All babies are given a newborn screening immediately after they’re born called the Apgar. Their Apgar score tells the doctor or midwife how well the baby handled delivery and how well they’re functioning outside of the womb. Babies can have an Apgar score anywhere between 0 and 10, with 10 being a perfect score. While babies rarely score a 10, any score 7 or above is considered normal.
Kidshealth.org explains the details of the Apgar test:
The Apgar test is usually given to a baby twice: once at 1 minute after birth, and again at 5 minutes after birth. Sometimes, if there are concerns about the baby’s condition or the score at 5 minutes is low, the test may be scored for a third time at 10 minutes after birth.
The test is broken down into 5 different categories that spell out APGAR. The baby receives a score of 0, 1, or 2 in each category, with 2 being the highest. The categories include:
- Appearance and skin color
- Pulse
- Grimace (reflex irritability)
- Activity (muscle tone)
- Respiration and crying
Continue reading to learn more about these Apgar categories and how each is scored.