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Tuesday, December 10, 2019

'A Surprise Delivery' Recap

Counting On "A Surprise Delivery"

  • While most of the Duggars are in Tennessee at Carlin Bates’ wedding, they receive a text from Ben saying that Jessa’s water has broken. After Jim Bob drops them off at the airport, Josiah and Lauren fly Michelle and Jana back to Arkansas in one of the planes (the “slower” plane).
  • “As the mom and the grandma, I really want to be there to assist and be of help when my girls are in labor,” says Michelle.
  • “Our birth plan all along through this pregnancy had been to have a hospital birth with a midwife, but the morning that I went into labor, my midwife had left town for the week, so we called a backup midwife, and she came to the house,” explains Jessa. “We’ve done two home births in the past, and I actually love and prefer home births.”
  • This particular plane doesn’t have air conditioning, and it’s about 90 degrees. Partway through the flight, Michelle starts throwing up, so Josiah stops for gas and a bathroom break at a tiny airport in the middle of nowhere. “I don’t do well in turbulence,” says the Duggar mom. “I tend to have a sensitive stomach when it comes to motion. Then you add to that heat, and it was quite an awful flight for me.”
  • Back in Arkansas, Jill is at the Seewald house with Jessa and Ben helping with labor. Certified Professional Midwife Teresa arrives with her assistant.
  • By 5:00, it has been about nine hours since Jessa’s water broke, and she is in active labor and ready to push. Jessa listens to praise music to calm her. Ivy is born on the Seewalds’ couch.
  • “Holding a newborn baby for the first time, there’s just this flood of emotions, and I always cry,” says Jessa.
  • Post-birth, Jessa is bleeding too much, which is a problem that she had with Spurgeon. At the sight of a big gush of blood, Ben decides to call the paramedics, and Jessa agrees. Jessa is taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and Ben joins her with the baby.
  • “It’s standard in the hospital setting for every woman to have two bags of Pitocin, whether or not she needs it, after delivery to help her uterus clamp down and stop bleeding, and I guess I’m one of those women who benefits from that.” Before long, Jessa is feeling much better.
  • Ben’s parents bring Spurgeon and Henry to the hospital to meet their sister, and the airplane group arrives soon after.
  • Lauren cries as she holds Ivy. Her miscarried baby, Asa, was due on the same day. “I was actually kind of scared to hold the baby,” says Lauren. “I didn’t want to cry, but it’s just too much emotions. It was very hard for me, but it was definitely healing to hold Ivy.”
  • Jessa stays overnight at the hospital with Ivy. When the rest of the Duggars return home, they all come over to the Seewalds’ house to meet the new addition. Looking at Ivy’s bow, Spurgeon remarks, “If you take her band off, it’ll be a boy.”
  • When the family arrives, Grandma Duggar holds Ivy first because Ivy was born on Grandma’s 78th birthday.
  • When John and Abbie return from a mission trip to the Philippines, Jana goes over to their house to bring flowers from the garden party, which Abbie missed. “I do feel a little bit of a special connection to Jana, just because she’s John’s twin, and twins have this thing that basically nobody else gets,” says Abbie. Jana laughs, claiming that she and John can read each other’s minds.
  • Abbie is laying on the couch when Jana comes by. Abbie tells her that she is eight weeks pregnant and is due the week of Jana and John’s 30th birthday (January 12, 2020). Jana is thrilled. “Morning sickness has hit me pretty hard,” says Abbie, who has been admitted to the hospital a couple times due to dehydration.
  • “It’s definitely hard watching Abbie in pain and just wishing I could take it away,” says John.
  • In Laredo, Jinger is at the hair salon getting blonde balayage (highlights that look more natural and require less maintenance). Jeremy says he is on board with the decision.
  • Michelle and the four oldest Duggar daughters share their thoughts on the hairstyles that they experimented with as young adults:
    • Jana: “Growing up, I think we all had a similar hairstyle. I did peroxide in my hair one time, and it turned yellow, yellow blonde.”
    • Michelle: “And we were all like, ‘What happened to your hair?’ It was awful. She was like, ‘I don’t know why I did that and tried it without asking!’”
    • Jessa: “I think that kind of intimidated some of us other girls from branching out and doing anything to our hair.”
    • Jinger: “We would get perms, and we would perm each other’s hair. Yes I had a perm, no I did not need it because I had naturally curly hair. Why I did it, I don’t know. I think it was kind of the fad. So everyone was getting a perm, so I got a perm.”
  • Why do the Duggars all have long hair? “I think there’s some style preference and some personal conviction, but overall, long hair, I think we’ve just always read in the Scriptures that it’s a glory for a woman to have long hair,” says Michelle. “But I think, each one will have to come to their place when they become an adult.”
  • Back at the Vuolo house, Jeremy is watching Felicity while packing up the house. When Jinger walks in the door with her blonde hair, which she loves, Jeremy agrees that it’s beautiful. “I think we’re now officially ready for California,” says Jeremy. “You look like a Cali girl.”
  • Jana makes a change to her hair, too. She goes brunette.
  • Joe and Kendra have their big ultrasound at the doctor’s office. Christina (Kendra’s mom), Lauren (Kendra’s oldest sibling), and Isaiah (Kendra’s youngest sibling) come along. The doctor gives Lauren an envelope with the gender inside. James and Jennifer help her make a cake.
  • The families meet up at a local park for joint gender reveal party and first birthday party for Garrett. Garrett’s smash cake has either pink or blue frosting inside. It takes him a little while to make it to the center. “I think I ended up kind of pushing his hand down a little bit to help him dig in there,” admits Kendra. It’s a girl!

