low apgar score=disabilities etc...

[our little treasures]

My beautiful ds was born 4 weeks ago, he had a very low apgar score and had to be revived for 12mins. They took him away to scn and came back and said his heart had raced from the norm 150 - 297 bpm his eyes rolled back etc. For this reason i had to get an ecg and echo done with the results saying he was fine except he has a small vavle which may need a stint.
Anyway was wondering if anyone else has had similar story and did your child have any development delays due to no oxygen. we have been told to wait until 6mnths for development delay check, i think he is doing fine like my first but im not a professional.

[mummyb]

hi how scary for you .
my first bub was born at 34 weeks ,had a good birth weight ,high scores now we have found he is slightly behind in his gross motor developent .
i think its diffrent for everychild ,if you are worried you could see a doc but they will probally cost a fortune and tell you to not worry and have him assesed when he is older .not much help i know !!!
even if your little one is delayed all you can do is give him lots of love and attention and im sure you already do that :)
goodluck

[lucyp]

Hi there- my little one ( now 7 months) had low agpar scoring when born and required oxygen due to cord wrapped around neck twice. He too was whisked away for other bits and pieces. However , he is meeting all his milestones and is generally a healthy happy little bub.

I too was very worried when visiting the ECHC for the first time and the nurse took one look at his scores before saying anything else and said " my goodness - the agpar was a little on the low side - is everything ok?" I nearly fainted. Prior to this visit - I had thought nothing of it and needless to say gave my pediatrician the 3rd degree on my next visit.

He being a lovely and practical man ( also a parent himself) said to us that it's important for new parents to keep their baby's Apgar score in perspective. The test was designed to help health care providers assess a newborn's overall physical condition so that they could quickly determine whether the baby needed immediate medical care. It was not designed to predict a baby's long-term health, behavior, intellectual status, or outcome. Few babies score a perfect 10, and perfectly healthy babies sometimes have a lower-than-usual score, especially in the first few minutes after birth.

Keep in mind that a slightly low Apgar score (especially at 1 minute) is normal for some newborns, especially those born after a high-risk pregnancy, cesarean section, or a complicated labor and delivery. Lower Apgar scores are also seen in healthy premature babies, who usually have less muscle tone than full-term newborns and who, in many cases, require extra monitoring and breathing assistance because of their immature lungs.

Anyway - we still monitor our little man - but all you can do is talk to your paed and give your little man lots of love in the mean time :)

[Lucybelle]

Well said Lucy.

The apgar is irrelevant now, and btw I had heart surgery about 15 years ago, a stent is pretty straightforward (but nerve-wracking) surgery - especially now. I'm perfectly fine and I had a huge hole in my heart, surgery has still come leaps and bounds since then!

[mollyandkurtsmum]

Hi My little girl was born in feb 01 and didnt breathe for 9 minutes after being born. she then went "dusky" (blue lips and lack of oxygen) at about 3 hours old and had to be put in an oxygen tent for two weeks. She ended up on a drip for 10 dys and was under ultra violet lights for 3 weeks due to severe Jaundice. all this happened because my lovely midwife was trying to get me to deliver before her shift ended by enducing me too fast. ( my labour was 1 and a half hours from the time they gave me the oxytocin to induce me until the time she was born. ) I was also given a full shot of pethadine 4 minutes before I delivered her so she was very stoned when she was born. Anyway my point is that after a really bad start my little girl is now nearly 5 and doing an accelerated learning class called pre prep as she found kinder "boring" and needed more stimulation. She will be 4 when she starts school and her teachers assures me she could go now if it was leagal. She is witty clever and well just adorabel ( Im a little biased) So dont stress to much sometimes a bad start is just that "a bad Start "and the rest will be cruisey. Good luck and I hope everything goes well for you :D

[lucyp]

all this happened because my lovely midwife was trying to get me to deliver before her shift ended by enducing me too fast. ( my labour was 1 and a half hours from the time they gave me the oxytocin to induce me until the time she was born. )
Oh my goodness - the midwife I had did the exact same thing to me - had oxytocin and then bumped it up ...Id been given an epidural and bub whilst contractions were now coming fast and strong - bubby was not quite ready and not turned around properly.. also had cord wrapped around neck - so came out all head and shoulders - (OUCH) etc - perhaps I should post this in the bad midwives section.......... Molly'andkurts mum - what hospital were you at??

[shniks]

My DD is 5 months old now and she had a low apgar at birth due to the cord being around her neck. She is perfectly normal and really interactive and clever. I used to worry about it too, but my ECHN told me that most babies turn out perfectly fine.

[mollyandkurtsmum]

I went to Frankston hospital in Victoria to have Molly