Calling Mears and/or other midwives

[Allyco]

hoping for some advice here. Am due my fourth and first and second labours accelerated cos I wasn't going "fast enough". Was booked for home delivery for second but when waters went full of meconium and was transferred to hospital. After another hour or so they said I needed to be speeded up and so it was. First delivery took 28 hours and second took 17. Third was induced cos of dds own medical problems (although had been booked for home delivery with her too!). This time consultant says best to go straight in as it seems it's just the way I am that means my labours are slow. Midwife seems keen on me trying for home again. What do you think? is it once slow always slow? I'd love to try home again, who knows it may even work this time but don't fancy transferring in strong labour as I had to with second dd. Advice please! If it makes any difference it's seven years since my last delivery...

If you would like to go for a homebirth I don't see any reason why you shouldn't. We don't accelerate labours as much as we used too. It used to be that the cervix should dilate 1cm an hour but now research has shown that progress can be adequate at 0.3cm - 0.5 cm an hour. Also a factor is that labour was often diagnosed too early. Prelabour pains can be pretty sore but shouldn't really be counted in the overall labour time. Labour does not start with the first contraction.
So all-in-all, what I am saying is go for it. Women who are relaxed at home will labour better than in a hospital. I would listen to your midwife. HTH>

thanks for that mears. Is it still protocol that if there is meconium staining a transfer is necessary?

Yes probably Allyco - depends how much though. At our unit we grade it. Grade I meconium is just a tiny bit in the liquor and we would not trnasfer for that. Grade II is where there is a lot of liquor but colour is darker green. Grade III is where there is hardly any liquor but mainly meconium. Where there is grade II or III, continuous monitoring is recommended incase it is a sign of distress in the baby. A lot of babies past their due dates will pass meconium but not because of distress. In a way it is best when you don't know what is going on when the waters don't break. The midwife would recommend transfer if there were any irregularities in the heartbeat when listening in. That can happen whether there is meconium or not. Hopefully you can follow all that

thanks mears. Last time it happened the colour WAS dark green although to delivery dd was absolutely fine. Am still in absolutely two minds aboyut what to do for best - would prefer to be at thome but like I said if I needed transferred it's no fun. By the by, why do they insist you transfer in an ambulance? it's not as if I was ready to deliver and it was only about ten minutes to the hospital?