ABSTRACT
At birth, the midwife will make an assessment of the baby’s state. This is usually done at one and five minutes after birth, in the form of a scoring system called the Apgar score. All midwives are trained in paediatric and adult resuscitation and, if the baby is born in an unexpectedly poor condition, it is the midwife’s responsibility to ask for immediate paediatric help and initiate basic resuscitation promptly. Not all midwives are capable of intubation, but they should be able to identify the heart rate, give cardiac massage, and inflate the lungs using an ‘ambu-bag’. The midwife can also give a drug to counteract the effects of respiratory depressant drugs given to the mother in labour in an emergency situation.
