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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Blue/purple baby at birth

29 replies

eliayd · 09/10/2023 09:39

Hi I wonder if anyone has experienced this and what the outcome was.

My baby was born last month and I looked at pictures my birth partner took at time of birth and he looked purple/blue when he came out and then pinked up ok

Muscle tone was perfect and wasn't floppy and he breathed in his own fine and cried with Apgar of 9 and then 10. So uneventful and no intervention required

It was a elected c section. He pinked up and has been fine since at new born Check and since been fine too.

I read online this can be due to minor oxygen deprivation at time of birth and even more worse things.

Have you experienced this? How was you baby developing since? Thanks in advance

OP posts:
Seryse · 09/10/2023 09:43

Perfectly normal. Most babies take a minute or two (or 10) to pink up. It's a big job regulating everything for yourself when mam did it for you for the first bit of your life. If it was anything of concern the my would have told you at the time.

(15 years slaving away in labour ward experience and god knows how many babies im at now.)

CornishGem1975 · 09/10/2023 09:45

Excellent Apgar score so nothing to worry about, you'd know if there was.

My baby really was blue at birth and needed oxygen but even he pinked up quickly.

2chocolateoranges · 09/10/2023 09:46

My ds had a really low agpar score and had to be worked on at birth, he was blue and not breathing and it took a good few minutes for him to breathe. (Felt like much longer at the time) Ended up in special care for observation overnight.

he is a now a big strapping 22 year who has just graduated and is working in a graduate job.

stackhead · 09/10/2023 09:50

My DD was taken over to the paediatric doctors as soon as she was pulled out (also c-section) so I didn't see her until she was all cleaned and wrapped up about 5-10 minutes later (felt like an eternity). But the picture my DH took immediately after birth she was proper purple and alieny, it made me laugh!

Try not to worry about it, if there was any issues at birth they would've told you.

Nutsabouttopic · 09/10/2023 09:53

My blue baby will be 18 in a few months. She was born with cord around her neck, given oxygen and perked up quickly. However it was frightening and left me nervous for a long time about long term damage. Not a bother on her, met all her milestones early and is leaving school next year with excellent predicted grades. I know you got a fright but it is very common. Talk to your health nurse about it and about any worries you have

Thankyouthankyoujellybean · 09/10/2023 09:54

Blue floppy baby with an Apgar score of 3. Now 6 years old, top of his class, friendly and popular.

Forgive the boasting, I yelled at him this morning for something that turned out not to be his fault and I feel awful. I can't believe I shouted at my tiny blue baby 😂😭

TheChosenTwo · 09/10/2023 09:55

Dd scored something like 2 on the APGAR thing, she was blue with the cord wrapped round her neck. I’ll never forget the way they picked her up by her feet and shook her vigorously, it was absolutely terrifying. I swear they injected her with adrenaline but I’m not sure if this is something they do or if I just fabricated it. They took her away for a bit but she was absolutely fine in the end, she was blue for about 36 hours, poor little thing, then pinked up and all was well.

cocksstrideintheevening · 09/10/2023 09:56

Dts had an agoar of 1. Now 13 going on 18...

Seeline · 09/10/2023 10:01

One of mine was a good colour but ended up in Special care Unit.
The other was very blue/purple - born with cord round her neck, but pinked up quickly. No harm done at all - at uni now having got 3xA* in her A levels 😊

EducatingArti · 09/10/2023 10:02

@TheChosenTwo Yes they probably did inject her with adrenaline. I was born not breathing in 1960s (breech and my mum was 2.5 days in labour). My mum said they injected adrenaline straight into my heart and gave me artificial respiration for an hour and a half.

TheChosenTwo · 09/10/2023 10:08

@EducatingArti blimey, dh think they injected it into her heart too but neither of us can remember that clearly enough - maybe they did!
jeez your poor mum, 2.5 days in labour 😱

SockQueen · 09/10/2023 10:11

All babies are purpley-blue when they are born - this is their normal physiology when on the inside! Being born (by whatever route) and starting to breathe from themselves triggers a huge change in their circulation and is what starts them "pinking up." If his Apgar scores were good then no cause for concern.

Sirrah · 09/10/2023 10:13

My blue, floppy baby is now 31 and never had any negative after effects from it!

