Counting On "A Baby Girl for Jessa" Part 1
Counting On "A Baby Girl for Jessa" Part 2
Counting On "A Baby Girl for Jessa" Recap
- Ten days before her due date, Jessa's water breaks. Spurgeon and Henry both arrived late, so the Seewalds had expected to have another two weeks before this birth. "Our birth plan through this whole pregnancy was that we would deliver at a birthing suite at the hospital with a midwife there, however, the morning that my water broke was the morning that my midwife had left town for a week," explains Jessa. "So our backup plan was to call another midwife and do a home birth."
- Ben's mom, Guinn Seewald, makes the drive to come watch Spurgeon and Henry. Jill comes over to help with labor. After walking the stairs at the "big house" to get her contractions going, Jessa returns to her house. Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) Teresa is also helping coach Jessa. "...She feels the head coming down, so I think we might deliver in a little bit," says Jill.
- Jill is correct. It's not long before Ivy Jane Seewald makes her appearance, safe and sound. But when Jessa's bleeding continues, she and Ben decide to call 9-1-1, just to make sure everything is okay.
- The paramedics take Jessa away, and Ben hops in his car to head to the hospital to meet them, as does Jill. Jill gives a video update from her car.
- After the midwife finishes her routine check on Ivy, she takes her to the hospital so Jessa can nurse.
- At the hospital, Jessa receives Pitocin to stop the bleeding but does not need a blood transfusion, as she did after Spurgeon's birth. “I feel great,” says Jessa. Guinn brings the proud big brothers to the hospital to meet Ivy. Michelle, Jana, Josiah, and Lauren arrive. They had been in Tennessee at Carlin Bates' wedding, along with most of the rest of the Duggar clan, and Josiah flew them home when they received word that Jessa's water had broken.
- Jessa and Ben share the gender and name with Jeremiah and Jordyn via video chat, and then Jordyn breaks the news to the rest of the family.
- After an overnight stay at the hospital, Jessa receives a good report from the doctor and is able to go home. When the Duggars return from their trip, they all come over to Jessa and Ben's house to meet Ivy. Jim Bob is beaming as he puts his arm around Jessa.
- "She is so cute," says Kendra. "Little miss Ivy is adorable and just precious and tiny. I think it makes me look forward to having and holding our little baby."
- "Grandma has a birthday buddy!" exclaims Jessa. Grandma holds Ivy in the family photo. At the end of the episode, TLC shows a photo of Grandma Duggar, who passed away two weeks after Ivy's birth, with the text, "In loving memory."
Photo courtesy duggarfamily.com
With Jessa's issues, you'd think they would have headed for the hospital as soon as her water broke. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. Unfortunately, a lot of maternal death occurs because of issues with hemorrhaging. Jessa really should educate herself so her next birth isn't her last. She has a history of bleeding more than average already!
DeleteThank you for giving us the link so I could watch it! I made me a little sad though when Grandma was there because she died but it is cute. Kendra announced that she was pregnant basically to all the people who do not know that.
ReplyDeleteShe’s announced it publicly over 2 months ago, so most people knew by now
DeleteAm I missing something? Her midwife left town for a week and somehow she couldn't go to the birthing center, she needed to do a home birth. Why? Surely they could have provided ANOTHER midwife to do the delivery when she went into labor before her due date.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they had their good reasons.
DeleteA midwife who has hospital privileges would have coordinated with another midwife or doctor to cover her patients. The explanation doesn't make sense.
DeleteI wondered what midwife leaves town for a week when she knows she has a client due within the next 10 days.
DeleteThat’s true. In the hospital you always have someone to cover you.
DeleteI don’t think you understand how midwives work. They can only take on so many clients at a time, so the only one available was the one she was planning on having, and then the backup plan midwife who they weren’t planning on having to use, who does not work for the birthing center they were going to go to and only does homebirths.
DeleteExactly what I was thinking, somehow I don't think the whole truth is being told here, I really don't think they ever planned a birthing centre birth as many places would not permit filming. I think they take so much flack for the homebirths and Jinger and Kendra go so much praise for their births they said they had planned a birthing centre birth to try and placate people but it didn't work. Someday I really fear something bad is going to happen to both mother and baby if these young women do not wise up and stop taking chances!
