After the nurse completes nutritional counseling for a pregnant woman, she asks the client to repeat the instructions to assess the client’s understanding.

Which statement indicates that the client understands the role of protein in her pregnancy?

Choice A rationale
Meconium is produced by the fetal intestines. The intestines start to form meconium around the 16th week of gestation. Meconium is composed of shed cells, mucus, amniotic fluid, bile, and lanugo.
Choice B rationale
The placenta does not produce meconium. Its primary functions include nutrient transfer, gas exchange, and waste elimination, but it does not have the structures necessary for the production of meconium.
Choice C rationale
Amniotic fluid does not produce meconium. Amniotic fluid surrounds and protects the fetus but does not contain the components needed to create meconium. Instead, the fetus swallows and then excretes it into the intestines.
Choice D rationale
Fetal kidneys are responsible for filtering waste and producing urine, but they do not produce meconium. The production of meconium is a function of the intestines, not the kidneys.

Choice A rationale
Placental insufficiency can cause late decelerations in fetal heart rate due to decreased blood flow, but it typically shows a gradual decrease rather than the abrupt patterns seen here.
Choice B rationale
Abruption usually presents with painful vaginal bleeding and a tender uterus, rather than specific changes in fetal heart rate patterns like those described in the question.
Choice C rationale
Head compression results in early decelerations, which appear as a mirror image of contractions, but these are not sudden drops in heart rate typically seen in cord compression.
Choice D rationale
Cord compression leads to variable decelerations characterized by sudden drops in fetal heart rate, caused by temporary reduction in oxygen flow to the fetus. This matches the tracing pattern described.