The Nurse Is Assisting with the Preparation of a Patient

The nurse is assisting with the preparation of a patient admitted for a planned cesarean birth. The patient has signed the consent form and discussed the elected regional anesthesia with the nurse anesthetist. Which is the most important action for the nurse related to anesthesia?

A) Verify the patient has been NPO for 6 to 8 hours.
B) Start an IV line and administer an IV fluid as ordered.
C) Administer preoperative medications per orders.
D) Obtain a baseline fetal heart rate monitor strip.