What Does the APGAR Scale Stand For?

Your newborn's health is first evaluated by your doctor, midwife or nurse using the APGAR test. Its purpose is to assess the baby's condition immediately after delivery and determine whether any medical interventions are necessary. Understanding the importance of your baby's APGAR score as well what it evaluates helps you better understand your newborn's condition after birth. The test was developed in 1952 by Virginia Apgar, who was an anesthesiologist. Today, the acronym stands for "Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity and Respiration."

  1. Timing

    • The APGAR test is administered twice after your baby is born. One minute after her birth, the medical staff will conduct the first test. The results of this test reveal how the baby handled the delivery, according to MedlinePlus. Five minutes after birth, the staff will complete a second APGAR test. While this test measures the same things, its results reveal how your baby is handling life outside of your womb.

    Categories

    • Your medical team will evaluate a number of factors when administering the APGAR test. First, this test measures your baby's breathing effort and notes any breathing difficulty she may be having. Next, the doctor, midwife or nurse will listen to the baby's heart rate using a stethoscope. They will also look for muscle tone, assessing whether the baby shows an active motion. Your baby's response to a stimulus, or her reflex irritability, will be tested as well. Finally, the APGAR test considers your baby's skin tone -- a pink tone is ideal. A lower score is given for a blue tone or blue extremities.

    Scoring

    • APGAR test results are on a scale of 1 to 10, and a higher score is the sign of a healthy newborn. The baby's condition within each of the five categories is assigned a score of 0, 1 or 2. For example, a baby who has slow or irregular breathing will score 1 for respiratory effort, while a baby with a heart rate of more than 100 earns a score of 2. The category scores are totaled for the final APGAR score.

    Results

    • KidsHealth reports that an APGAR score of 8 or higher indicates the baby is healthy. Very few babies score a 10, because most have blue hands or feet after birth. APGAR scores between 5 and 7 indicate some problems during birth, according to HealthyChildren.org. For these babies, most 5-minute APGAR scores improve, thanks to minor medical interventions. HealthyChildren.org reports that APGAR scores below 5 are unusual and typically occur in premature babies and those delivered by emergency C-section.

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