DeleteIt sounds as Jessa was trying to do exactly as Jinger.
DeleteCongratulations on your new beautiful baby girl. Jill looks like she's pregnant.
ReplyDeleteJust a beautiful baby! I love the name too. Congrats to Jessa & Ben. So sorry to hear about grandma Duggar. You are in our thoughts & prayers.
ReplyDeleteWhy on earth do the Duggar girls keep using CPMs?!! They do NOT have enough training, and shouldn’t even be legal.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you 1:46. They're not legal in all US states. The states that don't allow CPM's equate it to practicing medicine or nursing without a license. Good for them! I'd never hire a CPM.
DeleteAgree. There are plenty certified nurse midwifes out there who could provide amazing care for these women!!
DeleteWhy is Jill in this episode? Derick said very publicly that he AND HIS FAMILY would not be on the show any more. I don't understand.
ReplyDeleteI don't care! I miss seeing Jill.
DeleteDerick was adamant about his family changing course and not being part of TLC any more. I don't know how you can say that and then a year or two later, your wife is back on TLC. There's something fishy going on.
DeleteShe was the only one there so she kinda had to. She was not gonna let her sister labor alone just because she didn’t want to be filmed
DeleteAnon @ 1:56 One word mortgage! It will be interesting to hear how they spin this one.
DeleteJill didn't have to be shown on camera. She could have been on there, off camera. The midwives could have narrated. If you say you're taking your family in a different direction (the way Derick did) and then you turn around and let your wife be on the show again, that to me is not telling the truth and not standing up for your convictions. Derick supposedly prides himself on being a man of convictions, and being the head of household. I guess when money is involved, your convictions go out the window?
DeleteI don't understand. If they planned on going to the birthing center, why didn't they just go there when Jessa went into labor before her due date? Calling in a midwife that they'd never seen before and Jill wasn't much of a "plan" IMO.
ReplyDeleteI was guessing the midwife is the same one that they have known for years. Her name is Theresa.
DeleteThey’ve known her for years, she just doesn’t have as much training so they weren’t planning on having her, she was basically their worst case scenario if Jessa were to go into labor two weeks early while their real midwife was out of town for a week. You can’t just get another midwife last minute, that’s not how they work.
DeleteAnon 7:03. If you GO to the hospital in labor, they take care of you. Hospitals have STAFF in the building 24/7 that can deliver a baby. If their midwife was "out of town" Jessa wouldn't have been turned away.
DeleteAnon @ 7:03 Most midwives (though not all) work as part of a team so if one is not there they will have a stand in who can take over. A good midwife will also recommend someone else if they know they won't be able to attend your birth, and I doubt they would have recommended someone who had their licence application turned down and is not qualified, they risk their own registration doing that!
DeleteI don't understand why her backup midwives Teresa and Jill didn't carry Pitocin to treat hemorrhage. Most midwives do.
ReplyDeleteHome birth does actually result in a lower risk of hemorrhage than hospital birth, but there should be medicine on hand in either location in case it happens anyway. Especially since Jessa is prone to it.
Can CPMs not administer it in Arkansas like they can in most states? I wonder if that's why she was planning a hospital birth instead?
I'm glad it was easy to treat with a quick trip to the hospital, but it's sad to be separated from your baby in those first couple of hours.
Jill isn't a licensed CPM with the state of Arkansas. Hopefully, Jessa and Ben knew Theresa didn't carry pitocin. Given Jessa's medical history, it just didn't make sense that they chose to have a home birth without the proper medication on hand.
DeleteI wouldn't consider an overnight stay a quick trip to the hospital. So glad Jessa did not need a blood transfusion this time like she did after Spurgeon's birth.
CPMs don’t have the same medical training that CNMs do, so if there is an emergency you have to go to the hospital, which is why if you’re going to have a homebirth you really should get a CNM. Also they really should have sent Ivy with Jessa. Teresa seemed like she didn’t really know what to do.
DeleteI have a feeling that CPM’s aren’t allowed to administer meds. At least in Arkansas
DeleteI would be surprised that CPMs would be allowed to administer medications. They do not have the training. Here, CPMs or the equivalent are not. Only medical doctors and nurse practitioners-midwivies (Master's Degree with additional training)can proscribe medication and administer it, as it should be.
