After delivering a baby, the newborn and the birth parent will undergo extensive tests and monitoring to ensure their health and safety. Newborns spend nine months tucked safely in the womb. Once they enter the world, many things may present themselves. Health professionals will perform an Apgar test for a quick evaluation. We’ll explore why this matters in more detail.

The Apgar Score Explained

The Apgar score is a brief physical examination of a newborn immediately after birth. This is where baseline health statistics are collected that determine the general health and well-being of the infant.

Depending on the outcomes of this test, the newborn may require immediate medical care and attention regarding its developmental needs. Transitioning from the womb to life can disrupt a newborn’s breathing patterns, and issues may present themselves. The Apgar is a quick way for care providers to detect these transitional issues and offer a solution.

When Is the Apgar Performed?

The newborn’s Apgar is completed immediately after birth, but care providers often allow a small window before beginning the test. The time allotted will ensure the baby has the time and space to transition smoothly before undergoing evaluation.

The initial Apgar is completed one minute after birth. The one-minute test measures how well the newborn transitioned through the delivery. A second Apgar is completed five minutes after birth. The five-minute test indicates the overall transition from womb to life and highlights any developmental needs depending on the results. If the results of the Apgar fall below a score of seven, care providers may perform a ten-minute test to re-assess.

How Does the Test Work?

The Apgar test stands for appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration, which matters significantly when measuring a newborn’s well-being. These are the key areas providers assess when completing the Apgar. Each category will receive a score from zero to two, with each adding up to ten—the closer to ten, the better the results and overall well-being in the immediate postpartum.

Care providers check for a newborn’s appearance by monitoring their skin tone, indicating blood circulation. The pulse will help determine heart rate and blood pumping capabilities. The grimace is tested with reflex irritability and is often completed by suctioning the mouth or nose. The activity score comes from testing arm and leg movement and measuring muscle tone. And the respiratory score measures how well the newborn breathes oxygen on their own following delivery.

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