Questions in the Maternal and Child Health Forum have been answered by doctors from Henry Ford Health System.

Question Title: LOW APGAR SCORES/DIFFICULT DELIVERY? How will they affect my child?

Forum: The Maternal and Child Health Forum
Topic: Pregnancy - Post


I have just recently been made aware of my 10 1/2 month old son's APGAR
score. It was 5/7. I know a little about this but not enough. I had an
esy pregnancy (my 4th) and my labor progressed normally. However, My
son was face-up and had his head bent forward. I tried to push him out
but he started having fetal bradycardias. I had an attempt to help him
along with forceps and also the vacuum but it didnot work. He kept
slipping back and having more and more bradycardias. He was delivered
through and emergency c-section and did not breathe on his own. He
was given oxygen by a mask and seemed to improve after that. He had
meconium stained fingernails so, we knew that he had a bowel movement before
birth. Since My 2nd daughter was also born face-up and had to be delivered
with forceps, also with breathing difficulty at first and now has a learning
disability, not extensive but enough to cause her difficulty with school, Can I
expect the same from my son? Also I found out that my placenta was small
for term, meconium stained, with cotyledonous surfaces knobby and deeply fissured
with no gross infarct replacement nor calcification, portions embedded.
Also there was a seperate mass of membranes about 10cm in size. Does this
affect my child? Did it cause his difficult birth and low APGAR scores?
And exactly what was that mass? the day after delivery I had grand mal siezures
and now take dilantin. I was also diagnosed as hypothyroid when he was
about 5 months old. His PTU had to be redone so that they could test him for
congential hypothyroidism. I was told that they would notify me if he was
positive but I haven't heard anything? Is he okay? He seems fine except that
his head seem large for his body and kind of a little bit flat in the back.
His pediatrician says itis okay but still I worry. Please help if you
can? Thank You.

____

Dear Cathy

Apgar scores are used by the pediatric attendant to determine the need
for resuscitation at birth. Most authorities would agree that there is no clear
relationship between Apgar scores and later development and/or long-
term outcome for babies. Similarly, the relationship between prenatal/birth
events and later development of the baby is often not clear. Development is very
complex and there are many factors (mostly after birth) that are involved.
Your child's pediatrician would be the best resource to discuss child
developmental concerns.

 

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