According to Wikipedia, Labor Day is a celebration of the American labor movement and was first celebrated in 1887.
To me, Labor Day has come and gone twice in my life. One resulting in my daughter and more recently, my son. Labor, in the literal sense, isn’t anything worth celebrating. There are things that happen during “Labor Day” that they just don’t tell you during your birthing prep classes.
Here are a few points of Labor Day that anyone should know:
Contractions: At first, it feels like PMS. Then out of nowhere it feels like your uterus is being used as one large stress ball. You try to move out of it but it just won’t stop. One minute feels like five and when it’s over, all you can do is wait and count until the next wave to hit you.
Water Breaking: My water didn’t break with my first delivery, but it sure did with the second – all over our brand new mattress. At first I thought I just peed the bed, but after talking to a nurse while being unable to stop “peeing”, I realized that I was in labor. That and the fact that my contractions came on in full force (reference the above point).
Sense of humor: I’d like to think I have a pretty good funny bone. As I lay in the hospital bed trying to breathe through my contractions, waiting for the Anesthesiologist to come bring his magical medicine, I lost all sense of humor. My poor husband tried to lighten the mood by cracking jokes, but at that point I was possessed by contraction pain and turned into an evil human being.
Mucus Plug: I said it. It’s out there. It’s nasty to say. Losing this troll of a word makes you think that you’re going to go into labor at 35 weeks and that with every step you’re going to flood the floors. I recall walking on eggshells when this happened for fear of laughing too hard would send me into labor.
Epidural: As I stated earlier, I partook in this modern science goodie. Loved it for the comfort it brought me during labor and delivery but despised it for the sack of potatoes it made me post birth. Nothing is freakier than wanting to move your legs and you can’t.
When it’s all said and done, I’d do it again in a heatbeat. Labor Day for me is enjoying a day off from work to spend extra time with my two labor of loves.
From all of us at Charlotte Smarty Pants – we hope you have a great Labor Day!
