Four Revelations From Joseph Duggar And Kendra Caldwell’s ‘Counting On’ Birth Special

Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell’s Counting On birth special was released online ahead of its television premiere, and it divulges a few new details about the parents and the arrival of their first child.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, TLC recently announced the television premiere date for a “mini-special” centered on the birth of the newest addition to the Duggar family. The 20-minute Counting On special will air Friday, July 6 at 10:30 p.m. ET, which is less than a month after Joseph, 23, and Kendra, 19, welcomed their first child, Garrett David Duggar. However, TLC already had the birth footage edited and ready for viewing, so it looks like the network decided to release the special early online. Below is a rundown of some of the biggest revelations from the birth special.

Kendra Caldwell has a quirky sense of maternity style

Duggar fans saw little of Kendra during her pregnancy because she and Joseph opted against creating social media pages that could be used to share updates with their admirers. However, fans got a glimpse of her maternity style in the Counting On special. In one scene, she’s wearing a gray T-shirt with the words “Babe” and “Baby” printed on it. A gold arrow above the word “Baby” points to her face, while another arrow underneath the word “Baby” points to her crotch.

Kendra Caldwell holds her breath when she’s in pain

Much of the first half of the Counting On special focuses on Kendra doing breathing exercises while she has contractions. In addition to Joseph, Kendra’s mother Christina and her younger sister Lauren, are at home with her offering their support. Joseph says that it makes him feel bad seeing his wife in pain, and Christina expresses her concern over how her daughter will react to the agony of childbirth.

“I’m afraid, in transition, if the pain is intense, that she may hold her breath and pass out,” she says.

Kendra explains that she “tends to stop breathing” when she’s in a lot of pain, and it’s something she’s struggled with since childhood. Luckily, Joseph, her mother, and her sister made sure to keep reminding her to breathe throughout her labor, so she remained conscious.

Kendra Caldwell’s mom is pregnant

While talking to the Counting On cameras, Kendra casually mentions that her mom is pregnant.

“We found out that my mom was expecting about a month ago,” she says.

“I think this has definitely been really interesting, because we’ve been able to share a lot of things that we didn’t get to share before, so I feel like we’ve become even more like friends. I guess our relationship has just gone to a different level, I guess.”

According to In Touch Weekly, Kendra’s mother is just 38-years-old. When the new grandmother gives birth, Garrett Duggar will become the nephew of an aunt or uncle who is younger than he is. A similar scenario has already happened with the Duggar family. When Michelle Duggar gave birth to Josie, the little girl was already an aunt to Josh Duggar’s daughter Mackynzie, who is two months older than she is.

Kendra Caldwell always planned on giving birth in the hospital

Many Duggar fans wondered whether Kendra originally planned on following in the footsteps of her sisters-in-law by trying for a home birth, but the Counting On birth special reveals that this wasn’t the case. While her pre-birth team is helping her survive her painful contractions at home, she talks about her plans.

“So if we don’t end up going to the hospital tonight, then I think tomorrow we’re going to go to the doctor and be checked and see how much I’ve progressed,” she says.

Kendra tries to get some sleep, but she ends up heading to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning after laboring at home for six hours. Joseph holds her hand and helps her keep track of the amount of time between her contractions during the 25-minute drive to the hospital, where Joseph does his best to comfort Kendra as she continues laboring for another four hours or so. After the doctor breaks Kendra’s water, things progress pretty quickly. Even though baby Garrett decided to make his big debut 10 days ahead of his due date, he’s born without any complications.

Duggar fans can presumably look forward to seeing a longer birth special in the future that shows more of Joseph and Kendra’s preparations for parenthood, as well as Garrett’s first introduction to the rest of the Duggar family. In the meantime, they can follow Joy-Anna Duggar’s pregnancy when the upcoming season of Counting On premieres July 30 on TLC.