Which of the following is NOT a fetal response to labor?

• A. Decreased fetal heart rate
• B. Increased fetal heart rate
• C. Decrease in amount of oxygen and nutrients
• D. Insufficient removal of waste

Answer: (B)

During labor, contractions temporarily reduce placental blood flow, so the fetus experiences less oxygen and nutrients and wastes accumulate more because removal is less efficient. The fetal response to this stress is seen in heart-rate changes and in the overall impact of reduced perfusion: a decrease in fetal heart rate can occur as a response to hypoxic stress, and the combined effects of reduced oxygen and nutrients plus waste buildup reflect the fetus adjusting to the labor environment. An increase in fetal heart rate is not a typical or expected response to the labor process itself; tachycardia is more often associated with distress or other conditions rather than a normal reaction to labor.