Once labor and delivery has occurred, you will hear your doctors and attending pediatricians talking about the APGAR score. The APGAR test – which stands for A: Appearance (Skin color) * P: Pulse (Heart rate) * G: Grimace (Reflex irritability) * A: Activity (Muscle tone) * R: Respiration (Breathing) – will take place at 1 minute, 5 minutes and 10 minutes after delivery. Chances are while your baby is being assessed you will still be delivering the placenta and afterbirth.

During the APGAR test, your baby will be given a score of 0, 1 or 2 in each of the five categories. For instance if their skin is pink all over, they will receive 2 points. If their skin is pale or blue – they will be given 0 points. Once all the points in each of the categories is added up, a final tally is made.  A score of 7 points or more at the 1 minute mark is considered normal and means that your baby does not need any immediate medical attention.  Scores of lower than 7, normally mean that a NICU nurse or pediatrician will be called in to help.

Oftentimes, a baby’s APGAR score will improve greatly between the 1 minute and 10 minute mark. In fact, your baby may have a low or risky score at the 1 minute mark and a completely normal (or even perfect) score at the 10 minute mark. Much of this depends on the type of delivery and any problems or complications that may have occurred during childbirth.

The APGAR test, while not diagnostic, was invented in the early 1950’s as an easy way for physicians to quickly assess the needs of newborns. The good news is that a low APGAR score at any of the timed intervals does not mean that your baby will have any long term health problems. Most of these problems can be resolved in a matter of minutes, hours or days. The test is a preliminary screening, and is essentially used to decide whether your baby needs further medical intervention.

The APGAR test is the first in a long line of tests that your baby will receive once delivered. As part of your birthing plan, you may want to designate a family member, spouse, loved one or friend to stand by with your baby when these tests are performed since you will likely be recovering. Hearing your baby’s APGAR scores are normal will help you relax and recover from the birth.

Written By Stef, Mom of 4 @Momspirational

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

The big day is finally here, you spent a few hours at home, bouncing on your birthing ball and breathing during contractions. Your contractions grew stronger, longer and more frequent, so you jumped in the car and headed to the hospital. You’re now bent over the front desk, huffing and puffing your way through another contraction, as your partner rubs your back while trying not to collapse under the weight of the three colour coordinated hospital bags you brought.

As your healthcare provider ushers you into your room and tells you to make yourself at home, your mind might be focused on other things. By this point, you may have forgotten the list of things you wanted to ask your healthcare provider. Of course, your healthcare provider will have a copy of your pregnancy notes, and this should include a birth plan; but birthing centres are busy places, so it’s always worth reiterating the important information in person. Make sure you tell your healthcare provider the following:

1. The type of birth you want – you don’t need to sit down and give a detailed and lengthy description including backing music and desired lighting, but it is worth giving a general outline. Would you like a water birth or active birth? What sort of positions would you like to try? Try to keep an open mind on the day, though. Remember, things can change.
2. Your desired pain relief – remember, this could all go out of the window because it’s impossible to predict how you will find labour, but you can give an idea of your thoughts on pain relief. If you’re hoping for a natural birth, your healthcare provider will try to support you in this plan. Alternatively, if you are hoping for an epidural, it is helpful to know this is a possibility so arrangements can be made with the necessary medical staff.
3. Your birth partner’s role – whether you want your partner to massage your back, get you drinks or sing your praises during labour, you should let your healthcare provider know in advance. Some birth partners may feel overwhelmed on the day, and forget to carry out certain roles, but your healthcare provider can help to involve them in the process if you state your wishes in advance.
4. Anything out of the ordinary – if you have experienced vaginal bleeding, or noticed a brown tinge to your mucus plug or amniotic fluid, you should inform your healthcare provider immediately. While it may be nothing to worry about, your healthcare provider needs to be fully informed about your situation to provide you with the best care.
5. How you feel about interventions – if you feel very strongly that you would like to avoid interventions, such as episiotomies, you should state this in advance. Of course, your healthcare provider is charged with safely delivering your baby, and sometimes interventions are unavoidable. However, knowing in advance that you want to avoid medical interventions may cause your medical team to question whether an intervention is really necessary before making a decision.

Finally, it never hurts to say thank you at the end. If you feel that you had the best care possible, and will be eternally grateful to your fantastic healthcare provider, let them know. Send them a card thanking them for their hard work. It’s always nice to feel appreciated.

Do you enjoy this App? Good news! You can now also download our new Baby App for iPhone / iPad or Android. Click Baby+ iOS or Baby+ Android to install the App, and prepare for the arrival of your little one(s).

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

When you think about the impending birth, you’re probably worrying about how you’ll cope on the day, what will happen and whether it will all go to plan. With all that on your mind, it’s no wonder you’ve forgotten to consider how your partner will cope. Preparing your partner for childbirth is almost as important as packing your hospital bag, and it certainly isn’t something you should overlook.

There are plenty of horror stories about dads-to-be fainting in the delivery room and missing the birth, or infuriating the mums-to-be by asking how long is left. The birth of your child is one of those life changing moments, so make sure your partner is prepared for what’s going to happen, and how he can help on the day.

Give him homework
If he has any chance of being useful, he’s going to need to know what to expect in the delivery room. From bodily fluids to labour noises, he needs to be ready for whatever you’re about to throw at him. There are plenty of great books designed to coach dads-to-be in preparation for labour, so why not pick one out for him? There’s loads of information online, too; he could even watch some birth videos. Prenatal classes are the best place to pick up information about the birth. Your prenatal teacher will explain the labour process in detail, and answer any questions he might have. If you’ve enjoyed using this app, you could also ask him to download our new Baby+ App. It has hundreds of interesting articles, tools and great features.

Talk to friends and family
The best way to learn about childbirth, is to speak to people who’ve been through it. The best people to speak to are those who have recently experienced it, because the information will still be fresh in their minds. Ask questions, and tell them you want all the gory details. Ask the dad what it felt like for him, and what he had to do. This will give your partner ideas and prepare him for the big day.

Great expectations
Let him know any expectations you have, so that he knows what you want on the day. If you’re expecting a back massage during labour, make sure he knows in advance so he can learn some massage techniques. If he can often be found playing games on his phone, let him know that he shouldn’t do this in the delivery suite.

Taking care of himself too
One rookie mistake that lots of first time dads make, is that they forget to look after themselves on the day. The don’t eat, they don’t sleep, they don’t even stop for toilet breaks, and as a result they end up an exhausted, shivering, weak mess by the end of it all, utterly unable to offer you the support you need. Make sure he packs energy drinks and snacks for himself, and makes sure that he’s in the best state to be able to support you to deliver the baby.

Talk it through
Keep communication lines open at all times. You might be scared of impending parenthood and the birth, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t. In fact, you might find he shares all of your fears and has a few of his own too. Encourage him to talk to you about his feelings, so that you can work through any issues and prepare for any potential problems together.

Do you have any tips on how to prepare to be a birth partner?

Do you enjoy this App? Good news! You can now also download our new Baby App (iOS only, but Android will follow soon!). Click here to install the new ‘Baby+’ App, and prepare for the arrival of your little one(s).

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice.  All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.