I’m sure a long time ago some laborer somewhere was grateful for the creation of the Labor Day holiday. I don’t think, as a post-modern nation, we’re as attuned to worker rights as our forefathers were. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to scrap the holiday, and certainly not the paid-day-off part. But I think the celebration could use a little tweaking.

How about we morph the meaning of Labor Day from its 19th century “All Hail the American Worker” roots to a 21st century recognition of women who actually delivered their babies the old fashioned way?

Statistics say about one in three women now have their babies surgically removed from their wombs rather than giving them the old heave-ho after hours and hours of grueling labor. Anesthetized or not, labor is grueling.

I’d say it’s only fitting Labor Day be retrofitted in homage of the apparently dying art of natural birth. Perhaps the shift will spur women to rise up in protest of scheduled C-sections to guarantee the relatives won’t miss the birth because the due date came and went, just like their scheduled vacation days, or worse, so the doctor won’t miss his vacation to oversee a woman delivering a baby.

I have to admit to having not one, not two, but three, yes, three C-sections. The first one was because my body was not ready to go into labor, as it proved by refusing to be induced into labor for three long days, and because the baby was subsequently traumatized. The second C-section I chose to have, because I was still traumatized by my body refusing to be induced into labor for three long days. The third C-section was forced on me by medical protocol regarding having had two previous C-sections.

So, I actually have no clue what labor feels like. I don’t feel I missed out on something I should have experienced, nor do I worry that my children and I haven’t bonded properly. I just have a good old-fashioned respect for women who had their babies the way God intended.

I think I’m on to something with the Labor Day thing. I’ll talk first to the greeting card companies. What do you think?

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