Totalwasteofpaper · 09/10/2023 10:15

Mine was like that very purpley and had an APGAR score of 10 and is developmental fine at 20m

Are you concerned about your child's development or just general curious as to how common it is?

Original poster
eliayd · 09/10/2023 10:22

Thank you all so much for your responses! Reassuring for sure. Put my mind at ease.

@Seryse thanks it's reassuring to hear from someone who works with births

@Totalwasteofpaper I was just curious as I was looking at his pictures. He's only 1 month atm and is doing great.

But then I googled. I know. Stupid
I really need to stay did google. Thanks again

OP posts:
Original poster
eliayd · 09/10/2023 10:22

Stay off google *

OP posts:
Seryse · 09/10/2023 10:27

eliayd · 09/10/2023 10:22

Thank you all so much for your responses! Reassuring for sure. Put my mind at ease.

@Seryse thanks it's reassuring to hear from someone who works with births

@Totalwasteofpaper I was just curious as I was looking at his pictures. He's only 1 month atm and is doing great.

But then I googled. I know. Stupid
I really need to stay did google. Thanks again

The apgars of 9 and 10 are also amazing. I look back at the birth pics of all of mine (DD 19, DS 19 months and DD 17 weeks, all c sections- side note, pray for me, I am not okay 😅) and they were all wee purple jelly babies but because I work there and see it everyday I tend to forget how scary it can be. I pre warned my other half not to panic at the color when they first get yanked out and I do the same chat with patients and partners cause it can be bloody scary if you're not expecting it.

Hope your lil dude is doing well and thriving 🩵 enjoy every precious moment of that beautiful newborn bubble!

Prelapsarianhag · 09/10/2023 10:29

My baby was blue, now a university lecturer.

LetItGoHome · 09/10/2023 10:31

Both my children were blue when they first came out. Perfectly normal vaginal deliveries. Cried within seconds and soon became a more normal colour. Healthy happy children now. I believe this is totally normal. I don't think light skinned babies come out any other colour?

PickledScrump · 09/10/2023 10:43

I think all babies are blue/purple when born and then pink up when they start breathing. It’s something that should be more widely talked about, I know with my first her dad said he saw the colour and the odd shaped head and thought she was still born and immediately started panicking. He had no idea that’s what a new born looked like, expected them to be all pink like in movies.

Princesspollyyy · 09/10/2023 12:59

eliayd · 09/10/2023 09:39

Hi I wonder if anyone has experienced this and what the outcome was.

My baby was born last month and I looked at pictures my birth partner took at time of birth and he looked purple/blue when he came out and then pinked up ok

Muscle tone was perfect and wasn't floppy and he breathed in his own fine and cried with Apgar of 9 and then 10. So uneventful and no intervention required

It was a elected c section. He pinked up and has been fine since at new born Check and since been fine too.

I read online this can be due to minor oxygen deprivation at time of birth and even more worse things.

Have you experienced this? How was you baby developing since? Thanks in advance

I had a normal vaginal birth, my son was born and he was blue when the midwife lifted him up for me to see him. This frightened me at the time, but completely normal. He pinked up fine and had apgar of 9.

He's now nearly 18, at college and driving his own car.

StorminanDcup · 09/10/2023 13:01

Come to think of it mine where both a bluey purple yes.

Both at school now and doing perfectly. Both peaches and cream skin tone too. But yeah they came out like old wrinkled prunes

SylvieLaufeydottir · 09/10/2023 13:03

They all look bluish-purple when they first come out. They don't pink up until they take their first independent breath. I saw it happen with my second, who was born completely healthy and with no issues. I didn't see it with my first, because I was on all fours and had my eyes shut, and by the time I'd turned over and opened them he was long pink.

Blingstar · 09/10/2023 13:03

@eliayd congratulations! This can be a very daunting time. I hope you can relax and enjoy your time. Hope you've got loads of series on Netflix to sit and watch.

RiderofRohan · 09/10/2023 13:32

Pretty normal. I used to be a junior doc in paediatrics and can't remember the number of times I was handed a blue, floppy baby post c- section. The vast majority just needed a not-so-gentle rub and a few heel flicks (occasionally a little oxygen) before they were screaming bloody murder and pink in the face!