Happy future parents always imagine their child as a charming angel with a beautiful face, preferably with a halo of curls on her head and an unearthly smile. When the baby is born, despite the admiration of the family and friends over the beauty and appearance of our child, we objectively judge that our baby is simply ugly. The little visitor, as if from another planet, has an oversized head, puffy eyes, a flattened nose, hair sticking out in all directions, or no hair at all. Bloodshot eyes, squint-looking, pulsating fontanel on the head. Our little one’s skin does not look like in the advertisement at all, it is covered with the remains of fetal fluid with protective properties and covered with fetal hair. Despite all these seemingly flaws, he receives 10 points out of 10 on the Apgar scale. Every newborn is subject to this examination. But do we know what they mean?
Testto which all newborns are subjected was invented by a doctor pediatrician Virginia Apgar in 1953. The results of this test are recorded in the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 10th minute of the newborn’s life and show the general condition of our baby in five categories. Skin color, heart rate, reflexes, muscle tone and breathing are examined. Each examined category is assessed from 0 to 2 points. A toddler who received from 7 to 10 points is in very good and good condition and does not require special medical care apart from standard postpartum care. This means that the baby had a good birth, breathes very well, his skin turns pink with each breath he takes, and his heart is beating hard and strong. The body tenses properly, and with standard nasal cleansing, it screams at full blast.
Puppies rated 4 to 6 are in average condition and may need specific treatments. The lower number of points may be due to the prolonged labor and the fact that the child is tired of it. He has been hypoxic for some time, his skin is not the right color and his breathing is irregular with a slow or increased pulse. However, it often happens that a child rated lower in the first minute of life receives the maximum number of points in the next assessed one. The last place on the podium is occupied by newborns rated below 4 points. These babies require special care and care and their condition is described as life-threatening.
The first breath and the accompanying first cry are the most important, nothing is more spectacular and touching for everyone in the delivery room than the first cry of a new human being. If everything is correct, the child receives 2 points. When breathing is irregular, it is scored 1, and when it cannot catch its breath, CPR is needed and the score is 0. Skin color is also important. The color of a newborn’s skin depends on the level of oxygen in the blood. The less oxygen, the paler and sometimes even blue the skin. A pink toddler gets 2 points, a pale newborn with blue legs or hands gets 1 point, and blue skin all over the body is rated 0.
Then it’s the heart’s turn. After cutting the umbilical cord, the baby is cut off from the umbilical vessels and the hole between the right and left parts of the heart closes – if our child’s heart beats 100 beats per minute, it is worth 2 points, below 100 – 1 point, and without a palpable pulse, 0 points and need resuscitation. Muscle tone is also assessed by the behavior of bent arms and legs. If the muscles resist when trying to straighten everything is fine for 2 points, if the tension is too weak 1, and the little one with a flaccid body 0. The last category examined is reflexes. The toddler may then for the first time in his life oppose and show dissatisfaction when drying his nose. His expressions, grimaces on his face are observed. Sneezing and dissatisfaction are rated at 2 points, dissatisfaction with this unpleasant experience at 1 point and no reaction to O. The sum of all points allows for an objective assessment of the condition of our child.