151 comments:

  1. Looking forward to Ivy’s birth next week in the UK. I must be honest if Jessa & Ben has all along planned a hospital birth with a midwife, just because her midwife was off that week I’m not sure why she still couldn’t go to the hospital, they must have had back up at the hospital. Also it surprises me that the back up midwife went to the house. Surely if she was booked into hospital then that’s where she should have went. It does fascinate me the way the Duggar’s do their births, it’s almost like there is nothing to them & it’s have a baby between breakfast & dinner. Trouble is for Jessa, she always needs medical back up to go to the hospital due to post partum bleeding, & thank god that qualified medical aid can be there quickly to transport both her & the baby. Love Jessa & Ben though & their little family. Ivy is a lovely baby & jessa’s boys are typical little guys that want to run around & get into mischief. Lovely little family & they are excellent parents from what I’ve seen of them.

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    1. Anyone that goes to the hospital in labor will be taken care of by the staff on duty at the hospital. If HER midwife or doctor was not available that wouldn't change. I'm not sure why Jessa did the home birth.

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    2. 4:23, probably because she didn’t feel comfortable with a nurse or doctor she didn’t know delivering her baby.

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    3. 4:23, maybe they made that call when they knew they could get the back-up midwife.

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    4. Anon 1:41pm unless you have a scheduled c section, the chances of you having a doctor or nurse you don’t know are high. No one can predict when baby comes.

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    5. Anon 4.23. She would have been a lot better off with a nurse or doctor she didn’t know delivering her baby than Jill or the other CPN that she had attend her at home. She is in a dangerous high risk situation with the post partum bleeds she has, she needs to be in a hospital from the get go next time.

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    6. I agree. Even Jessa herself said that at a hospital women are give pitocin after the birth, to stop all possible bleeding, and she knows she had experience with her first birth when she had an extensive bleeding... so why not go to the hospital and avoid 911 calls and all? It's not about popping a baby out, it's about woman's health - getting the placenta out safely, not having bleeding, also how she dealt with birth canal tears if there were any? Like, majority of women tear, they get stitched right there at a hospital, to avoid further complications. You should not wait to get a check up on this.

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    7. 3:27, which is why she was planning on having her midwife who she DOES know deliver Ivy. Personally I think they should have had a better back up plan then Teresa, but you live and learn.

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    8. 3:45, has she had the midwife she was planning on then they would have had pitocin on hand and she wouldn’t have needed to go to the hospital. As long as she has her actual midwife next time she’ll be fine, but if she happens to be out of town again then I agree, she really should go to a hospital.

