Monday, September 3, 2018

'A Birth-Day and a Birthday' Recap

Counting On "A Birth-Day and a Birthday"

  • Jessa has Jinger, Joy, and Kendra over for brunch (quiche and fruit). “Jessa is a great mentor and friend to all of us,” says Jinger. “It’s nice that she’s kind of gone before us and paved the way.” Jinger is 17 weeks pregnant, Joy is nine months pregnant, and Kendra is about five months pregnant. Kendra is thrilled because she has recently started feeling the baby move.
  • “Duggar babies, we just grow ‘em big,” says Jessa, as the girls discuss the large size of “Duggar heads” and Duggar babies in general. “I’m really nervous about that,” says Jinger.
  • Later, the Duggars host a construction-themed birthday party for Henry and Tyler. “Tyler is my great-nephew, and he is a part of our family for now, and we love him so much,” explains Michelle. “He’s such a sweet boy, and so we’re thankful to have him.”
  • Bad weather (29F and freezing rain) forces the Duggars to move the rental inflatable bounce house inside their house, which makes for a chaotic atmosphere.
  • During the party, Jim Bob and Michelle call everyone together so they can share positive traits about Tyler (tender-heartedness, gentleness, etc). Jessa and Ben share some of Henry’s milestones (walking, although not yet talking).
  • Jim Bob meets Josiah, Lauren, and chaperone Tyler at the Baylor house, which Jim Bob and Michelle purchased three years ago. The plan is for Josiah and Lauren to live in the 9,000-square-foot house and keep it up until it sells. “I think I may live her for a little while, and then I’ll spend the rest of the year trying to find [Lauren] in this house,” says Josiah.
  • Ahead of the birth, Michelle, Roxanne (Austin’s mom), Jana, and Jessa help Joy make freezer meals.
  • Joy goes into labor at 7pm on her due date. Michelle, Jana, and Johannah join Joy, Austin, and the midwife at Joy and Austin’s house, as do Austin’s mom and sister (Meagan). “Seeing my wife in pain, that was pretty hard,” says Austin, who has been an EMT for four years.
  • After 19 hours, Joy is transported to the hospital because the baby is breech. Jim Bob meets them there. Both Joy and Austin are disappointed when they find out that a C-section is necessary, but they are both ready to do whatever it takes to deliver the baby.
  • “Meeting the baby for the first time was incredible,” says Joy with a huge smile on her face. “Both Austin and I were just crying. It was such a sweet moment.” Austin announces the gender to Joy. It’s a boy! Jim Bob calls Jennifer (Joy's buddy) to tell her the news, and she tells John, who shares it with the rest of the siblings with a confetti cannon.
  • Gideon Martyn Forsyth has a larger head circumference (15 inches) than Michelle’s largest (14.5 inches) baby.
  • After Joy and the baby are settled at home, Jim Bob and Michelle bring all the kids over to meet him. “...It’s more responsibility than I thought it was,” Joy says of parenthood. “It's definitely amazing, though. I can’t imagine not having the baby around now."
 

55 comments:

  1. 15 inches😱 Joy would have ended up with stitches even without a csection.

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  2. Tonight's show was great! I really enjoyed seeing Tyler so happy at his birthday party! Will you be adding him to the banner soon?

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    1. Probably not. He isn't a Duggar. They are just his guardians for now.

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    2. Tyler living with the Duggars isn't a permanent situation. Grandma Mary isn't on the banner anymore and she was on it for years.

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  3. They didn't announce Gideon's birth weight in the episode.
    Jill was also there during Joy's labor, but wasn't listed in the recap.
    During the luncheon at Jessa's house, Joy mentioned that they had two girl names picked out and one boy's name that she didn't like...I wonder if it was Gideon? Or maybe some other name.
    Jessa seemed like she wanted to mention that she was pregnant at the same time as Jill and Anna, but couldn't.

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    1. I thought they did announce Gideon's birthweight. Didn't Jessa comment that Gideon was half a pound heavier than Spurgeon?

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  4. All the kinds are kind and tender... no one's. Nice they took Tyler in and that it all seems to be going well. I like that Jessa keeps it real with the girls.

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  5. Really Jill? All you focus on is heartbeats? Wouldn't logic enter the equation to figure out if there was another reason, such as position to consider? Shame! I hope Joy chooses someone different next time..

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  6. I know a lot of work goes into the blog headers, and this newer one looks great! Will Tyler be added into the blog header in the future?

