The nurse is caring for a client in active labor who is undergoing continuous fetal monitoring. The fetal heart rate (FHR) tracing shows late decelerations with each contraction. Which of the following is the correct interpretation of this finding?

Late decelerations on fetal heart rate monitoring are caused by uteroplacental insufficiency, meaning the placenta is not adequately delivering oxygenated blood to the fetus during uterine contractions. During a contraction, uterine blood flow is transiently reduced; in a normally oxygenated fetus this is well tolerated, but when placental reserve is compromised, the fetus becomes hypoxic and the heart rate decreases after the peak of the contraction and returns to baseline only after the contraction ends — hence the timing description of late. This is a non-reassuring fetal heart rate pattern that requires prompt nursing intervention, including repositioning the mother to a lateral position, administering supplemental oxygen, discontinuing oxytocin if infusing, and notifying the provider. The statement that late decelerations indicate normal oxygenation and require no intervention is dangerously incorrect. Similarly, calling them a reassuring pattern is false. Early decelerations, not late ones, are caused by fetal head compression during descent and are considered benign because they are vagally mediated and mirror the contraction timing precisely. Confusing early and late decelerations is a common student error. Late decelerations demand immediate clinical attention due to their association with fetal acidosis and potential compromise.