post birth bonding and apgars testing

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 :)

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Yep, what they said.

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

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.

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ughhhh

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Lol, why?! :p :confused:

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Lol, why?! :p :confused:

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

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

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:rofl: your Internet has it in for you!

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 :)

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.

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

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

He wasn't weighed for a couple of hours.

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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.

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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 :)

thanks ladies!

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.

I forgot about the APGAR until I saw it on our discharge summary, that's how unobtrusive it was. 9 and 9 :D I'd love to know what the missing point was... My guess is that they took it away because she only had a one-second cry, then decided looking around was more interesting :lol:


Sent from my iPhone so forgive the speelung misstacks ;)

My LO went straight from vagina to my tummy (and stayed there) and she had APGARs of 6 and 8. I think she needed a bit of stimulation but this was done on my tummy by rubbing her down with a towel briskly (over the top of her with her skin on my skin). It should only be if baby needs oxygen or other help that they will need to go to the resus table, and this is usually in the same room as Mum.

I was at another birth where baby was born with very low APGARs, baby was briskly bought to Mum (less than a second) then moved to the resus table that was a couple of metres away. One support person was able to see what was happening and talk to Mum to let her know.

with DD2 i held her in my arms and didnt let got fo over an hour. it was magic. the apgars i belive are just done my the midwife looking, i think its colour, breathing etc. so you shouldnt have to put her down for those. i think the skin to skin etc i didnt have with dd1 is really important and has helped me bond better with dd2! dd1 was taken,wrapped and given to me for a quick hold, then taken again while i delivered the placenta, i had a tough first month and didnt get that instant love with her,but that may have been due to other factors, with DD2 she was given to me wet and slippery, i delivered the placenta while she breastfed, i moved to the bed and cuddled her for ages, she needed oxygen and suction which they did while i held her and the ped had to come look at her. i only put her down for a few minutes for that, then had her weighed about two hours after birth while i had a shower. Those first few hours were amazing and i do feel i had an instant bond with DD2 and instant love.

I guess, unless there is a real problem and they need to help a baby then he/she is actuallybetter off on you, feeling you heart and breath to help them regulate thier heart beat/breathing etc and all the other good stuff that comes with skin on skin time/breastfeeding. I think its really important.

Teni, all my kids have been 9 and 9 too. Myabe they have to come out doing a triple backwards somersault to get a 10, LOL

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Teni, all my kids have been 9 and 9 too. Myabe they have to come out doing a triple backwards somersault to get a 10, LOL

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LOL, what a sight that would be!

It would be cause they weren't fully pink.

Haha very few babies actually get a 10 as perifally they are still blue/purple in hands and feet. So don't stress over numbers!!