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Baby's First Tests
What You Can Expect During Your Hospital Stay
By Erin Gifford
After nine long months of waiting for your baby to make his first appearance, he's finally here. But before you take him home to the nursery you've lovingly prepared, how do your doctors make sure he's ready to come home? Among Apgar scores, antibiotic eye ointment and vitamin K injections, your doctors and nurses will take good care to make sure your baby's transition to the outside world is a healthy one.
"The initial evaluation and management of the newly-born infant assures a healthy and smooth transition from in utero to extra uterine life," says Dr. Alan Meltzer, general pediatrics division director at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, N.J.
When your baby first leaves the comfort and safety of the womb, he is vulnerable to countless germs and diseases. So once his umbilical cord is clamped and cut and he is dried and wrapped up, your baby will receive various medications and screenings to protect him from infection and help ensure his well-being.
Within one minute of birth, your baby will be given an APGAR score from 0 to 10 based on an evaluation of heart rate, respiration, muscle tone, reflexes and color. A score of 0, 1 or 2 will be assigned for each category. For example, a limp baby will receive a 0 for muscle tone, while a baby who actively moves his arms and legs will receive a 2. This evaluation is repeated at five minutes after birth, and most babies score between 7 and 9.
"The Apgar score helps with communicating the condition of the newborn in the first minutes of life," says Dr. Meltzer. Once your baby's APGAR score is recorded, he will be given back to you to hold and bond with for several minutes before being weighed and measured.
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