DeleteTrue. Also, it is illegal for a midwife with no further training to carry and/or administrate Pitocin - it is a prescription medication. It is also not used out of a hospital setting. A midwife has absolutely no business inducing births, and therefore there would be no reason to carry Pitocin. Just to clarify that for everyone's general safety, you know?
DeleteI love how the whole family came over to meet Ivy Jane, especially Grandma Duggar. What a precious thing to get to meet Ivy and share a birthday.... It was also nice to see Jill. Is she pregnant again?
ReplyDeleteI'm still scratching my head over this one. They planned to go to the hospital, but when their midwife wasn't available, they did a home birth. Why? If they had gone to the hospital, the medical staff THERE would have attended the birth and when there was a problem it could have been dealt with without calling the paramedics. Their explanations never make any sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI think it's to save money.
DeleteAnon 1:03 I totally agree
DeleteSo the birth could be filmed is what I am thinking. There has got to be easier ways to earn a living other then risking your life so your birth can be filmed. I hope Ben gets a paying job so this risky stuff will stop happening.
DeletePrecious! The video with great grandma at the end is bittersweet and priceless!
ReplyDeleteI really hope that Jessa will go to the hospital next time, even if the midwife she likes best isn't on duty. Grand multiparous women (fifth or subsequent births) are at greater risk of bleeding to death even without a prior history of bleeding, and she has a significant history of bleeding that's caused her to go to the hospital with two out of three births. A preference for home birth or a midwife is not worth your life. I have had three natural childbirths in a hospital without incident. Jessa's life is worth it.
ReplyDeleteNext time?
DeleteReally tough to see Grandma Mary walk in, knowing she died shortly after. But so beautiful how they honored her, letting her walk in first, hold the baby first, and had her centered in the family photo holding the baby. They kept making a fuss over grandma and the baby, it's like they knew something was about to happen. Of course they didn't, they were just treating her well. But lovely to see.
ReplyDeleteI love this family and I’m a loyal viewer of the show. But I can’t understand for the life of me why they continue to do home births. We keep seeing them end up at the hospital anyway bc they need extra professional support! Giving birth is a major ordeal and not to be taken lightly. It’s 2019 - please use the medical advances we can enjoy now and deliver your child in the safety of a hospital. Even further - get an epidural instead of torturing yourself with a natural birth. Jinger is the smart one!
ReplyDeleteAnd Kendra! She also had an actual doctor do her ultrasound and checkups. Neither of the other girls did it, Jinger included.
DeleteWomen don’t “have” to get epidurals, even though they can’t help with pain there are some risks associated with them which is why many women chose to opt out, no need to be judgmental. Also for most women giving birth is not a “major ordeal”, for the Duggar women it obviously is, but they seem to make many poor choices in the way they do their homebirths, eg, not having a CNM as their back up plan who would have had picoton on hand.
DeleteI had absoloutely no desire for an epidural and am glad I didn't have one. It may take away pain but it's not risk free and can cause other complications.
DeleteI respect your right to choose where and how to birth, but I would like to correct your facts.
DeleteStudies show that for low-risk women, planned hospital births cause more complications than planned home births. This includes an elevated risk of hemorrhage in a hospital birth compared to a home birth.
This might be because people in hospitals are sometimes stressed enough by the setting to need an epidural to relax, which 50% of the time stalls labor and necessitates augmentation, which skyrockets the risk of hemorrhage. Jinger was hopefully informed of the risks she was taking and balanced them according to her personal situation.
But since hemorrhage can still happen in any location, it's important for home birth midwives to carry Pitocin to treat it. Most do, but I think Jessa's didn't. I don't understand whether it's an Arkansas legal problem or what. But after a history of hemorrhage, I personally would insist that whoever attended me would have it.
Julia K, Jessa had a CPM so she couldn’t administer pitocin, which is why she should never have tried to have a baby at home with a lay midwife.
Delete"Studies show" - unless you cite these studies, name who did them, and disclose who paid for them, those facts carry no weight. Sometimes it sounds as if the entire world and their uncle are doing "studies."
