How is the Apgar done?
What causes a low Apgar score?
The newborn Apgar scoring system was named after an American doctor Virginia Apgar, being first introduced in the 1960's. The Apgar score utilises five physical signs of a baby at birth, giving each a possible score of 0, 1 or 2, reaching a total assessment of up to 10 points. The midwife or doctor present at the baby’s birth performs the Apgar score when the baby is one minute old and then repeats the score when the baby is five minutes old. However, if the baby takes longer to fully respond and breathe the scoring may continue, repeated at seven minutes of age and possibly again at ten minutes if the baby is unwell.
The score is usually given by the caregiver when the baby is 1 minute old and again when they are 5 minutes old. However, if the baby takes longer to fully breathe and respond, the scoring may continue, given again at 7 minutes and possibly also at 10 minutes of age.
The Apgar score was designed to standardise the way caregivers evaluated a baby’s physical wellbeing at birth, helping to provide a general understanding of how well each baby makes the physical transition to independent life from their mother. These days there is much controversy about whether the Apgar score is a valid tool and opinions vary about its importance. Currently in Australia, a newborn's Apgar score is documented by maternity caregivers on the baby’s medical records as well as government health department statistics and publications. It may also be used by researchers comparing groups of babies' health at birth for studies relating to this issue.
The table below shows the five physical signs used when giving each Apgar score with a description of the observations a caregiver makes for each level of scoring. The five minute Apgar score is regarded as more important than the 1 minute score because it is believed to be more reflective of the baby's overall health.