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  2. Why doesn't Jessa just go to the hospital at the start? She keeps having to get rushed to the hospital after birth.

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    1. I'm guessing it's to save money, they don't have to pay for the birth, just two bags of potassium and and overnight stay is a lot cheaper than the works.

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    2. 8:37 - but she also ended up having to pay for ambulance rides which aren’t cheap..

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    3. How much are hospital rides in the US? In Canada they are $45.

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    4. An ambulance can be pretty expensive. We paid over $1000 for a five minute ambulance ride for my son 9 years ago.

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  3. Even if Jessa loves and prefers Homebirths, I really hope that she goes to the hospital next time. 2 out of 3 births with hemorrhaging and ambulance rides are a very scary thing, you never know if complications will get worse and worse.

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    1. Not to mention that ambulance rides and ER visits aren't cheap for the average person! Pretty sure the ambulance crews and their local hospital are getting a little tired of Duggar home birth emergencies. It's a little selfish to birth at home because you like and prefer to birth at home, knowing full well you have a well-documented history of hemorrhaging, when someone else in your town/community could need that ambulance crew instead of you. Truth.

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    2. I think her homebirths are actually 3 for 3 on the 911 ambulance rides.

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    3. 12:21, I don’t think she rode in an ambulance at any point in time after having Henry.

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    4. Since they were planning a hospital birth for Ivy and since the bleeding did happen twice, I'm sure they will not do any more home births.

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  4. These women should stop using CPMs. If they insist on giving birth at home they should have nurse midwifes. They have way more training and I’m pretty sure they are allowed to administer medicine which could’ve helped the bleeding.

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    1. It depends on what state you live in. Some states don't allow even CNMs to carry those drugs.

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    2. Jessa had a nurse midwife but her midwife was out of town for the week.

      What is a CPM

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    3. 1:42 certified professional midwife.

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    4. 1:42, a CPM is a “certified professional midwife”, they don’t have the same training as nurse midwives (CNMs) and aren’t even legal in many states.

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  5. Honestly, as a guest in Ben and Jessa’s house I would feel very weird sitting on their couch knowing 3 babies were born there.

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    1. I'm sure they cleaned the couch afterwards. lol

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    2. It would be worse if you were sitting on a couch where someone died!

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    3. I was thinking the same thing! It's not about cleaning the couch afterwards, it's just weird to sit on the same couch where she was experiencing pain and gave birth.

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    4. Plus Anna have birth in that same house but she did so in the bedroom.

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    5. Thank God for freedom in Jesus Christ. I can sit wherever I want to sit and not be afraid or creeped out.

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  6. What a perfect 30th Birthday gift now with all the J meanings Joanna Grace Duggar. Combines the twins names and has the same middle name as Abbie or maybe Abigail as the middle name

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    1. 5:50, I’ve read your post numerous times and have no idea what you’re trying to say.

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    2. John+Jana does combine as Joanna... but Duggars also have Johannah. Maybe they can just give the new baby middle name Jana? Also it will be interesting to see if they follow some name theme. Josh has "M" theme, Josiah - alphabet theme. Jessa had names of religious leaders, though I did not get it how Ivy fits into this.

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  7. That's too bad that Michelle gets so sick on a plane. When I was a kid, I'd get sick just swinging on a swing and carsickness was miserable. I'd never fly anywhere today unless I take Dramamine beforehand. Works wonders.

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    1. With the years of morning sickness she has experienced, air sickness is nothing!

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  8. If Jessa’s birth plan was to have a hospital birth then why not go to the hospital? I mean her water didn’t even break for 9 hours! More than enough time to get to a hospital versus continuing to be I dare say irresponsible with these home births knowing the history of blood loss.

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    1. I agree. The details of the story don't follow with their intention of having a hospital birth.

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    2. She was planning on going to the hospital with HER midwife who was with her throughout her pregnancy. She probably didn’t feel comfortable with a stranger delivering her baby (some women don’t and that’s their choice to make)

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    3. @1:45 great she wanted "HER" midwife....better to have a stranger deliver the baby than have an emergency that leaves "HER" baby without a mom or a mom without "HER" baby.