Delete@8:28, no problem, it's reasonable to want to see the studies. Here you go.
Delete"Benefits of planned home birth include lower rates of maternal morbidity, such as postpartum hemorrhage, and perineal lacerations, and lower rates of interventions such as episiotomy, instrumental vaginal birth, and cesarean birth. Women who have a planned home birth have high rates of satisfaction related to home being a more comfortable environment and feeling more in control of the experience."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4399594/
"Even after adjustment for known confounders such as parity, the odds of postpartum haemorrhage (≥1000ml of blood lost) are significantly higher if a hospital birth is intended than if a home birth is intended (odds ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 3.8). The ‘home birth’ group included women who were transferred to hospital during labour or shortly after birth." An odds ratio of 2.5 means you're 2.5 times as likely to hemorrhage if you plan a hospital birth compared to if you plan a home birth.
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2393-12-130
Really wish I could get these studies up online but unfortunately both just say server not found on my computer. I was genuinely interested in reading the research & seeing how large the study was. Bering in mind I access American journals & studies regularly for work I can’t understand why I can’t get them up on my computer. 🤔. To be fair the reason behind lower rates of c section, assisted delivery & episiotomy could be that these are not performed in the home environment but on women transferred to hospital. The only place I have heard such vehement dislike of hospital births in your country is on this site about the Duggar’s. In general most Americans seem to like the hospital experience.
Delete@Fuzzyferet, good guess - I had the same initial question when I first read the studies - but no: in both studies, women who transferred from home to the hospital still count as part of the planned home birth group. So such transfers are not the reason hospital birth is more dangerous.
Delete@Julia K. If you PLAN a home birth, you are not likely to be in a high-risk group. (This particular family notwithstanding.) You can plan a c-section at a hospital, or you can have your doctor induce birth in a hospital. Many reasons for this - pre-eclampsia is a good example of something fairly common that can be deadly without hospital care. Those factors don't apply in home care. Planned home-care births are generally lower-risk pregnancies to begin with.
DeleteWhen I go to TLC to view the show, the site is nonresponsive. Anyone else having this problem?
ReplyDeletefor some reason, i cant get them to play. but you're right, there is no log in to a provider and both halves of the episode are unlocked
ReplyDeleteSo it was the second time for bleeding out after birth. She's lucky she made it to the hospital. There wouldn't have been a thing Jill or that other CPM or even the EMT's could have done to save her if it had gotten suddenly worse at home. They are miles and miles away from any hospital, IIRC. What a risky thing to do after already bleeding one time. I can't believe anyone would make the decision to try another home birth under those circumstances. One of these days, things might not go the Duggar's way. How would they justify it then?
ReplyDeleteI’m just sad she risked having a CPM there instead of a CNM who would have had pitocin on hand so when Jessa states to bleed excessively she could have easily been treated there and not have had to leave her newborn baby😢
DeleteIt's so heartbreaking to see Grandma Duggar and how joyful she was and then just two weeks later she was gone. It brought tears to my eyes to see her. I'm glad Ivy was born on her birthday and that Grandma Duggar got a chance to hold her and see her
ReplyDeleteYes agree with all. As soon as I seen her walk in the door I started tearing up.
DeleteI love the cool little things God does. Ivy just happens to be born on Grandma Mary’s birthday, when her due date was still a good bit away. Just before the passing of Mary. Ivy’s birthday will be a sweet remembrance and nod to their beloved Grandma
ReplyDeleteThis made me cry!😢
ReplyDeleteJust seeing Grandma Mary. So sad 😞
I know she’s in a much better place but still it’s tough losing a loved one.
Streaming not working on TLC site. Might you provide availability through this blog and not through the TLC site?
ReplyDeleteSo she went ahead with a home birth despite originally planning a hospital birth and knowing the risks involved for her, then she had ANOTHER PPH and had to leave the baby at home to go to hospital...its just absolute idiocy. Thank goodness everything is fine but my oh my I hope this makes her realise that home birth is just not for her.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Jill a certified midwife? Why do they always need another midwife there? I'm glad that she was planning to go to the hospital with this one
ReplyDeletePity she didn't actually GO to the hospital instead of "planning" to go.
