's appearance, pulse, responsiveness, muscle activity, and breathing with a number between zero and 2 (2 being the strongest rating). The numbers are totaled, and 10 is considered a perfect score.

How does the doctor score my baby?
It's easy to remember what's being tested by thinking of the letters in the name "Apgar": Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration. Here's how they're used to rate your baby:

Activity (muscle tone)
0 — Limp; no movement
1 — Some flexion of arms and legs
2 — Active motion

Pulse (heart rate)
0 — No heart rate
1 — Fewer than 100 beats per minute
2 — At least 100 beats per minute

Grimace (reflex response)
0 — No response to airways being suctioned
1 — Grimace during suctioning
2 — Grimace and pull away, cough, or sneeze during suctioning

Appearance (color)
0 — The baby's whole body is completely bluish-gray or pale
1 — Good color in body with bluish hands or feet
2 — Good color all over

Respiration (breathing)
0 — Not breathing
1 — Weak cry; may sound like whimpering, slow or irregular breathing
2 — Good, strong cry; normal rate and effort of breathing

What do the Apgar scores mean?
The one-minute Apgar score
This helps your practitioner decide whether your baby needs immediate medical help. If your baby scores between 7 and 10, it usually means he's in good shape and doesn't need more than routine post-delivery care. (Don't be disappointed if your baby doesn't score a perfect 10, though. It's unusual for a baby's hands and feet to have good color one minute or so after arrival.)

If your baby scores between 4 and 6, he may need some help breathing. This could mean something as simple as suctioning his nostrils or massaging him, or it could mean giving him oxygen. If your baby scores 3 or less, he may need immediate lifesaving measures, such as resuscitation. Keep in mind, though, that a low score at one minute doesn't mean that your baby won't eventually be just fine. Sometimes babies born prematurely or delivered by cesarean section, for example, have lower-than-normal scores, especially at the one-minute testing.

The five-minute Apgar score
This helps your practitioner see how your baby is progressing and whether he has responded to any initial medical intervention. A score of 7 to 10 is still considered normal at this point. If your baby scores 6 or less at the five-minute mark, he may need medical help and your practitioner will determine what steps need to be taken.

Answer 5

Apgar scores measure several things: color, respiratory effort, heart rate, muscle tone, and reflex irritibility.

9 is great. 10 is the highest you can get, and I never ever give a 10. All babies have little blue feet and hands. It's completely normal.

Answer 6

it is a test the doctor does on a newborn including colour, head condition(swelling/brusing) temperture, cry, breathing and much more but a 9 is very good

Answer 7

Congrats on your baby. She's healthy.

Answer 8

Only if you have trained it to do tricks