post birth bonding and apgars testing

[mellybelly81]

Hi ladies

I'm just in the process of putting our birth plan down and have been using Kelly's template (think its linked from one of her articles about birth plans). On there is the point that after the birth, the baby and mother be allowed to bond and attempt first bf before measurements, weighing etc are done.

Whilst I quite like the idea of being able to bond straight away and have that skin-to-skin and bf, how does that work with the apgars testing which to my understanding is measured at one and five minutes post birth? Is it really that important? (of course unless there is obvious medical need)

thanks for your thoughts or comments

[PumpkinZulu]

I could be very wrong, so my mistake if I am, but as far as I was aware, apgars are pretty much measured visually, can someone tell me if I'm right or wrong there? I thought the midwives could pretty much gauge apgars just from looking at bubs, and that it was a pretty unobtrusive test.

[Aligater]

I think so as I had skin to skin both times and both my girls had high apgars BTW I was left both times for over an hour more like 2 till we had them weighed and I got showered

[feeb]

Baby does not need to be taken from
Mum unless resus is needed apgar is Looking at colour, tone, attempt to breath, heart rate, movement. If a baby is crying and pink will be left undisturbed with mum.

[shan23]

Crap internet spazzed out haha.

DS apgars were done on me. He wasnt touched or anything, just watched. We had our first bf 30mins after birth and he wasnt weighed until over an hour after his birth when he was dressed and wrapped so we could move to the maternity ward.

[Danielle_NZ]

I'm with PumpkinZulu... I believe it's from watching the baby, noting the colour of the skin, the sound of the breathing etc

[HotI]

Yep, what they said.

Bub can stay with you while the APGAR assessment is obtained.

[Junglemum]

Yep, no one touched my baby except me and first apgars were recorded. They were bad so they took her to give a little oxygen and suction, she came good and I got her straight back. They weighed and measured a good hour or so later.
Had she have been fine, no one would have taken her from me.

[PumpkinZulu]

ughhhh

Lol, why?!

[shan23]

Lol, why?!

LOL my internet likes to disconnect and muddle my posts up!

[PumpkinZulu]

LOL my internet likes to disconnect and muddle my posts up!

your Internet has it in for you!

[Lily Dust]

DDs apgar was done and no one ever touched her. DH didnt even know they had been carried out. She wasnt weighed, measured etc until much later and that was only at my request.

HTH

[Kazbah]

I asked the midwife who attended the birth when she was doing apgars, and she said she'd already done them, and they were (can't remember the numbers!)!!!!! She didn't take Will to weigh him until after the 3rd (physiological) stage and he'd completed his breast crawl.

Looking at the video of private hospy with OB vs birth centre with midwife, one has bright lights, medical staff and screaming baby, the other has dim lights, mewing baby and wondrous parents with the unobtrusive movements of a midwife.

[Saffy]

its not a specific test, its something done in retrospect, numbers out of 10 assigned according to the babies condition. If the baby needs oxygen etc that will be attended to as needed and the 'apgars' worked out later. I hope nothing comes between you and your baby! best wishes x ps the vast majority of babies have 9/10 apgars and need no interference

[Pandora]

Yep like the others, apgars were done he was having skin/skin.

He wasn't weighed for a couple of hours.

[Marlene]

Baby does not need to be taken from
Mum unless resus is needed apgar is Looking at colour, tone, attempt to breath, heart rate, movement. If a baby is crying and pink will be left undisturbed with mum.

Yep....what Feeb said. My last two babies also weren't weighed/measured until a couple hours after they were born, as they were put straight on my chest and stayed there I was also very lucky with my public hospital birth as I had a very unobtrusive midwife (no OB), she made a point of staying out of the way during labour and after the birth and she had all the lights dimmed. I wish all hopsitals could treat mums and bubs like that

[mellybelly81]

thanks ladies!

[misty]

The only time my babie have been taken from me is when they have required resusitation and then they have been given back as soon as possible, even then it was only a couple of metres away. I think most hospitals are pretty good about these things and try not to seperate mum and bubs unless completely nessecary. Just ask them when they do usually take bubs away for weights and measurement - most will wait until you are ready, and even then it is often done right there in your presence.