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    4. Jessa’s story is fishy at best.

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    5. 2:33, you’re acting like she almost died, when in reality she did exactly what she should have done, and that was go to the hospital at the first sign of trouble. Jessa had an easy delivery with Henry and was probably expecting to have the same with Ivy.

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    6. Yes, but hemorrhaging also equals dangerously low blood pressure and decreased heart rate (lack of oxygenated blood circulating to the rest of the body, blood can pool in veins and arteries/the heart causing clots)- all of which can be fatal. The hemorrhaging may necessitate a blood transfusion, which is also not without risks. It's not simply that she's just losing too much blood, people. There's no good reason to put yourself or your baby at risk...much less repeatedly.

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  9. The "slow plane"? So how MANY planes does this family have? I gather they fly places in a convoy of planes.

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  10. So was it Jeremy's fantasy to have a blonde "Cali girl" for a wife?

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    1. Lol Jinger is in no way a “Cali girl”, and I believe dyeing her hair is something SHE wanted to do.

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    2. Yes. Preferably with some level of fame for him to leverage.

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    3. Jinger wanted it and received approval for the look from Jeremy....why throw shade at Jeremy.

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    4. Have you been to Cali lately? Lots of brunettes here.

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  11. Another home birth, another run by the local EMTs. I'm sure the EMTs are used to it by now.

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    1. Yep, and you should hear what the EMT's and the ER nurses have to say about this type of patient when they step outside of those hospital rooms. ;)

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  12. I just knew TLC would do this to us. When grandma Mary died I said, watch TLC wait until the very last episode of the season to show it and then leave us all sad until next year.Are they really that far behind?Now next season will probably end with Joy's miscarriage.Jinger just needs her own show already.😎

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    1. Joy’s miscarriage was like 3 weeks after grandma Mary died. They’re not going to do a 3 week season 🙈 that span of time is usually covered in one or two episodes.

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    2. Why Jinger needs her own show? What she can say that is so important? She is a housewife who follows her husband everywhere.

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  13. Oh my goodness, another Duggar home birth that ends up at the hospital. I feel sorry for the paramedics and hospital staff who have to handle these Duggar home birth emergencies. The staffs have to ascertain the medical emergency in short order in order to provide expert care. I don't know that the Duggar women get prenatal care from licensed physicians. The hospital staff would have no prenatal history of the Duggar women in order to make quick lifesaving decisions. One Duggar home birth emergency is dangerous but now there have been at least 3 Duggar home birth emergencies. Maybe Michelle needs to step in and stop these home births for the sake of her daughters and grandchildren.

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    1. Michelle can advise but Jessa is an adult.

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    2. Michelle does not get to make choices for her daughters. Also, Jessa could technically have another homebirth, but she needs to do it with a CNM who has pitocin on hand to stop her bleeding if that becomes a problem again. She really should have gone to a hospital since her real midwife was out of town.

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    3. It's none of Michelle's business. She had most of her kids in the hospital, and the girls are obviously choosing their own path.

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    4. First of all paramedics and hospital staff are paid for their work. They aren’t volunteering their time to help, so I don’t feel sorry for them. An ambulance ride to the hospital runs at least $500. Since Jessa is know to have problems with blood loss after birth and was fully conscious they didn’t have to try to make quick lifesaving decisions. They knew what needed to be done. Secondly Michelle doesn’t need to step in and tell any of her children what to do. They are adults and can decide for themselves.

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    5. They may be adults but they sure aren't acting like "responsible adults".
      As for the cost of an ambulance ride, the Duggar family is not a typical middle class family. (How many middle class families own 2 airplanes)?

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    6. What does their not being a typical middle class family have to do with anything?

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    7. 6:44- I don’t think the point has anything to do with the pay of medical staff, rather it’s the issue of exercising sound judgment in using ER services. If Jessa had gone to the hospital at the start, knowing full well her bleeding history, there would have been no need to call for an ambulance and EMT assistance at all. Why stretch their services when they just might be needed for a heart attack victim or car accident?