DeleteAwhile back, Jill passed an exam to be a CPM or a "lay midwife." However, there are currently 25 CPM's licensed in Arkansas, and Jill is not one of them. So no, Jill is not currently a "certified midwife" of any type in that state. She is not currently licensed to perform any CPM duties in Arkansas. Hopefully she was there acting only as a sister and a narrator.
DeleteJill and Theresa lost their licence when Theresa delivered a baby with complications. But it’s Jessa’s choice to have no one qualified
DeleteJill is no longer a CPM in Arkansas. I'm not sure if she let her license expire or there was some other problem. I don't know what Theresa's status is in Arkansas.
DeleteWhat sort of plan was that? We were going to the birthing center at the hospital, but our midwife was out of town so we tried a home birth with a lay midwife. Makes no sense whatsoever. The hospital has trained medical staff that could have filled in if their midwife was unavailable.
ReplyDeleteThank God Jessa is all right. With her previous bleeding problem, she should have been in a hospital to deliver. She was lucky, again, but why tempt fate! Ivy is precious and I’m glad all is well.
ReplyDeleteI agree. After these post partum issues, I hope Jessa will stop rolling the dice with future babies.
DeleteMade me cry... happy and sad tears. Life is a journey. Count your blessings every moment. Never take anything for granted. Thank you for sharing your story.
ReplyDeleteI don’t understand why they won’t give birth in the hospital instead of at home in case something goes wrong they can get help right then and there
ReplyDeleteI agree Paige. What are they trying to prove? Why are they taking such huge risks with two lives? These are supposed to be pro-life people. Protect the rights of the unborn baby, but as it's being born, let anyone attend, and have it any old place, even on a grungy sofa? There should be a pro-doctor and pro-hospital movement to go along with their pro-life movement.
DeleteMaybe Kendra came over and swept the sofa first?
Delete"If any of the following pre-existing conditions are identified the client must be examined by a physician, CNM, or ADH clinician. A plan of care for the condition must be established, including a plan of for transfer of care if indicated, and execution of the plan of care must be documented. Midwives caring for these clients will be required to submit additional incident reports to ADH. If a referral is not made or if the clinician advises against home birth, the care must be transferred to a physician or CNM.
Delete17. History of postpartum hemorrhage not caused by placenta previa or abruption"
Those are the standards for being attended or not by a CPM in Arkansas. There's also mention of having previous c-sections and having babies over 10 pounds. The c-section doesn't apply in Jessa's case, and I'm not sure about the 10 pounds, but the history of bleeding would. So she would have had to have been cleared to use a CPM, although I don't know who would have given that clearance.
Watching that made me really upset, the Duggar girls need to realize that if they want to have homebirths they need QUALIFIED midwives (CNMs) who were properly trained. I understand that they didn’t go to the birthing center because Ivy came early and her midwife was out of town, but she should not have had a CPM as her back up plan. There were multiple things that I personally saw and heard that they should NOT have done. It’s very disappointing, and they put a very dangerous light on home births which are amazing, when you do them SAFELY. In Jessa, Jill, and Joy’s cases, I hope they at least plan to go to a birthing center from now on, their bodies just aren’t cut out for safely delivering babies at home.
ReplyDeleteI didn't understand WHY their midwife being out of town prevented them from going to the birthing center at the hospital. The staff at the hospital could have delivered the baby and when there was a problem it would have been dealt with without the EMTs having to transport Jessa to the hospital.
DeleteI think the original midwife wouldn't do a home delivery because of Jessa's history, but when she was out of town they went to their preferred option (a home birth). Neither Jill or the other CPM were qualified to work in a birthing center or hospital.
DeleteI was surprised to see Jill on this episode, as she has not been on the show in several years. Is there any information about whether she'll be on the show more often going forward?
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised to see Jill, and a little annoyed by her getting right up to the camera and acting so silly.
DeleteI can't get the TLC videos to play either. It says they're unlocked but I keep getting 3 white flashing dots. I've never had this happen before. Any suggestions? Would you be able to post the actual videos in your blog since it appears to be a TLC website issue. Thank you so much! Any help would be greatly appreciated :)
ReplyDeleteWould have been cool if they'd named her Ivy Mary, but I guess it doesn't sound as good. And Mary Jane, well we know why they couldn't name her that...
