Lessons of Labor on Labor Day: Remembering the Beginner's Mind, an excerpt from the book by Julia Aziz
I suppose it is hokey associating Labor Day (the day to honor workers) with the labor of childbirth, but, heck, it ain't called "labor" for nothing. Any woman who has gone through it can tell you that it is a lot of work. Ironically, my daughter's birthday is today, Labor Day. Giving birth during the Labor Day weekend meant that her doctor was out of town, but we both survived. Though I tried hard to make it into the regular work week, she was having none of that, and after 12 hours of negotiation on the date, she won. So, happy birthday to my Labor Day (now working) girl. It seems appropriate, then, to share an excerpt today from Lessons of Labor by Julia Aziz, a social worker and three times a mother. She knows something about both kinds of labor. REMEMBERING THE BEGINNER’S MIND About a week before my second baby’s due date, I woke up in the middle of the night to the same menstrual-like cramping that began my first labor. Excited at 3 a.m. in the morning, I wo