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Moms: We put the 'labor' in Labor Day with these great birth stories

In anticipation of Labor Day, we asked for your best labor stories – and boy, did you deliver! (Pun intended.) Reading through everyone’s tales on our Facebook page reminded us that bringing babies into the world is usually painful, always touching and often hilarious. Since everyone has heard the nightmare childbirth stories (they seem to come out of the woodwork when you're pregnant, don
Yes, mom's thrilled with the new baby, but what does a woman have to do to get a burrito around here? Celebrate Labor Day with your touching and hilarious stories of labor.
Yes, mom's thrilled with the new baby, but what does a woman have to do to get a burrito around here? Celebrate Labor Day with your touching and hilarious stories of labor.Getty Images stock / Today

In anticipation of Labor Day, we asked for your best labor stories – and boy, did you deliver! (Pun intended.) Reading through everyone’s tales on our Facebook page reminded us that bringing babies into the world is usually painful, always touching and often hilarious. Since everyone has heard the nightmare childbirth stories (they seem to come out of the woodwork when you're pregnant, don't they?), we decided to focus on the many joyful, amazing and funny moments that happen while bringing a new life into the world.

While many of us physically labor to bring children into the world, many others labor through emotions and paperwork to become parents. In the end, it’s all worth it, because it’s truly a labor of love. So moms, to celebrate Labor Day, here are some of our favorite reader stories.

Hannah Tello: I am one of those weirdos who loved pregnancy, labor, delivery, the whole thing. I was about 6 hours into my 9 hours labor, and managed to get myself into the labor tub at the birth center. My wonderful husband was rubbing my back through a particularly challenging contraction, and afterwards he leaned down and asked what he could do for me. I looked straight at him, sat up, grabbed his arm and said, "Get me -- a burrito." He thought he misheard and asked, "What?" I said, "A burrito. Find me a burrito. I am starving and the only thing I want right now is a burrito." My mom poked her head in and said, "Is she okay?" My bewildered husband said, "She wants...a burrito...?" The best they could find was some smuggled Swedish fish. They were delicious...but they were no burrito. 

Kristin Miller: When my oldest son was handed to me after labor I said Hey, Jay! and he looked at me with this amazing look of recognition. Like he knew me. He knew my voice. To this day that always puts a smile on my face 11 years later.

Jill Laba Henderson: We added two little ones to our family via adoption in the past year. Our daughter was born by c-section and we waited, holding our breath, as her birthmother struggled with the enormity of the decision. After a week, our wait and patience were rewarded and we met our sweet girl in the NICU when she was 8 days old. Three months and three days after our daughter entered the world, our son was born but we didn't know it until 3 days later when the adoption agency called asking "how do you feel about a baby boy?!"... we were surprised and overjoyed. We quickly made travel plans and met our precious little man in the hospital when he was 6 days old. Today our lives are filled with such joy, laughter and love thanks to two amazing, courageous birthmoms and two wonderful babies (now 10 months and 7 months). 

Mika Blessing: I left the hospital to go take my College biology final, then went back to deliver my son. ( I got an A) most PAINFUL test ever :)

Lauren Harney: My amazing husband was deployed overseas when our beautiful girl was born. My doctor allowed my mom to assist in the delivery! Not having my husband there was extremely hard, but the moment my mom, myself, and my daughter all shared is something indescribable!! 

Kelly C. Lester: Labor was fun! Loved every minute of all 19 hours! We watched our Carolina gamecocks baseball team win the college world series in the delivery room and my son Hampton was born as we hit the winning home run! 

Jocelyn M Crenshaw: Thank you for recognizing the labor it takes to go an alternate route to parenthood. We are in the middle of a search for a son, I just know it will be worth it. I don't know who or where he is but he is my son. Adopting is a the greatest gift of the human condition. 

Rachel Elizabeth Mancuso: I had a (very scary) emergency c-section & they had to put me completely under. I didn't know about it until my son was a month old, but apparently right after they brought me back to the room I was screaming like a banshee. My husband, who was holding our son, didn't know what to do. The doc looked at him & said, "well, show her the baby!" I took one look at our boy, sighed "baby!" & fell right asleep.

Keelie Spoor Shrader: My first two kids were born without an epidural, but my third was a different story. I got a dose of the "good drugs" and ended up totally disconnected from my own labor. When the nurse came in to check on our progress, she discovered the baby was crowning -- I had no idea at all. In fact, I was rather annoyed that everyone was in such a rush. I actually asked if we could wait just a few more minutes, so I could finish watching an episode of Deadliest Catch!

Lizzie Barnhart Roscoe: My water broke at work. I got up from my desk to leave at 5:00 p.m., walked over to a co-worker's cubicle & said, "Let's bust out," and at that exact moment, my water busted out! :) It worked out perfectly as the hospital was across the street from my office & had my water broke even a few minutes later, I would have been on a commuter train on the way home. Instead I waddled across the street, got admitted, & after 12 hours of labor & 15 minutes of pushing, my first baby was born. No nightmare for me! A wonderful labor & delivery. Couldn't have planned it better myself!

Emma Wright Lenihan: I remember the nurse had a button that read "Meconium happens" :-)

Erica Fucello: Haha! I have pictures of this moment: My first labor was a bit difficult. We won't go into that here. But my second labor was so....NOT difficult, I laughed through about 9 of the twelve hours. How? My husband, Mom and I literally danced up and down the halls of the hospital! We broke out some old school, some cheese moves, some waltz, some ballet, whatever it was we wanted to do! We sang our favorite tunes, made muscle faces and broke it down up and down the maternity wing halls. Even the nurses were laughing and dancing with us! I think my husband and I just felt so much relief at having a normal labor, it was too hard to wipe the smiles off our faces. We had said our son, Samson, would be our last, but after having such a great time, we might go for more! :D 

Allison Leonard Schrecengost I was in labor with my youngest child. I was induced but my labor went pretty fast. The doctor came in to check on me and said it wouldn't be long, so he went to get his scrubs on. Soon after he left, I looked at my husband and said, "I have to push, she is ready to come out." A look of horror crosses his face and with panic, he asks me, "Well, what do you want me to do?" I asked him to call for a doctor. He started to run out of the room and I had to call after him and tell him not to leave me! So, instead, he starts screaming from the doorway for a doctor. Mind you, this was our fourth child and my husband is a doctor!!

Andrea Berg: My 23 (almost 24) year old was borm Labor Day weekend after 23 hours of labor. Talk about a "Labor" Day weekend.

Dana Macario is a Seattle-area mom whose doctor put on hip-waders right before she delivered, prompting her husband to ask "How much fluid are we talking about here, doc?"

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Mayim Bialik on home birth

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