First newborn test - Apgar score

The Apgar score is a number which will be given after five standard tests are made with the newborn baby.

The newborn tests will be performed usually one minute and five minutes after birth (sometimes additional ten minutes later, too).

These are the standard newborn tests:

• Heart beat (> 100, 2 points; below, 1 point; absent, 0 point)
• breathing (regular, 2 points; irregular, 1 point; absent 0 point)
• movements (active, 2 points; some, 1 point; limp 0 point)
• skin color (pink, 2 points; bluish extremities, 1 point; blue, 0 point)
• reflex response (cries, 2 points; whimpers, 1 point; absent 0 point)

A normal Apgar score would be 7 points or above. Lower Apgar scores at the first testing are ok when they improve after the second testing.

A lower Apgar score at the second testing indicates usually the immediate attention of a pediatrician.

With Tim Johannes the newborn tests showed high/the best Apgar nscore at the second testing.
This was one of the reasons that there was no need for the pediatrician to check him earlier.

Otherwise the feeding intolerance would have probably detected earlier. As this kind of newborn test is not performed in the Apgar score a food intolerance can only be discovered by a careful observation of the newborn baby through the nurses/doctor/mother or parents during/after feeding (more about feeding intolerance in one of the next posts!).

Which Apgar Score did your newborn baby have?

If you like to know the further development of our son, just subscribe to our RSS-Feed and get informed as soon as a new article is written about the background of his development and the explanations/ guides for parenting.