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    8. I agree that if Michelle advised her daughters to go to a hospital, they probably would listen. Kendra used her mom's OBGYN, so Kendra's mom was very involved in her daughter's pregnancy. Michelle herself did a couple of home births, but mainly she went to a hospital. She could advise her daughters to care more about their own health, seeing that they have complication after complication. Jinger was smart to get induced a week earlier, knowing that her sisters birth huge babies. Michelle could possibly give that advise to her daughters. Jill had 2 emergency c-sections, Joy had an emergency c-section. Jessa was heavily bleeding now twice.

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  14. I know that those that don't trust home births will complain but I believe Jessa has done a good job with her births. She does the home birth but goes to the hospital when needed. She just appears to need extra help to stop bleeding.

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    1. Which is exactly why she should go to the hospital next time. What if the ambulance doesn’t make it on time to the hospital the next time she hemorrhages? I wouldn’t take that risk

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    2. It's hard to believe any doctor would let her attempt home delivery with her bleeding history. Really makes you wonder who they're using for prenatal care. Risking things at home is not doing a good job, in my opinion. It's asking for trouble, which once again showed up.

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    3. Anon 12.26. Thank god the EMTs get to Jessa quickly enough to transport her to hospital for proper medical care. How can you say she does a good job with her births when she has had to be rushed 2 out of 3 times to hospital for post partum bleeding ? It’s wrong to say she births at home then goes to hospital when needed, it’s unfair on the medical professionals that have to treat her after these emergencies as they know nothing about her previous pre natal care, if indeed she has any pre natal care at all. Next time Jessa may not be so lucky & may not get to hospital fast enough. I hope there is never a fatality with either mother or child, but it’s very possible to behave in this way & if she is going to be so irresponsible with her own life & that of her child then who knows what may happen next time.

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    4. The next time could also be the LAST time. Naive to say she handles it well! She could bleed out if it happens again. Foolish to do this at home again!!

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    5. 10:26- To each his/her own, but if I had a history of post birth hemmoraging, I'd get myself into a hospital by hook or crook long before that would even happen. Some of what happens with these Duggar home births leaves a viewer just scratching their head.

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  15. I just wonder why Jessa continues to have home births with the complications she has had. I'm glad she is okay, but that's so scary!

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    1. Her excuse was that the midwife that was supposed to deliver the baby was "out of town". Made zero sense, since if she'd gone to the hospital the staff would have delivered the baby without all this addition drama.

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    2. Maybe she didn’t know that the replacement “midwife” that she had didn’t have pitocin? Her other one certainly would have.

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    3. Because it cost a lot to have a baby in the hospital.

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    4. Give me a break!! It costs for ambulance rides & hospital stays after Home births with complications!! And nothing could put a price on leaving your children without a mother. Step up Ben,& insist on getting to the hospital if there’s a next time.

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    5. 1:53 - hemorrhaging can be a life or death situation. I wouldn’t mind spending more money if it meant saving my life. If she can’t afford hospital births with her condition then she should think twice about having a whole bunch of kids.

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  16. How can the rest of us relate to a family that owns a fleet of airplanes? ONE plane is expensive to operate and it's clear the Duggars own and fly around in several planes. These people are not frugal by any stretch of the imagination.

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    1. At least they've dropped the thrift store and "buy used and save the difference" talk. I thought they held onto those lines for way too long anyway. That might have been true for their first years married, but obviously no more.

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    2. Um, are you really trying to relate to a family with 19 children? That seems like a bigger deal than having planes that they use quite frequently, so really they are a good investment. Also, doesn’t John David give flying lessons? That’s part of his job, so it makes sense that they would have them.

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    3. One of the most expensive things for a plane is storage and they do not pay but keep them on their land. Another expensive thing is maintenance and maybe they can do their own. After that, they are pilots so not paying to be flown around. They could also use the planes for work -- teaching, delivering, chauffeuring. You can buy a plane for the same price as a middle-range car. It is really not that expensive to have a plane and be a pilot.

