Going into Labor on Labor Day

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “Good day on Labor Day,” says Karen Gates 19 year old Karen Gates, didn’t spend Labor Day at a cookout or on the lake, instead she was having a baby. The holiday home from work, was not an option. “I didn’t, having a baby was my day off,” says Gates. As you can imagine, rest and relaxation were not included. “A lot of pain and pressure,” says Gates. Karen went into labor just ten minutes before midnight, but she wasn’t expecting it so soon. “3 weeks early,” says Gates. But at 8:25 Monday morning, Ja-Rodrick Gibson was born, weighing 5 pounds and 12.6 ounces. “Yeah a long time,” says Gates. This is Gates’ third child, but the third time wasn’t exactly a charm. “it was the worst one,” says Gates. Ja-Rodrick was a bit tougher to bring into the world. “Eight hours, that’s a long time,” says Gates. Especially when you compare that to his siblings’ time. “Forty-five minutes,” says Gates. But at the end of the day, for Gates, those eight hours are worth it. “It was pain, but it was pretty at the same time. The longest and the painful one on Labor Day,” says Gates.