Labor Day

When looking up the meaning of Labor Day, one will find that on Google it states, "a public holiday or day of festivities held in honor of working people in the US & Canada on the first Monday in September." It is a day to relax with the family and friends as well as enjoying the nice fall weather. Labor Day is a day to recognize the hard work that people put into the community and remember the beginning of the Labor Movement. With being a first time mom, this year I've been thinking more on reflection on actual labor that moms go through. Every labor is different. Some are quick and natural, others are scary and cesarean. It all depends on how the baby wants to enter the world & each labor is a blessing no matter what the circumstances.

Here is my labor story: I started to get contractions on June 10th at midnight and they kept getting stronger so we drove to the hospital and got there at four in the morning. I found out that I was five centimeters dilated which was better than what I was at during my due date checkup five days before. We were supposed to have an induction day on June 12th, but baby girl was not going to wait anymore than she already did. I waited out having an epidural for five hours and received it at 9:00am. The epidural was one of the worst parts for me because I'm not a fan of big needles or doctors who try to tell jokes when you would rather get the procedure done and over with. Once the epidural was in, we waited. And waited. Waited some more with no more dilation progress. Nurses did the usual checkups, gave more pain meds, changed my position in the bed, yet still no progress. The doctor broke my water hoping more contractions would start. Around 3:45pm we started to notice the baby's heart monitor wasn't in a good spot. During the entire pregnancy she was near 140 bpm, and now her heart beat would drop around 60 and 90 then back up to 140. It continued like this for a few more minutes before my husband went to get a nurse to examine it. She said to keep watching and that she would get the doctor. We waited, but didn't like the looks of the numbers so my husband went to get the doctor this time. The doctor decided to do an emergency C-Section because he believed the baby was in distress and could have the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, which we eventually found out she did. They called for a C-Section at 4:15pm and our beautiful, healthy baby girl was born at 4:31pm on June 10th. The hospital staff had to put me completely under because of it being an emergency, so I didn't get to have that initial first meeting with my daughter when she was born. It took me awhile to wake up from the anesthesia. It was an hour and a half to be exact, before I was reunited with my husband and brand new daughter. It was one of the scariest moments of my life, but it was all worth it in the end.


Here is a quote by Jane Weideman that definitely fits this topic -- "Giving Birth Should Be Your Greatest Achievement, Not Your Greatest Fear". I can truly say that becoming a mom is the greatest achievement I have done. I have a wonderful life, loving husband, a great college education with three degrees, great family & friends, able to dream big, and most of all, enjoy a new chapter in my life with a sweet baby girl. My husband and I are so proud of all that our daughter has accomplished and she brightens our world everyday. We have so many dreams and goals for her future, and we are so blessed to call her "Ours". We look forward to every minute we have as a family and wouldn't change it for the world. The one day of labor turned into a birthday that we get to celebrate every year. It's a "Labor Day" that we will never forget because it changed our lives forever.