Apgar Test...

[Maruschke]

I have been wondering...

Is there any use doing this test after a few hours? I want an hour or two of uninterrupted time with my DD after her birth, without the distraction of bathing or tests etc. Do I need an apgar test twice? Can I tell them not to bother if she appears to be breathing and moving fine???

[M22]

with my son they did it without me even knowing- i'm pretty sure it's really fast and the MW and ob's quickly do it. it's not like a test where the hold your baby etc. i was holding mine form the minute he came out and they did it twice 1 min and 5 min. It's not somthing i even noticed them doing. I'm sure you wont either.
they normally dont bath until a couple of hours anyway to alllow for you to bond.

hope some one else can shed some light for you.

[Maruschke]

Thanks!

I guess I just really want that time with my bub and for nothing to come between us in those first few hours. I just want to sit there with her, skin to skin, cuddle and breastfeed.

Could anything happen following labour that will prevent this???

Can I ask not to be given the drug to speed up delivery of the placenta so that we have more time to hug, or is that dangerous??? (maybe this needs a new thread)

[M22]

ummm.. for me they gave me the injection whislt i still holding bubs really quick. i was stiched up and my dh was holding bub.

i would ask if you dont want the drug though

HTH

[feeb]

an apgar score does not need the baby to be touched by mw or opb for a normal term healthy newborn.

mw observes the baby for colour, tone, repiratory effort, heart rate, reflexes and generally babies get an 8 or 9, any less baby may need some attention.

You can opt to have a physiological 3rd stage and not have any drugs to complete 3 rd stage.

[Maruschke]

Thanks everyone!

[M22]

seee........... i knew someone would be able to word it better than me!! WTG feeb!!

[Lolli]

Oscar- Just make sure you tell the mw beforehand that you want that time with bubs uninterrupted. I didn't, and when it was all happening I just didn't think. Bubs was taken, weighed, cleaned and wrapped up like a little burrito before I knew it.

[Liviam]

Oscaroscar you won't even notice the midwife doing the apgar scores on your baby girl. The apgar score is for a score out of ten which lets all medical/midwifery/MCHN the condition that your baby was when she was born. Like it's been mentioned it is for respiratory rate, heart rate, reflexes, colour and muscle tone. Each one of these catergories is scored between 0 -2 for certain parameters. It is all done by visual observation and won't involve bubby being removed from your chest unless she is in need of medical support for her breathing or heart rate.

[Inertia]

Can I ask not to be given the drug to speed up delivery of the placenta so that we have more time to hug, or is that dangerous??? (maybe this needs a new thread)

Chances are that you will notice the needle as much as the apgar testing. They get it in when they put bub on your chest so that you don't notice it.

You will get some time to cuddle skin to skin, but I am not sure they will let it go for hours, simply because the rooms are cold and they need to keep baby warm. I am sure though that if you speak with your MW prior to delivery she can help organise something for you that will hopefully not interfere too much with what they have to do for your bubs wellbeing.

With DS2 I only got to hold him for 5 minutes before his second apgar revealed he was experiencing difficulties breathing. I didn't get to hold him again for 5 days. It wasnt until then that I got to nurse him. If they need to step in, then rest assured they are only doing what is best for your baby.

[miss.mestiza]

I didn't even notice they were doing the apgar test, must've been very quick! don't remember them notifying me, until I was reading through my daughters little red hospital book.

[Rooey5]

They had to take Indy off me because his 1 minute APGAR was only 3, as soon as they were happy he was ok (5 minute APGAR was 9) they gave him straight back. DP had skin to skin cuddles while I was getting stitched, then I had more cuddles and the midwives let us be for a while.

[Kirley64]

In your birth plan you specifiy spending time with bubs after birth as well as whether you want the injection for the third stage (delivery of placenta).

Usually now most hospitals tell you not to bath bubs for at least a day or two because the vernix and other stuff on bubs helps it regulate its temperature while it is getting used to the outside world.

[CinderToriella]

I dont remember them even doing it with mine i know they did but coildnt say when

[Early Kids]

Wow this thread is old hehe.

Brendan wasn't even placed on my chest but taken immediately for resuscitation (born 30+1 weeks) he scored apgars of 2 at 1 min (even though resus had already begun) and 4 at 5 mins.

Tristan was placed on my chest and taken when his breathing started getting laboured at roughly 1 minute, he scored a 6 at 1 min and 6 at 5 min. He was born 34+3 weeks.

As pointed out, the test is done visually and takes seconds, you won't even notice it being done.

[Visitor8]

you can tell them you don't want the needle You don't need it at all. IMO it's unnecessary.

As for the apgar, I got Ashton straight away and they had done it, they don't take bubs away for it.

Also they wont bath them the first day.

There is no reason why they wont let you have uninterrupted time as long as bubs is healthy. Their breastfeeding policy (well the one at the hospital here) is VERY pro bonding, and letting you have kanga cuddles immediately after birth.

[TeniBear]

Completely off-topic and unhelpful, but I noticed on the OB's computer screen at my follow-up that the middies did the APGAR for Ianto! You'd think they wouldn't bother with stillborns, but he actually scored one point because his skin "pinked up" after five minutes They must have been on auto-pilot, I guess.

[HotI]

you can tell them you don't want the needle You don't need it at all. IMO it's unnecessary.

Unfortunately, they may not listen.