When I was first diagnosed with polyhydramnios I was 31 weeks going in for a routine ultrasound to check on the growth of my baby since my baby always seemed to be measuring larger. I remember my doctor telling me I had polyhydramnios and that they were going to refer me to a maternal-fetal medicine specialist but assured me not to worry. Me being a mother and doing what any mother would do, I worried. I ran straight to the internet and googled everything I could about polyhydramnios. Everything that came up about it was just awful outcomes that mentioned things like life-threatening conditions and stillbirth. To say I was scared and terrified for my baby was an understatement.

I was seen by the specialist two days later for a more in-depth ultrasound. During the ultrasound they explained that my AFI was 30 and found that my baby had a condition called Cerebral Ventriculomegaly which means that his ventricles in his brain were measuring bigger than normal ventricles, which the normal measurements are 10mm and under, his was barely over, measuring at 11mm. Cerebral ventriculomegaly can be associated with chromosomal abnormalities so my doctor performed a non-invasive blood test on me to check for any chromosomal abnormalities on the baby which came back normal and said it can be normal for baby boys to have larger ventricles and have a little bit more fluid in their brain but I was still to have more regular check-ups with my OB/GYN until birth & once my baby was born they would perform an ultrasound on his head. 

I was already pretty uncomfortable during pregnancy because I got huge FAST. As the weeks went on and the later in my pregnancy the bigger I got. Pregnancy is already pretty uncomfortable but added with polyhydramnios and I could barely move or get out of bed without tearing up about it. I (somehow) managed to make it to 40 weeks and ended up getting induced at 40 weeks 3 days. Once my water broke it was the biggest relief in itself. My out-of-state family always joked that if they hear about a flood in Oregon that they knew it was my fault because of all the amniotic fluid I attained. An hour later my son was born at 9 pounds 4 oz and 21.5 inches.

The most important part, he was so healthy!! All the worries during my pregnancy had gone away and it was the biggest relief that my baby was okay and finally in my arms. I am sharing my story to get it out there and let others who may be diagnosed with polyhydramnios know that they aren’t alone. The unknown of polyhydramnios can be terrifying but I hope my story can help give a worrying expectant mother like I once was a peace of mind that in the end, everything will be okay.