Sunday, Jill & Jessa Counting On Season 1 Episode 3 wrapped up TLC’s trial-balloon revival of select members of the Duggar family.
What did we learn from this behind-the-scenes special? Will it lead to more Jill, Jessa and the rest of the Duggars on the network again?
If you happened to watch Jill & Jessa Counting On online the previous two weeks, you know Josh Duggar loomed large over the production.
The final installment shifted toward a happier event – the birth of Jessa Duggar and husband Ben Seewald’s first child, Spurgeon!
Notably absent, as life would have it, were co-star Jill Duggar and hubby Derick Dillard, who were/are off doing missionary work.
Long before any of her contractions began, Jessa was already talking about the possibility of one day adopting children with Ben.
There’s even been talk of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar adopting a 20th child lately, so the family seems on board with this idea.
For now, they were preparing for their newborn, and Anna Duggar, Jana Duggar and Jinger Duggar all gathered to welcome it.
At Jessa and Ben’s house, which was also the same house that Anna used to live in … with Josh Duggar. You can’t escape that guy.
“It was a lot fun and refreshing,” Anna said, acknowledging that it was a “tender spot to go back and be in what was our starter home.”
She admitted that she had “a lot of sweet memories” there, and “it was good to be back, I guess … and have some time to look back.”
Through tears, she said, “It’s been hard, but I think it’s been a good opportunity to draw close to God and just trusting for his wisdom.”
She did, for what it’s worth, compare her marital woes to a never-ending labor … yet expressed hope that God will heal her marriage.
What the future holds for Anna and Josh, no one can say, but a few days past her due date, Jessa finally began getting contractions.
Jessa’s agony was palpable. So was her husband’s strength.
“Ben was just solid,” Michelle Duggar said of her son-in-law. “He was there and he stuck by her side. It was really sweet.”
For Ben, it was a case of faking it until you make it (a baby).
“As labor was ramping up, she was in pain, so I was feeling the pain too,” he explained of the experience. “It was pretty difficult.”
“I was thinking to myself, ‘Hopefully the baby will come soon so this can be over.’ But [labor] kept dragging on, and dragging on.”
After what seemed like forever (to her, it was), the baby came.
“When I got to the point where my body started pushing, it was really intense,” Jessa said. “But it was also like, ‘OK, this is happening.”
“I’m not going to be pregnant for the rest of my life."”
At 6:24 p.m. Jessa and Ben welcomed a healthy baby boy, which they named Spurgeon … and then were rushed to the hospital.
She lost a lot of blood, and like Jill earlier this year, the sheer size of the youngster contributed to Jessa’s labor complications.
Despite the snag, Jessa was in good spirits … mostly: “The first thing I said to my mom was, ‘I don’t know how you did this 19 times!"”
You’re not alone in that sentiment, Jessa.
