Polyhydramnios means lots of amniotic fluid - the liquor, or water, that surrounds the baby. Usually there's about a litre, but patients with polyhydramnios may have more than twice as much. It is associated with certain conditions such as diabetes mellitus or foetal abnormality such as oesophageal atresia (described in the child oesophagus in the chest cavity section). Many cases, however, have no apparent cause. This is not a condition where you would wish to labour and deliver at home, since it can predispose to complications where it might be better to have facilities for emergency medical intervention close to hand.