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The test is administered and recorded at one minute after delivery and again at five minutes after delivery.
| SIGN | POINTS | ||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Appearance (colour) | Pale or blue | Body pink, extremities blue | Pink –showing that the baby is getting enough oxygen |
| Pulse – to determine if the heartbeat is strong and regular | Not detectable | Below 100 | Over 100 |
| Grimace or response to stimulation | No response to stimulation | Grimace | Lusty cry |
| Activity or muscle tone – check for moving limbs to show tone and health of muscles | Flaccid (no or weak activity) | Some movement of extremities | A lot of activity |
| Respiration (crying and breathing) – to show the health of the lungs | None | Slow, irregular | Good |
Each vital sign is given a score of 0, 1 or 2 and the end results are totalled. Babies scoring between seven and ten at one minute are considered to be in excellent condition and require only routine post-delivery care. A score between four and six is considered to be in fair condition and may require some help breathing where a nurse or paediatrician may administer oxygen under the baby's nose or may flick the baby’s feet with a finger. A baby whose score is under four is considered to be in very poor condition and will require active resuscitation.
The APGAR score is easily performed and provides a quick measure of your baby’s health during those first important and precious moments of life outside of the womb.
Other procedures performed on your baby after birth include a measurement of length and weight and a vitamin K injection which assists in blood-clotting and prevents excessive neo-natal bleeding.
BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccination is given soon after birth to protect against tuberculous meningitis. It is given by injection on the right upper arm.
