Hi all, haven't posted in this part of the forum before and not sure you'd class my birth as particularly traumatic but here goes... Could be a long one!!

I gave birth to my daughter last April and began having contractions at 5.30am by the time it got to 9.30am they were coming every 3 minutes and lasting up to 50 seconds a time. I rang my local maternity unit (although I was due to give birth 20 miles away) and the midwife told me that as it was my 1st and she could tell from the way I was talkingit would be ages yet . About 5 mins after coming off the phone with her I had a 'show' & decided to phone the hospital I was booked in with and they said to go in 'whenever'...

We set off on what now feels like the longest journey of my life - 30 mins to the hospital. When we were finally shown to a room we were then left for 30 mins before a midwife came to see us - yes I now know I should have been more vocal but think I was in shock! Anyway the midwife sent me to a toilet and asked me to provide a sample. Whilst in the toilet (with the door locked) my waters broke and there was meconium (sp) in it due to the baby being in distress.

On examining me they found I was fully dilated and had to monitor my baby's heartbeat for the whole (thankfully short at 90 mins) birth. Everything was fine in the end and Mollie had no side effects from the meconium. I do believe however that if I'd had the opportunity to have my baby closer to home (nearest maternity unit is actually 6 miles away but only staffed part time) and hadn't been kept waiting at the hospital before they examined me then Mollie would not have been distressed.

To finally get to the point of my post I have been told that the chances of having a home birth are unlikely if previous pregnancies / births have been complicated. But if I argue it was only complicated by travel time and being kept waiting would they accept that and consider me having a home birth? Not thinking of trying for a baby for another year but the birth really has put me off.

Any similar experiences / advice much appreciated. Liz

I personally would say a previous birth like your should not prevent you having a home birth. Foetal distress with mec in waters etc is usually a freak one off and, unless its down to an underlying cause which is unlikely, is no more likely to happen again just because its happened before. My eldest was distressed during labour and passed mec in ,my waters so ended up with an emergency section, but my eldest was born naturally with no complications for him so there was no problem, i gave birth in hospital due to my previous section, but my second didnt suffer any distress at all xxx

Hi as Emma says, your birth wouldn't be considered complicated and by the sound of things not only would you have been better off in your local unit but you probably would have been even better off still at home!! Even if lo had passed meconium at home (unlikely anyway as you wouldn't have been stressed at home!) you would have had the midwife with you so you would have been transferred in and she would probably have stayed with you.
Considering the short length of your first labour you are probably better off planning a home birth with the next one anyway then at least you will have all the equipment at home.
Regardless of your previous births you can ask for and insist on a home birth anyway. I had awful instrumental deliveries with 1 and 2 then a wonderful natural home water birth with no3. xx