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  7. I still don't understand how Joy's midwife - and Jill - failed to realize the baby was breech for 19 hours. Jill's comment that the heart rate was good didn't help matters. I'm starting to think that's all Jill can do, take a heart rate.

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    1. Yeah, and I'm not buying the theory that a 10 pound first baby flipped at the last minute during labor either.

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    2. Agree about the heart rate thing. I’ve never seen Jill do much more than that.

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    3. There is the possibility that Gideon turned during the labor. Even big babies like him flip sometimes. I’m more curious about him being 10 pounds and birth and now he’s super tiny, that’s not very common.

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  8. There were lots of new faces in the background at that birthday party. Faces in the crowd at parties = future suitors. We've seen it over and over... You don't party with the Duggars on TV unless you're in their inner circle of friends, and you don't get there by being total strangers, for no reason. If that was filmed in Feb. or so, we could be past the "getting to know you as a friend" stage by now.

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  9. The Duggar women eat quiche. I bet the men don't. lol

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    1. IKWYM. I'm amazed Kendra, who didn't like spinach, ate it at all! Maybe she didn't. Hard to see what was on her fork.

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    2. What surprised me is that they didn't say Grace before eating their lunch. In the old shows, they would join hands and say a prayer before a meal, even in a restaurant. The show has really changed

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  10. Jessa seems to toss that hair around and flash those pearly whites a bit much on these shows. I don't see the humility and modesty the kids were supposedly taught. I see someone all too happy to be featured on TV. Her birth stories did nothing but scare the other girls. Jessa thought it was fine to share all that info, though.

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    1. She's gotten to be kind of the queen of the show, hasn't she.

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    2. I noticed that too. She just loves the spotlight. The married girls are so different then their Mom as far as how they carry themselves. Michelle always had a different way about her then the girls and never flaunted herself like mostly Jesse and Jinger do. I think the boys must have really looked up to their Dad because they act and carry themselves like he does.

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    3. You should be fully prepared for what all can happen during birth, watering it down would give the other girls unrealistic expectations and then they wouldn’t be at all prepared for their birth.

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    4. How does Jinger flaunt herself?

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    5. Agree ! Jessa does seem to be Marge in Charge of the show.

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    6. Jessa is beautiful and has a lot to say. I don't grudge her for it. The show originally was supposed to follow her and Jill, but now that Jill is out of the picture she IS more in the spotlight. She is also a natural leader--it is one of her gifts.

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    7. Jessa is a beautiful woman, on the inside and out. Whoever makes these comments are obviously jealous and insecure about their own lives.

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    8. I only wish that i looked like Jessa. She is gorgeous.

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    9. Oh how dare Jessa be so gorgeous. She must instantly be vain and full of herself🙄 I’m not one of the people who contantly pulls the jealous cardboard on the blog, but you really do sound jealous.

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    10. Anon 6:31 How in the world would you know what kind of person Jessa is? It's a scripted reality show where tidbits of their lives are shown. Clearly Jessa loves the limelight and everyone can see that. That is what people are commenting on. Jealousy and facts are 2 different things.

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    11. Anon 3:07 Actually loving the limelight is vanity, it screams Look At Me! There are millions of beautiful woman who don't desire and need public attention like that. Why do you think Michelle didn't act like that? Michelle was humble and modest which was part of the reason Christians were drawn to the show.

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    12. The show only reveals tiny snippets of the Duggars' lives. Jessa IS beautiful, she's extroverted, seems very confident, and is definitely a natural leader. Sometimes unfortunately, people interpret that as being vain and self-centered.

      But since we don't get to see the whole picture, why would you accuse Jessa of something like that?

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    13. I know her personally and have for years. And if you use common sense you can distinguish facts from jealousy. The producers choose who to interview and film. My goodness some of you sad people need lots of prayer.

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    14. My opinion is the same 6:31. So much jealousy!!

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    15. 5:46, she’s basically the host of the show, and Michelle had a submissive personality, just because Jessa actually says what she thinks does not make her vain.

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    16. @1:32...hmmm I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you “know” Jessa; but are really only an aquatinted. Not a best friend or in her most inner circle. Therefore, you truly cannot give a real account of her character nor or “us” sad people in need of prayer.