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    4. You don’t know what they paid for the planes and how much they are making from owning them. Flying commercially with a large family is very expensive and time consuming. If they are giving flying lessons and flying other people to locations then they may be earning enough to cover the cost of the planes. I have friends that own planes and are in no way rich. They just love flying and have prioritized that in their lives. They don’t have expensive houses and don’t buy fancy cars.

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    5. To everyone trying to tell us how "cheap" it is to own and operate several planes: Pure hogwash. The licensing, storage (you can't just keep a plane in your backyard as they need runways to take off and land), and required maintenance is EXPENSIVE no matter how you slice or dice it.

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    6. It must be spendy.....John and Abbie live in a trailer.

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    7. Anon 2:43. True and John does Abbie's nails to save money. lol

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    8. Beyond the cost of storing the plane, let's talk fuel and insurance. Given the size of their family and that they're flying a number of family members, their insurance premium alone is quite large. I seriously doubt they get a multi-plane discount either. LOL Their life insurance premiums for their family members would increase dramatically as flying privately is a high risk hobby/activity.

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  17. I enjoyed watching the scene in which Abbie told Jana that she's pregnant! It's great seeing how close they are to one another.

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    1. I agree. That was sweet.

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    2. It was sweet but it's not how she told her ... they shoot these interview after the show has been shot so it's make believe !

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  18. Poor Michelle. She had to ride in the "slow" plane that didn't have air conditioning. She should have "pulled rank" and demanded the better faster plane to get to Jessa.

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    1. If Josiah flew this one to go to the wedding, where would he find the fast plane ? Home. Not at the wedding.

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    2. They were out of town. It was the only plane they had. They couldn’t just go to the airport and take whatever plane was there.

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    3. I don't feel all that sorry for Michelle-she's flown more than enough times over the last 10 years to know she could become sick from turbulence. She's a grown adult whose made countless flights cross-country and to numerous other countries on a variety of aircraft (some commercial flights, a number of them flown by her spouse and sons). She also knew that particular airplane didn't have air conditioning before she flew in it to Tennessee and what the weather forecast was when she dressed for the wedding.

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    4. The Duggars are very fortunate that airsickness is all they've suffered through with these amateur-piloted trips. Many are not so lucky, as we see regularly on the local news.

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    5. 12:23, quit acting like small plane crashes are a common thing.

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    6. Anonymous @3:33- I personally know a family with a small plane and half the family was killed when it crashed. Their son and daughter were in my Sunday School class and both parents led Praise & Worship. The mother and daughter were not on that short trip. It was horrible and their family, friends, and our Church family were several years coping with it. Small private planes do crash, and more often than you think...they just don't all make the national news.

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  19. Sounds like Jana got into trouble for not asking to bleach her hair when she was a teen.

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    1. She actually wrote about it in their book, she didn’t get it trouble, but the dye she used turned it to a really awful shade of orange (she was going for blonde)

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    2. As a parent of 3 I always thought hair (colour, length etc) wasn’t a battle worth fighting. It always grows back, can be cut or dyed. I also thought that there were probably repercussions to Jana not asking for permission to experiment with her hair. Could these kids do anything without a family discussion?

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    3. Why wouldn’t Jessa bring her sons to a 1 yr old’s birthday party? Sounds like something they would have enjoyed and there was certainly enough people around to help watch them. This really struck me as odd. She didn’t say the boys were sick just that they were left at home

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    4. No she didn't get in trouble. They don't get in trouble.

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    5. 12:11, I feel the same way. My rule was that unless something they wanted to wear, or how they wanted their hair was illegal, immoral or indecent I wouldn’t push back. When my daughter dyed her hair blue it wasn’t something I liked but it didn’t hurt anyone and she quickly grew tired of it. If I had dug in my heals and demanded she change it she probably would resisted and kept her hair blue even if she didn’t like it.

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    6. 12:19, maybe it ran into his nap time, or maybe he wasn’t feeling well. How does it effect you in any way?

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  20. I'm Californian, born and raised. It is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves and makes my ears cringe when people say 'Cali'. In the past few years it has become the slang word to say and IMO just plain stupid. I had a neighbor from Oregon and she would go home to visit and when she heard 'Cali" being used in her home state, she would say "don't ever say that in California, Californians will give you a piece of their mind!" And by the way, why does everyone think its a big deal to be a California girl?

