In the moments following your baby's arrival--usually at one minute and five minutes past the time of birth--your baby's appearance, responses, and other vital signals are checked in order to assess his or her health and help determine if further medical intervention is required. The score is tallied from five areas, each of which can be given a score between 0 and 2 (2 being the strongest rating) with a possible total of 10. Scores below 3 are generally considered critical, and those 7 and above normal.

Most hospitals use the APGAR test to evaluate the condition of newborns after birth, and determine if further medical attention is necessary. However, if your baby’s APGAR score was misread and a serious problem went undiagnosed, appropriate care may have been delayed, or you baby may have missed out altogether on critical medical care that could have prevented further problems from developing.

The APGAR test scores newborns in the following areas:

Appearance

Is your baby pink in color with a lack of bluish skin?

Pulse

Does your baby have a normal heart rate?

Grimace

Does your baby show adequate responsiveness?

Activity

Does your baby’s muscle activity appear normal?

Respiration

Is your baby breathing steadily without assistance?

Generally speaking, your OB, attending labor and delivery nurse, or midwife perform the test. In cases where a complicated delivery or fetal distress was anticipated, a neonatologist or NICU nurse (neonatal intesive care nurse) may be present and may provide their input regarding the APGAR score. Discrepencies in the score should be noted in the official records for the birth.

If your child suffered problems following birth and did not receive the care he or she needed, a medical professional involved in the birth may have misread one of the above tests. By reviewing your baby’s APGAR scores and the events of his or her birth, our birth injury lawyers can often determine if your child’s injuries could have been prevented.