Jessa Duggar Seewald was determined to give birth at home, and she successfully delivered Baby Seewald in the same small house where Josh Duggar’s wife Anna birthed three of her four children. Jessa’s massive baby didn’t experience any complications, but Baby Seewald’s mother wasn’t so lucky — she had to be rushed to the hospital because she experienced heavy bleeding after giving birth.
Jessa Duggar and husband Ben Seewald welcomed their baby boy on November 5, and he was a real whopper — their first child weighed in at 9 lbs., 10 oz. Jessa opted to give birth at home, and it’s possible that Jessa’s new TV special, Jill & Jessa: Counting On , played a part in this decision — it’s much easier for a TLC camera crew to film in one of the Duggar’s homes than it is for the crew to cram inside a hospital room. Jessa’s decision to give birth at home also benefited TLC by producing a dramatic moment that fans of the Duggar family will just have to tune in to see. According to a recent report, Jessa Duggar had to be rushed to the hospital after experiencing scary complications.
The Daily Mail obtained a recording of a 911 call that was made after Jessa Duggar delivered her healthy baby boy. Michelle Duggar made the call, and she was strangely calm while she talked about her daughter suffering from blood loss.
“Mother is bleeding after birth,” Michelle can be heard saying in the 911 recording. “We need her to be checked out.”
Even though the mother of 19 didn’t sound worried or frantic, it’s possible that her daughter’s distress shook her up just a bit. When Michelle Duggar was asked for Jessa’s age, she said that her fifth child is 24. However, Jessa celebrated her 23rd birthday just two days ago.
Jessa Duggar: Rushed To The Hospital During Childbirth https://t.co/XLjPpDEjwe What do you think his name is?
— Harvey Levin (@HarveyLevinTMZ) November 6, 2015
During the 911 call, Michelle informed the 911 operator that Jessa Duggar was “alert and awake,” and she said that the bleeding had stopped.
“There was quite a bit of blood when the placenta detached, but uterus is hard now.”
In the recording below, Michelle can be heard reassuring her daughter while she tells Jessa what her midwife is doing.
“We’re massaging your uterus,” she says. “Hang in there.”
The 911 operator then instructs Michelle to collect her daughter’s afterbirth so that it can be examined once the ambulance arrives to pick Jessa up.
Jessa’s complications explain why she and Michelle weren’t present in any of the baby photos that were first posted on Jessa and Ben’s official website. The only people who appear in these pictures are Baby Seewald, Ben Seewald, Jim Bob Duggar, and Jessa’s grandmother. Michelle likely left in the ambulance with Jessa, and it looks like the baby stayed home to pose for photos before heading to the hospital to be with his mom.
Ben Seewald on his newborn son: ‘He and Jessa are doing great’ https://t.co/dsspqn1Ukd pic.twitter.com/Fxtev8YzPc
— People magazine (@people) November 6, 2015
According to posters on the Freejinger website, Jessa and Ben eventually shared a photo of their new little family all together. It was a black-and-white picture that showed Jessa in a hospital bed holding her newborn with Ben reclining beside her. It seems as though the photo was deleted from Jessa and Ben’s website, and the parents probably had a reason for the removal that had nothing to do with the fact that Jessa was wearing a tank top in the photo (her conservative parents think it’s “defrauding” to show so much shoulder). Apparently, Jessa and Ben told TLC that the network would get to reveal the first photo of Jessa with her baby, and the couple goofed up by sharing it on their website before it could be flashed up on TV.
“Tune in to TLC during the 9PM ET hour to see the first Seewald family photo! ?#?BabySeewald,” a post on the Jill & Jessa: Counting On Facebook page read.
Unfortunately for Jessa Duggar, the photo was already making the rounds on social media, so deleting it from her family website didn’t remove it from the internet completely.
Family of 3! pic.twitter.com/ghek8D3Mu4
— Duggar Sisters (@DuggarSisters) November 6, 2015
PEOPLE published the first photo of Baby Seewald by himself, but the magazine didn’t get to break the news of the baby’s birth. According to Us Weekly , Ben’s sister, Jessica Seewald , spilled the beans on Instagram before the new parents could let their favorite media outlet know about Baby Seewald’s arrival. It’s possible that Jessa and Ben had a gameplan for their baby announcement and the release of their photos, but Jessica Seewald’s Instagram post and Jessa Duggar’s complications threw a kink in these plans.
Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald might be a bit disappointed that their big baby rollout didn’t exactly go smoothly, but at least Jessa survived her birth scare.
[Image via Duggar Family Official Facebook]