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  11. Gideon is a beautiful choice for a baby name. It isn't commonly heard these days, but it is a strong, masculine name for a little man. Congratulations to the lovely family. :)

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  12. Austin and Joy; I am so happy that Gideon was delivered safely. I hope you consider using another midwife if you ever decide to have a home birth again. I'm so sorry that you were in labor so long; having had 2 8 lbs + babies, I know how difficult that can be. Just as an aside, my oldest son had a very wide forehead and he came "sunny side up". He was breech when I got to the hospital, but the doctor and a couple of nurses turned him. That was fun!! In my opinion, the midwife should have learned much earlier that Gideon was breech and recommended you go to the hospital. I like both of you very much and wish you many years of happiness.

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    1. He could have turned during the labor

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    2. I have given birth to four large babies myself and 2 of those were c-section. I hope Joy and Austin will not try a home birth next time since Joy has had a c-section. I learned that can be very dangerous by causing a uterine rupture.

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    3. You should never have a homebirth after a c-section, that is very dangerous. If they have another baby they should get proper medical care with qualified medical personnel in a hospital. It should never have taken that long to determine that the baby was breech. With the size of that baby I think he was breech al along and didn't just flip at the last moment. Happy that Gideon and Joy-Anna are doing well, but the midwife seems unqualified.

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    4. 1:13, actually large babies CAN flip during labor, but yes, there is the possibility that they had an incompetent midwife. And there is nothing wrong with having a VBAC as long as a doctor clears you for it. You should probably educate yourself before posting something like that.

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    5. 3.09 I never said having a VBAC is wrong. I said a homebirth after a C-section should not be done. Two very different things! A friend of mine had a VBAC and it was great for her, but in a hospital with medical personnel to help if anything were to go wrong. After a C-section chances of a rupture are higher. So again a VBAC is great! In a hospital under medical supervision! Also you are right, a large baby can flip durig labor, but considering the size of the baby and the fact that this was J-A first pregnancy it is rather unlikely. And the fact that the hospital was so far away I still think they took risks that were not necessary, not to mention J-A suffered trough 19 hours of labor in vain. So no I don't need to educate myself before posting something, I know what I am talking about.

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    6. 3:09 I said nothing about having a VBAC! I said you should never have a VBAC at home, two very different things. So please read first before you tell someone else to educate themselves. I very well know a VBAC can be great, but only in a hospital with medical personell in attendance should something go wrong. Also I know large babies can still flip in labour, but with the size of this baby and the fact that this was J-A first pregnancy it seems very unlikely. Wether he flipped or not, the fact still remains that they were very far away from a hospital in case of an emergency. And I know homebirths can be very safe, my own sister had two homebirths, but in her case the hospital was 5 minutes away instead of 30 minutes. Also her babies were just average in weight. Had there been any indication of such a large baby in a first time mom, she would not have been allowed to homebirth. The Netherlands has great midwifes for homebirths but strict rules as well.

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  13. Jessa's birth experience with Spurgeon really traumatized her!

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    1. It should have; it was crazy!

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    2. I don’t think so, otherwise she wouldn’t have had Henry.

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    3. May be she will stop with 2?

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  14. Love the show. Poor Joy. Glad mother and baby are fine. Happy belated birthday Tyler and Henry. The house is beautiful. I enjoy large houses. It's ashame they have to move when it sells. Natasha B.

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  15. I don't understand why Jill, Jessa, and Joy were all clinging to the notion of home delivery with (barely qualified) midwives. Is there pressure from sisters or from Michelle & Jim Bob to do that? Your job at delivery time is to produce a healthy baby and a healthy mother, not to take risks and try to prove you're Superwoman who doesn't need a doctor or a hospital. If it means you're "inconvenienced" by not being in your home surroundings, too bad. That's not what's important.

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    1. I don't think Jim Bob and Michelle are behind their decision to do homebirths. Michelle went to the hospital for all of her births except Jinger and Joseph. Jim Bob and Michelle aren't anti-hospital. Also, Jim Bob was surprised and genuinely sounded concerned on the telephone when Josh said that they decided to change their birth plan and have a homebirth with McKynzie.
      It seems to be a second generation Duggar trend. Jill's midwifery training may have led them to find it preferable. However, their choices for midwives are troubling.

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    2. What I don’t understand is why people feel the need so much to criticise these women in everything they do. Personally I would prefer a hospital birth, but in my country that would be the exception as home births are the standard. As long as there is always the pissibility to get to the hospital on time if needed, home births are actually perfectly safe.

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    3. Home births are safe so long as midwives know what they are doing

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    4. It's more of a concern for the health of baby and mother

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  16. Perhaps the Duggar girls pushing home births is because one or more of them believes it is "more modest" with a female midwife and even better if it's their own sister?

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  17. How about some news on John David and Abbie! They are so cute!!

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