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    1. That's odd I have a friend from Northern California and she moved to Oregon and frequently says she's headed home to Cali.

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    2. I agree with you, anonymous. I've heard people refer to Atlanta as Hotlanta and I cringe so hard. Just no.

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    3. Then she’s not a true Californian. Period.

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    4. Lol must be a generational thing? I don't know. I think the blonde thing came from the 1960s with rock bands like the beach boys

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  21. Jessa couldn't know that she "prefers" home births when she had only had home births. Considering that she's now called 911 emergency responders to cart her off to the ER in an ambulance, I question her logic when she says she prefers home births.

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    1. I prefer hospital births, but I didn't have home births.. How do I know? Because that's my logic! Jessa prefers home births and I understand that, at home your most comfortable in your own environment.. No need to question her logic for that!?

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    2. Anon 11:32. Jessa has a history of excessive bleeding after giving birth. In that situation her preferences are not in her best interest. She doesn't need these emergency runs to a hospital to get care after giving birth. One of these days she may not make it there in time and bleed to death. Her choice But IMO a poor one

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    3. She can say "prefer" because she saw her mom and sisters have both, and her preference is for quiet home environment opposite to the hospital where you don't have your own stuff, your own kitchen, bathroom, you have to wear hospital robe, and where in many places they would pressure you to have a quick c-section instead if natural delivery. Hospital also is a psychological stress for many women, just being at a hospital might feel scary. Some people have higher blood pressure when it is measured by a doctor, because they are nervous.

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    4. @2:20. I do not know where you live but here C-sections are only performed for sound medical reasons, not because the hospital is in a hurry. The hospitals have comfortable birthing suites; mom does not have to wear a hospital gown. Yes, some people have slightly elevated blood pressure when they visit the doctor BUT it does not stay high. Relaxing exercises can handle that.

      The benefit of having the baby in a hospital is fast and easy excess to medical care for both mom and child. Plus, someone else does the clean-up and the new mom can relax and get some rest afterwards.

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  22. Is it going to take a death to get these women to go to a hospital for a delivery??

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    1. It well may. At least some of the ones who have married into the family go to the hospital to give birth.

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    2. 9:31. I think Jinger went to the hospital, and not after a botched attempt at a home birth. Other than that it’s only been the girls who married in that have been wise enough to go to a hospital with professionals.

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    3. I think Jeremy is not going to let Jinger go through what her sister’s did. Jinger has more sense than the rest. Also, Jeremy’s mother is a good influence on Jinger.

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    4. Jinger was induced early so as to avoid having a large baby like her sisters.

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  23. I love this family and show, but I don’t watch those with courtships, engagements, weddings, gender reveals or births. Anything else is fine. I get the impression I won’t be watching it much next season...unless Jana finds Mr. Right! I would make an exception for that!

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  24. Okay episode. I wish they'd stop going on and on about how many are pregnant at the same time. It's declared about 10 times an episode now. Also, many of those talking head segments are done AFTER filming. The producers have them speak as if the events are occurring in real time - but it's really just them narrating the footage. Most reality shows do this - very common. The problem I have is that they are making Joy (and the others) narrate her pregnancy with so much excitement. Several of those talking heads were done after they knew the sad reality. I am sure TLC obtained the approval of Joy and Austin and that they signed off on how this is being produced - however, that makes me even more sad to be honest - almost as if they are required to sell this experience.

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  25. Michelle doesn't need to interven all the girls are adults and have a good idea what happens when giving birth @ home. Let them once and for all leave the nest.

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    1. Maybe that's for them to decide? Maybe they like Michelle being close and helping? Leave it up to them.. I would have lived a mother like that..

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    2. The Duggar daughters for sure would benefit from mother's advice on childbirth since Michelle did it so many times. I feel like Michelle just thinks her daughters are grown up and can make own decisions, but seems like they really need her advice. No wonder that like Jill and Joy are close with her mothers-in-law, they do need a mother and motherly advice!

