give me drugs NOW! tania's birth. presque isle, maine newborn photographer.

so if you've known me for more than, oh, a week or so, you know I'm lacking in the maternal instinct department. I like kids, especially when I can say 'give me a high five! this was fun, see you next time!' after 30 minutes or so ;) I haven't wanted kids of my own ever. ever since I was a little girl, I knew I didn't want to have children. In middle school and high school I changed my mind slightly, to if I ended up wanting kids, I'd adopt.

frankly, pregnancy and childbirth scares the ever loving goodness out of me. true story. it's crazy that something can grow inside of you for 9 (or is it technically 10?) months and then you push something that's equal to pushing a watermelon out the size of a lemon. scary, right?

anyway, rewind a few months ago when Mindy asks me to photograph her birth. say whaaat?! I think that may have been my exact reaction too. I also may have asked her if she was crazy. I know everyone else thought she was a little insane! I said I'd try it, but I warned her I didn't want to see anything too terribly scary ;) luckily she understood.. and so did the doctors! they actually thought it was cool someone would want to do something so personal for her.

fast forward a few months and it's a month before her due date. every time the phone rang I'd jump and say "AHHH is it Mindy having her baby!?" nope, nope, nope. fast forward another month (she thought she'd go early, cause none of her other babies were as stubborn as Tania!) and it's her due date and I'm at a wedding. downstate. luckily the Tania was VERY stubborn and she waited a whole extra week for me to be back and prepared ;)

Saturday night I get a call from Mindy's mom saying it may be the night! I grab my bag, run out the door and zip to the hospital. two hours and a McDonald's trip later, and I head home since Tania is STILL being stubborn as her parents. (just kidding guys!) the plan was Mindy would be induced at 8am Sunday, so I got up bright and early (VERY bright and early for me) and changed my facebook status to something not very clever (it was SO early and I hadn't had my coffee!) before I headed to the hospital. Mindy comments on it saying her midwife wasn't going to make it, so she'd be induced at 11 now. ugh. I figured if I went back home, I'd end up passing out and missing it, so I got my dunkin and up to the hospital I went.

a few laps around the TAMC loop later, a husband running off for a quick errand (followed by frantic calls and texts to get him back tot he room), lots of what seemed like painful contractions on the birthing ball (is that even what it's called?) and things were starting to get moving! I've never seen a birth happen (obviously, I'll reiterate the whole birth scares me point!) so I had NO idea what to expect. I knew she was doing it all natural and I knew I didn't want to see anything. I didn't realize it'd happen so super fast, although I'm sure it didn't feel fast to Mindy as she was screaming (no joke, she SCREAMED. a lot.) and almost breaking her hubby's hand while cussing at the nurses to get her some drugs. at one point I started shaking without realizing it, cause it is in-freaking-tense even just to watch it. within an hour to hour and a half, Tania was born.

a little 5lb 15oz person was out in the world. and I was there to witness it. and it was incredibly terrifying. and sealed the deal on no children for me. who cares if my internal clock will start ticking in a few years, I can fight that off ;) birth. is. scary. but Tania is one cute little peanut, so I think they'd say it was worth it ;)

and now for the good part, slideshow with lots of photos!  p.s. there is a song, so either turn down/up your volume accordingly!