ReplyDeleteI wonder why she was hemorrhaging, did placenta detach incorrectly? Did she have huge tears in the birthing canal? Birth is just a baby breaking through the placenta and sliding through the birth canaL out, and then placenta detaching from the uterus and coming out. It should not be much blood.
ReplyDeleteSo happy Jessa is doing well. Ivy Jane is a beauty. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteJoan,Marion and Marilyn
It's pretty obvious that the original midwife wouldn't do a home delivery because of Jessa's medical history. However, when she wasn't available they abandoned the hospital plan because they never really WANTED to do that. I hope Jessa learns from this episode that she NEEDS to go to the hospital to give birth.
ReplyDeleteThe title of the show... just had to say that the baby girl is just as much for Ben as for Jessa. She's going to be his little princess! :-)
ReplyDeleteAgree with everyone that their birth center explanation doesn’t make sense. If they had planned a home birth the whole time they should’ve just said so. I was disappointed by how indifferent Jessa acted when she was at the hospital. If they had delayed their decision about calling 911 it could’ve ended dangerously. The midwife should not have waited until Ben suggested to call 911, she should’ve known when to call based on her education and training.
ReplyDeleteI’m a nurse and Jessa’s story doesn’t make sense. A midwife (although not a qualified nurse widwife which Jessa used..) doesn’t leave town 10 days before due date, it doesn’t happen and if they do there is always a midwife to cover. With Jessa’s history no qualified widwife would of taken her on outside of a hospital so that’s why she choice what she did
ReplyDeleteBabies come whenever they want and a midwife is allowed to take time off. Obviously Jessa's midwife had arranged for someone to cover for her if the baby came early. The problem arose when instead of calling the back up midwife and going to the hospital for the delivery, Jessa and Ben went for the home birth with Theresa.
DeleteThese antics in the show were crazy. First Jessa tries a home delivery, there are issues so the EMTs come to take her to the hospital. They roar off forgetting to take Ivy with them, closely followed by Ben who leaves her behind too, then Jill joins the procession sans Ivy. Finally Theresa realizes she's left with Ivy who needs to be at the hospital with Jessa. I was just shaking my head and wondering how these people manage everyday life.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Why was Ivy not sent with Jesse in the ambulance? I sure hope the midwife had a car seat for the baby. I don't know why the EMT's couldn't care for Ivy in the ambulance.
DeleteFirst of all, if you've ever had to be transported, you know there's not a whole lot of extra room inside an ambulance. Secondly, Jessa was actively hemorrahaging-she was the patient needing immediate, emergency medical treatment inside the ambulance, on the way to the ER. The paramedics were focused on saving Jessa's life. Ivy was not a patient in need of medical attention, therefore she would have been in the way. The EMT's weren't there to take care of Ivy- that became Ben's job the minute they decided to "try for a home birth", knowing Jessa's history of bleeding.
Delete9:06AM: Postpartum hemorrhage is a medical emergency. Jessa is the priority. Anybody else can take baby Ivy to the hospital.
DeleteI don't understand how Teresa, who's only a lay midwife, could attend that birth under Arkansas rules. Lay midwives are only allowed to attend women who have a low risk of complications during pregnancy and delivery, based on their medical history. Jessa does not have a history of uncomplicated birth! Something's not adding up here. And who was that other woman (other than Jill or Teresa) who was at Ivy's birth? We see a second woman acting as a midwife, but no explanation is given as to who she is or what her qualifications are.
ReplyDeleteApparently Theresa wasn't the midwife who was supposed to deliver Ivy. They called her because their midwife was "out of town" and didn't go to the hospital as planned. Since she was called in while Jessa was in labor, I don't think she did anything wrong. Jessa and Ben should NOT have called on her due to Jessa' medical history.
DeletegooD it was so wuick. But what about this bleeding for the 2nd time? Did her placenta was not separated correctly? Birth canaL had tears?
ReplyDeleteCan you request TLC to upload to YouTube so international viewers can see this episode?
ReplyDelete