June 17, 2007
(first person)
Today was the day.My water has broken. I am writing this as i am being carried into my Volvo. We are driving to the hospital where I will be given birth to Victoria-Anne Hatchwatchapooda-ville Mclarnen. Yes, Matt picked the middle name. Oh my, we are now at the hospital! I must go so I may continue with my child bearing. (many hours later!)
After a long sadated struggle, Victoria was brought into the world. Although, it appears as though her existance is threatened. The doctor spoke with concern, but still hopefully: “There’s something wrong. Your daughter’s Apgar scores are 5 points lower than what they should be, which is 10. This isn’t completely abnormal in newborns but she will have to be taken care of more carefully so she will be able to function normally.” While the doctor was ratteling off all these details all I could think to myself was: “Perhaps this is a message from God.” I knew, and still know that the Catholic church disapproves of thrid party reproduction, but I still did it. It was wrong, I know but if you were in my shoes, what would you have done?
(third person)
Hold up fool! Ya man Mr. T here! I doubt that any of y’all know exactly what Apgar scores are, fool. It was all started by an anesthesiologist, in 1952, named Virginia Apgar. Most people just know it as an acronym referred to as: Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration. And that is just what it is, fool. The scores range from 0-10. The tests are as follows:-heart rate (pulse)
-breathing (rate and effort)
-activity and muscle tone
-grimace response (medically known as “reflex irritability”)
-appearance (skin coloration)
The highest score for each is 2 and the lowest is 0.
(see below)
|
Apgar Scoring |
|||
|
Apgar Sign |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
Heart Rate |
Normal (above 100 beats per minute) | Below 100 beats per minute | Absent (no pulse) |
|
Breathing |
Normal rate and effort | Slow or irregular breathing | Absent (no breathing) |
|
Grimace (Responsiveness or “reflex irritability”) (Responsiveness or “reflex irritability”) |
Pulls away, sneezes, or coughs with stimulation | Facial movement only (grimace) with stimulation | Absent (no response to stimulation) |
|
Activity |
Active, spontaneous movement | Arms and legs flexed with little movement | No movement, “floppy” tone |
|
Appearance |
Normal color all over (hands and feet are pink) | Normal color (but hands and feet are bluish) | Bluish-gray or pale all over |
As the doctor said, even if the Apgar scores are low in the beginning the infant generally recovers. A baby who scores a 7 or above on the test at 1 minute after birth is generally healthy. However, a lower score doesn’t necessarily mean that your baby is unhealthy or abnormal. For example, a score between 4 and 6 at 1 minute indicates that your baby simply needs some special immediate care, such as suctioning of the airways or oxygen to help him or her breathe, after which your baby may improve.
At 5 minutes after birth, the Apgar score is recalculated, and if your baby’s score hasn’t improved to 7 or greater, the doctors and nurses may continue any necessary medical care and will closely monitor your baby. Some babies are born with heart or lung conditions or other problems that require extra medical care; others just take a little more time than usual to adjust to life outside the womb. Most newborns with initial Apgar scores of less than 7 will eventually do just fine, I pity the fool who thinks other wise.
Always remember though:
The Apgar scoring was not designed to predict a baby’s long-term health, behavior, intellectual status, or outcome. Few babies score a perfect 10, and perfectly healthy babies sometimes have a lower-than-usual score, especially in the first few minutes after birth. Keep in mind that a slightly low Apgar score (especially at 1 minute) is normal for some newborns, especially those born after a high-risk pregnancy, cesarean section, or a complicated labor and delivery. Lower Apgar scores are also seen in healthy premature babies who usually have less muscle tone than full-term newborns and who, in many cases, will require extra monitoring and breathing assistance because of their immature lungs.
