While evaluating an external monitor tracing of a woman in active labor whose labor is being induced, the nurse notes that the fetal heart rate (FHR) begins to decelerate at the onset of several contractions and returns to baseline before each contraction ends. The nurse should:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

These are early decelerations, which are typically benign and caused by fetal head compression during contractions. They are normal and expected, so documenting them is appropriate.

While Evaluating an External Monitor Tracing of a Woman in Active