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  26. I think there is a strong price to pay for relinquishing your anonymity. The sad and striking part is the minor children in the Duggar brood have had no choice in the matter, and for some it begins the minute they enter the world. I question their judgment on a number of things, but this one the most.

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    1. I agree. I think they've sold out. The children born on the TV show grow up thinking this is how EVERYONE lives.

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  27. I find it very distasteful and offensive that the birth of a child is reduced to being commercialized on TV, as has happened with many of the Duggar births. These kids, the born and even the ones still in the womb, will never have the privilege of privacy. Is money the primary motivation? How many seasons are enough? At what point do you put your kids' inherent right to anonymity and privacy above your own need for attention, fame and a fat paycheck?

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    1. I agree with you Anon 12:51. I kind of think Jim Bob and Michelle are pushing their adult kids to do anything and everything to stay on tv even if it means their own grandkids from the moment they take their first breath should have their privacy stripped from them if it means they can make money on them. I never watch the show out of respect for the privacy of these poor new babies. The fathers need to get jobs for crying out loud.

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    2. I think the only people who should be present when you're birthing a baby are your spouse, the doctor/nurses/anesthesiologist, and close family/close friend you invited...not a film crew and viewing audience. How is it humble that you giving birth is so important it warrants a TV film crew? Where is Jesus in that? There's no way, they're following Jesus in doing that. How is that modest? You're being filmed by a TV crew giving birth-that's definitely calling attention to yourself. All the hype in the run-up to the main event (giving birth) is all about self-all the posing in the tight tops, all the promotion and publicity, all the teasers. How is God being glorified in all that? They say they're Christians, but are they actually following the same Jesus in the Bible?

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    3. @10:30pm I so agree with you. And also it’s never been addressed if only women film crew members are allowed in the birthing room. I do remember an question and answer episode and the Duggar’s addressed why they do not do social media. I believe it had something to do with modesty. Now they are all over it!!

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  28. I believe that whatever is in the Bible about long hair being a woman's glory was
    strictly a cultural preference of the time, written by a man. Wear your hair anyway that suits you, but I don't think any woman should be made to feel that she's somehow displeasing God by having short hair.

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    1. Exactly. Yet another "rule" for women. I have very short hair and God loves it!

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  29. It was so poignant to see Great Grandma Duggar with her birthday twin, Ivy. It is a blessing that she met Ivy and that the family had lots of pictures taken. But it is so sad to know that she does die soon after. I rejoice that she will celebrate Christ, Emmanuel, in God’s heavenly kingdom - how glorious. But her family will surely miss her, and I will miss seeing her on the show.

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  30. The other two hairstylist’s made sure to get on camera during Jinger’s appointment. Lol

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    1. Why not? The cameras are like fish bait. lol

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  31. Jingers natural hair color looks best.

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    1. What's her natural color? She used to dye it very black.

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    2. Yes that blonde look wasnt good on her

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    3. I like it better with the highlights. I wonder what color Michelle's hair is. You know she dyes it.

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    4. @ 1:05 Easy. go and watch old episodes and you’ll see Jingers natural color.

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  32. It is odd that Jessa did not bring the boys to the birthday party. Glad that Jessa recovered after Ivy's birth. it was nice seeing Jill on the show briefly. Would describe Jinger;s hair more than highlights. it was funny to see Jinger cringe when the beautician cut a few inches off of her hair.
    Joan,Marion and Marilyn

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  33. I'm glad that Jim Bob brought that little bike for Garrett's birthday! Otherwise it looked just like a gender reveal.

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  34. Garrett's birthday is June 8th, and if they celebrated on the day, then the next day Grandma passed away, and we saw her the day before she passed away :(. This is so sad. At least they have a lot of Grandma on camera.

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  35. So glad Jessa and Ivy were ok. The airplane ride was sure awful for Michelle. I remember watching in 2006 when all the Duggars had motion sickness. I can't believe John and Abbie's baby is due on John and Jana's birthday. I can't wait for the gender reveal and birth. We also can't wait for season 11 in 2020. Natasha B

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