Jessa Duggar had an unexpected home birth on her couch
Jessa (Duggar) and Ben Seewald welcomed daughter Ivy Jane on May 26. The newborn is tiny, healthy and perfect.
But her arrival didn't exactly go as planned, the couple revealed on TLC's "Counting On."
"Our birth plan through this whole pregnancy was that we would deliver at a birthing suite at the hospital with a midwife there," Jessa shared on camera while sitting next to her husband, Ben.
Ivy Jane had different plans. Jessa's water broke just after she had her morning smoothie. It was 10 days before her due date, Ben shared. The couple thought they had two weeks left.
That same morning, her midwife left town for a week.
"It was just a lot of changes right there at the last minute," Jessa said.
They turned to their backup plan, which was to call another midwife and do a home birth.
To advance labor, Jessa drank a castor oil smoothie (consult a doctor before doing this) and she was shown climbing up and down stairs to get her contractions to pick up.
Finally, on the couple's couch covered with a pad, Ivy Jane made her entrance.
"‘It was a very special moment meeting our third baby for the first time," Ben said.
The scene quickly turned a little scary when Jessa's bleeding would not stop. They called 911 and headed for a hospital.
As the cameras later captured, both mom and baby were happy and healthy, and Ivy Jane met her big brothers Spurgeon, 3, and Henry, 2.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jessa Duggar had an unexpected home birth on her couch