Jessa Dᴜɢɢᴀʀ shared a sweet photo of her newborn daughter Fern after defying her sᴛʀɪᴄᴛ family rules by ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ʙɪʀᴛʜ in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ. The Counting On star, 29, posted a snap of the two-week-old sleeping in a light blue and white babygro. Jessa put a sweet white bow in Fern’s hair and wrapped her in a pink blanket in the adorable shot. ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ʙɪʀᴛʜ in a ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ was a ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏᴠᴇʀsɪᴀʟ choice as all the Dᴜɢɢᴀʀ mothers typically welcome their children at home unless there are ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs.
The Dᴜɢɢᴀʀs are an ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇʟʏ ᴄᴏɴsᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ Cʜʀɪsᴛɪᴀɴ family, whose other values support no s.ᴇ.x before marriage, no ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ and home-schooling your children. Soon after the ʙɪʀᴛʜ, Jessa also revealed she had ᴀɴ ᴇᴘɪᴅᴜʀᴀʟ and raved about the benefits of the process. She said the ᴘᴀɪɴ-ʀᴇʟɪᴇᴠɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴅᴜʀᴇ was “so worth it” – despite her parents Jim Bob and Michelle’s sᴛʀɪᴄᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇғs ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ.
Baby ʙɪʀᴛʜ didn’t go quite as planned. Jessa (Dᴜɢɢᴀʀ) Seewald and husband Ben Seewald welcomed their third child in May, but bringing their daughter into the world involved some last minute changes. Jessa said “Our ʙɪʀᴛʜ plan through this whole ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ was that we would deliver at a ʙɪʀᴛʜɪɴɢ sᴜɪᴛᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴍɪᴅᴡɪғᴇ there. However, the morning that my ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ was the morning that my midwife had left town for a week.” Jessa’s ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ on the morning of May 26, about 10 days before her due date. The Counting On star said, adding that if anything, she expected to ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀ ʟᴀᴛᴇ: “I was not ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ to go early. We thought we had two weeks left.”
She said in a YouTube video: “Even though I did ɢᴇᴛ ᴍʏ ᴇᴘɪᴅᴜʀᴀʟ till the very last hour before she was ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ, I feel like it was still so worth it. Not only did it help with my pushing phase, it took the ᴘᴀɪɴ out of it. What I was really ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ about was not being able to feel the after-ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴄʀᴀᴍᴘs. Because those things are ᴀᴡꜰᴜʟ and they get ᴡᴏʀsᴇ with each kid. So I was really ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ not to be able to feel that and just be able to enjoy holding my baby. The former TV star added: “And then all that massaging that the nurses do on your ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs – didn’t feel it. It was nice! So the ᴇᴘɪᴅᴜʀᴀʟ definitely worked. Was so thankful.”
Jim Bob, 56, and Michelle, 54, were quick to visit Jessa after the ʙɪʀᴛʜ and take photos with baby Fern, who is their 10th granddaughter. Jessa and Ben revealed in February that they were ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ, after having a “ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ” ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ in 2020. He former reality stars told in a statement: ”After the ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʟᴏss ᴏꜰ ᴀ ʙᴀʙʏ last year, we’re overjoyed to share that another little Seewald is on the way! The ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ is going smoothly, and both baby and Jessa are doing well. We are so grateful to Gᴏᴅ for the precious gift of a new life! The kids are delighted, and we can hardly wait to welcome this little one into our arms this summer.”