Polyhydramnios: Excessive Accumulation of Amniotic Fluid

6. Monitoring Pregnancy with Polyhydramnios

When a woman is diagnosed with polyhydramnios, her doctor will monitor her pregnancy more closely. He or she may conduct a nonstress test that checks the heart rate of the fetus during activity. During this test, the mother wears a special monitor that reads the baby's heart rate. To get the baby to move, the mother may be asked to drink or eat. Sometimes, a buzzer encourages movement or wakes the fetus if it is sleeping. Another test is a biophysical profile, a detailed ultrasound that measures the baby's breathing, movement, and tone and takes a more accurate measurement of the amount of amniotic fluid.