The patient is a 26-year-old woman with a complicated pregnancy, who has been on bedrest because of diabetic nephropathy. Due to the fact that the fetus might be in a hostile environment, we felt that accelerated pulmonary maturity might be a possibility; therefore, at this time, we elected to go with amniocentesis to help us manage her pregnancy. She had been fully informed of the risks and benefits of the procedure prior to proceeding. DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURE: Ultrasound scanning was done by the technologist, and placenta was posterior