'Five Pregnancies and Counting' Recap

Counting On "Five Pregnancies and Counting" 

• Jana sets up for a garden party that she has planned for the ladies. The weather is questionable, so the brothers put together a wooden arbor indoors and wrap lights around it. After the women arrive, they enjoy snacks in the living room before heading outside to make flower arrangements. Grandma Mary Duggar is present, as this gathering takes place just weeks before she passes away.
• “A lot of times when we do parties, it’s the whole family, which is fun, but it’s also really special to do something like this where it’s just the girls,” says Jessa.
• Jessa predicts that she is about two weeks away from delivering. She says that she has felt better this pregnancy than during her past two. She credits her healthy food choices and the fact that she is making sure to take her vitamins.
• In addition to Jessa, four other Duggars are expecting. Kendra is due November 6, Joy is due November 9, Lauren is due November 17, and Anna is due November 25. “It is kind of hard for us now to keep track of who’s pregnant and who’s not, who’s due date’s first, and what the lineup is,” says Michelle. She suggests getting a picture of all five expectant moms.
• Jessa and Ben take the boys to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, to see the sites of the engagement scavenger hunt that Ben put together for Jessa almost five years ago. They stop at a bakery to grab a quick snack before hopping on the train. Later, they stop by the glass chapel where Ben proposed. “Being back here five years later, in the same location, it’s just crazy how fast time flies,” says Jessa.
• The boys are both asleep in the double stroller, so the Seewalds enjoy a romantic moment, as they relive the moment when Ben got down on one knee. “You’re a wonderful wife and mother,” Ben tells Jessa. “You’re the best,” Jessa replies. “I’m blessed to be married to you.”
• Josiah and Lauren visit the doctor for an ultrasound. They are relieved to hear the baby’s heartbeat.
• Lauren was about six weeks along when she miscarried Asa. “It’s very emotional…because every time I go to the doctor, I just get that scared feeling like something’s not right,” says Lauren. Her first month was difficult, as she experienced low progesterone levels. The expectant mom says that Josiah has helped her to be at peace by reminding her that this baby is God’s, not theirs, and that she needs to trust God. Lauren has bloodwork done to determine the baby’s gender.
• Jessa picks up Kendra and 11-month-old Garrett for a play date at the park. Later, the pregnant girls get together at the big house to swap maternity clothes. “It’s pretty expensive to buy maternity clothes,” says Lauren. “It almost feels like they purposely mark it up higher because they know we have to buy different sizes so often.”
• Some of the clothing items are not maternity, so Jana adds ruching (a piece of elastic on the sides) to accentuate the girls’ bumps. “[Jana] is the Jana of all trades, instead of the Jack of all trade” says Anna.
• “I like being pregnant, but I enjoy not having to suck in all the time,” says Joy. “I can actually be proud of my belly.”
• Lauren’s mom and sister Lily host a gender reveal party for Lauren and Josiah. All the Duggars come over and munch on food in the Swansons’ beautiful yard. There are a bunch of black balloons filled with white confetti and one filled with either pink or blue confetti.
• As the couple starts popping balloons to find the one with the gender announcement, one of the balloons gets loose and floats into the sky. When all the balloons have been popped, they assume that the one that got away was the one with the colored confetti, and they start to worry that they won’t ever find out the gender. But Lily comes out of the house with one more balloon. Everyone thinks it’s ironic that she was able to prank Josiah, who is usually the one playing the pranks.
• The confetti is pink--it’s a girl! “I’m going to wake up early tomorrow and go shopping and buy the cutest little outfit!” exclaims Lana Swanson, Lauren’s mom.
• If you guessed that Lauren and Josiah are going with an alphabet theme, you were right. Their miscarried baby was Asa, and this one’s name will be Bella Milagro, meaning “beautiful miracle.” The Swansons also have a name theme. Lauren and her mom and sisters have names that start with “l,” while Lauren’s dad and brothers have names that start with “d.”
• On May 26, Jessa’s water breaks two weeks before her due date. Most of the Duggars are in Tennessee for Carlin Bates’ wedding, and Jessa’s nurse midwife is gone. Labor starts off slow, so Jill comes over and suggests taking a couple tablespoons of castor oil to get things going. Jessa’s contractions start to pick up. Michelle and Jana are one their way home.