It’s been five months since Joy-Anna Duggar welcomed her first child.
At the time, it was reported that the birth did not go according to plan, and Joy-Anna was rushed to a nearby hospital, despite her intention to deliver the baby at home.
It’s not the first time that a Duggar woman was forced to abandon her plans for a homebirth, but Joy-Anna’s case sparked greater interest among fans than those of her older sisters,
In the corners of the internet that are devoted to all things Duggar, fans speculated that Joy-Anna’s delivery went seriously awry.
There were rumors that Jill Duggar had served as midwife, even though she lacks the proper qualifications for the job.
Some even went so far as to claim that Joy nearly lost her life.
On tonight’s episode of Counting On, Joy-Anna will open about the complicated delivery and share previously undisclosed information with her many curious fans.
The episode finds Joy-Anna and her husband, Austin Forsyth, meeting with their midwife in the weeks before Joy-Anna gave birth.
“I want to have all the options available, but I’m not sure,” says at one point.
“We want a home birth, we’re going to try, but we’re not going to risk mom and baby’s life,” says Austin.
“I’m just having to remind myself not to let the fears and anxiety things take over and just prepare as best as I can and be flexible at the same time,” a very anxious-sounding Joy remarks.
Yes, it seems that Joy-Anna had her doubts about a homebirth from the very start.
Asked by producers for her feelings on the situation, Joy had this to say:
“My thoughts right now? If you ask me, I mean, they change. Sometimes I’m like, ‘I’m ready for this, I can do this!’ And then sometimes I’m like, ‘Why am I doing this?’
“It changes. But right now, I’m excited and I’m ready and I want to have this baby as soon as it’s ready to come out.”
She added:
“I really wanted to at least try it, and we’re only about 30 minutes from the hospital, so it’s not too bad in case of an emergency or a change of plans.
“[I’m feeling] somewhat nervous, trying not to be scared, but just prepared.
“I know that it’s going to painful, there’s going to be a lot of emotions, but I know Austin is going to be there to support me.”
The bad news is, the homebirthing option proved to not be viable and Joy-Anna had to be rushed to a hospital.
The good news is, once she was there, she delivered a happy, healthy baby boy.
These days, Joy is loving new motherhood, and baby Gideon is getting bigger by the day.
Watch Counting On online to get caught up in time for tonight’s new episode.
