Understanding The Significance of The Apgar Test

When a baby is born the first thing that should be done is an assessment to make sure that the baby is healthy. An Apgar test is generally used to perform the physically part of the assessment. When the baby has left the mother it doesn’t always appear to be healthy it’s normally a purple color, bow-legged and covered in vernix. It is because of this that the assessment cannot be made on physical appearance alone.

There are five categories of the Apgar test that is used to assess the new born, appearance, pulse, grimace, activity and respiration. Of course the first step would be to check of the baby is breathing and at a normal heart rate. Then the baby will be tested through its reflexes, “unlearned responses that are triggered by specific stimulation” (Kail and Cavanaugh 80). Speaking of reflexes, a baby’s progress after birth can be determined by their function. For example; rooting is the reflex where a baby turns its head when being stroked, this is helpful to the baby when it is breast feeding. This normally disappears in three to four weeks, but if it doesn’t it could represent complications. These tests are done at 1 and 5 minutes after birth to make sure that the baby is adjusting well and to be sure there are no complications.

To further test the baby’s comprehension and well-being a “Neo-natal Behavioral Assessment Scale, or NBAS” (Kail and Cavanaugh 81) is used. This test included behavioral items and reflexes to test the baby’s performance. These tests fall under four categories autonomic, motor, state, and social. The autonomic category tests the baby’s bodily function, the motor category is self-explanatory as it tests the baby’s motor skills. The state category tests the “baby’s ability to maintain a state (staying alert or staying asleep)” (Kail and Cavanaugh 81) and the social category tests how the baby interacts with others.

Overall these tests are done to ensure the safety of the child and to give an estimation of the future health. There are many more tests that can be done that were not mentioned, however the tests most frequently used were. There are many more reflexes and behavioral assessments to test the child however “newborns are remarkably competent individuals who are well prepared to interact with the environment” (Kail and Cavanaugh 81).