164. MyMaine Birth: Emily's positive first birth at Mercy Hospital with midwife support, and the importance of trusting your gut when choosing your birth team

Send us Fan MailEmily joins me to share how a positive pregnancy test on a trip to Greece turns into a pregnancy full of big decisions, including letting go of a home birth dream because of a medical complication and choosing the kind of support that actually feels right.We talk about switching providers twice, moving from OB care to the Mercy midwives late in pregnancy, and why listening to your inner voice matters in prenatal care. Emily breaks down what she notices in appointments that helps her build trust: time, warmth, real answers, and a team that supports autonomy and minimal intervention. If you’re searching for a Maine birth story, a Portland, Maine hospital birth that feels more like home, or guidance on advocating for yourself, her experience offers a grounded roadmap.Emily also shares the emotional side: body anxiety near the end, going inward socially, and the surprisingly powerful reset that comes from joy, nature, and rest. Then we walk through her 33-hour labor, living 45 minutes from the hospital, the tricky timing decisions, and the moment everything shifts once she is admitted. With her doula, a calm nurse, and a trusted midwife, she uses position work, hot water, and the birth tub for an unmedicated water birth, followed a sweet postpartum stay with breastfeeding support.If you’ve been craving more positive birth stories without the fluff, this one delivers. Subscribe to My Maine Birth, share this episode with a pregnant friend, and leave a review so more families can find these stories.Additional Resources:MyMaineBirth.comClosing song by Kate Sutherland.  You can find Kate's community songs and deep nature connection work online at KateSutherland.ca