CPM Certified Professional Midwife

Answer: C - Greenish or meconium - stained amniotic fluid and continuous decrease in baseline variability are signs of fetal distress. Early deceleration, which describes a decrease in the fetal heart rate at the onset of contraction and its return to baseline after the contraction, and a fetal heart rate between 120 and 160 beats per minute are not signs of fetal distress. Early deceleration is caused by vagal stimulation from head compression. It is a reassuring pattern. Other signs and symptoms of fetal distress include fetal hyperactivity, severe variable decelerations and late decelerations.