Symptoms of Birth Asphyxia
Symptoms of asphyxia in a baby at the time of birth may include:
- Baby is not breathing or breathing is very weak
- Skin color is bluish or pale
- Heart rate is low
- Muscle tone is poor or reflexes are weak
- Too much acid is in the blood (acidosis)
- The amniotic fluid is stained with meconium (first stool)
- The baby is experiencing seizures
Birth Asphyxia Diagnosis
At birth, doctors and nurses check your baby’s condition carefully and give a number rating from 0 to 10. This number is called an Apgar score. The Apgar rates skin color, heart rate, muscle tone, reflexes and breathing effort. A very low Apgar score (0 to 3) lasting longer than five minutes may be a sign of birth asphyxia. A baby who has not had enough blood flow or oxygen to its body may have abnormal breathing, poor circulation, lethargy (lack of energy), lack of urine output and blood-clotting abnormalities.