Medical Questions » Pregnancy Questions » Question No. 809
| Question: | I was told my baby had an ' Apga' of 8 when he was born. Is this good or bad? What does it mean? |
| Answer: | The Apgar score is a number that is given by doctors or midwives to a baby immediately after birth, and again five minutes later. The score gives a rough assessment of the baby' s general health. The name is taken from Dr Virginia Apgar, an American anaesthetist, who devised the system in 1953. The score is derived by giving a value of 0, 1 or 2 to each of five variables—heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes and colour. The maximum score is 10.
APGAR SCORE
SIGN 0 1 2
Heart Rate Absent Below 100 Above 100
Breathing Absent Weak Good
Muscle tone Limp Poor Good
Reflexes Nil Poor Good
Colour Blue/pale Blue hands and feet Pink
When estimated at birth, a baby is considered to be seriously distressed if the Apgar score is 5, and critical if the score is 3, when urgent resuscitation is necessary. The situation becomes critical if the score remains below 5 at five minutes after birth. A score of 7 or above is considered normal.
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