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Apgar Score

My baby was just born 2 weeks ago. My doctor said his Apgar scores were really good. What does that mean?
Dr. Virginia Apgar, a pediatrician, developed a particular scoring system to determine the health of a baby at birth. This system is still utilized in the delivery room today. A newborn baby receives a score at one minute and five minutes after delivery. The score is determined by five parameters: appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respirations. Each of those five tests are given a certain score (the best time each is 2), with the best possible score a newborn baby can get being 10, but most babies get Apgars between 7 and 10.

Despite the fact that they are still widely used, they do not necessarily predict any long-term results. Babies that have a difficult delivery usually have lower Apgar scores, while babies who have an uncomplicated delivery generally have higher Apgar scores. This by no means indicates that if your baby has a low score delivery, he will have any health problems in the future. The Apgar scores help to give a general estimation of how your baby’s delivery went.

This article was reviewed 04/20/2011 07:12 AM