162. MyMaine Birth: When home birth gets real, Emma's three birth stories

Send us Fan MailA birth can look “low risk” right up until the second it doesn’t, and Emma’s story makes that reality impossible to ignore. She joins us to share her three births in Maine: her first two were at  Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, then a planned home birth that became urgent in a way no checklist could predict.We talk through inductions, Pitocin contractions, epidurals, and how hospital monitoring can limit movement and coping tools like water. Then we shift into what changed for Emma when she chose relationship-based midwifery care and prepared for a home birth about 30 minutes from the nearest hospital. Her perspective is honest and practical: informed consent, trust, and a clear transfer plan matter as much as the vibe of the room.The heart of the conversation is her third birth, where start stop labor patterns, a cervical lip, shoulder dystocia, and a cord complication lead to a baby born not breathing with no heartbeat. Emma explains how her experienced, trained midwives immediately began neonatal resuscitation, called 911, and worked seamlessly with EMTs, leading to a positive and healthy outcome. We also cover postpartum hemorrhage, low iron recovery, emotional processing, and her passion for prenatal nutrition, postpartum fitness, and pelvic floor health.   Emma has just started hosting Mommy and Me strength training classes at Miller fitness in Newport, Maine - and you can connect with her via her instagram @EmmaGriffinFitness   Additional Resources:MyMaineBirth.comClosing song by Kate Sutherland.  You can find Kate's community songs and deep nature connection work online at KateSutherland.ca