Apgar Scoring – Everything you need to know about it

Mothers, here is why you need to know about this important infantile scoring system.

By: Debjani Arora | | Updated: March 11, 2018 4:48 pm

Your doctor might not tell you about this, but after your child is born doctors and nurses evaluate your child s health and wellbeing using a term called Apgar scoring. This method helps the doctors and the nurses to know how well is your child doing and if the little one is able to adjust to the new surroundings. This score is also important to know if your child needs any special neonatal care to get better and stronger. Here is a step-by-step guide to bond with your newborn. Also Read - A perfect scalp and hair care routine for your little one

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It is meant to assess the condition of your baby in a certain time like between one minute and five minutes after birth. After sixty seconds of the birth of the infant, five crucial objective signs of the newborn in evaluated and each is given a score of 0, 1 or 2. If the total score sums up to 10 it indicates that the child is in the best possible condition. Most babies score points between 7 to 10. However, if a baby scores below 3 it shows the child required immediate medical attention. Also Read - Newborn fat: Here’s why you shouldn’t ignore it

The doctor also examines various reflexes of the newborn like the grasp reflex, the walking and stepping reflex and the Moro reflex. In the grasp reflex, the doctor or nurse places a finger on the baby s palm and checks if the baby is able to curl the fingers. In the stepping and walking reflex the doctor holds the baby upright so his/her feet touch a solid surface and the baby starts to walk or moves the legs. The Moro reflex is when the baby looks for support if he/she feels unassisted after birth. It involves three distinct components: spreading out the arms (abduction), curling of the arms (adduction) and crying. Once these reflexes are checked the doctor will announce if the baby is totally healthy. Here are 19 baby care tips for every new mum.

Here is the Apgar scoring table:

Signs	0 point	1 point	2 point
Heart rate	Absent	Less than 100/minute	More than 100/minute
Respiration	Absent	Slow, gasping	Good or crying
Muscle tone	Limp	Some flexion of limbs	Active and flexed
Reflexive response to catheter placed in the infant nose	None	Minimal grimace	Cough, sneeze or cry
Colour	Blue or pale	Body pink, extremities blue	Completely pink

(Inputs from Dr R K Anand paediatrician and Head of the Department of Paediatrics and Neonatology at the Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai)

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Published : March 11, 2018 4:48 pm | Updated:March 11, 2018 4:48 pm

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