‘Counting On’: Jinger Duggar Gives Birth To Felicity

On last week’s episode of Counting On, Jinger Duggar was admitted into the hospital as the process of her labor began — and this week, we got to see the results! “Given that all my sisters have had really big babies, we made the decision to get induced,” Jinger explained. “That way I won’t have the baby past my due date and hopefully avoid the complications they had.” Jinger’s first night in the hospital went by contractions about five minutes apart, and she was eventually given Pitocin to speed up the induction process. At that point, the baby was expected to arrive “between dinner and midnight,” according to doctors.

“Things are progressing a little slower than we anticipated, but that’s one of the risks you take when you start induction,” Jinger admitted. “At this point, we don’t know if this is going to work. It’s a little scary. I’ve heard of people starting Pitocin and it takes a couple of days and they have to take them for a c-section because they don’t go into labor. So, I’m a bit nervous at this point.” Unfortunately, with the Pitocin, also came more intense contractions, and Jinger began to find it harder and harder to “cope with the pain.” Eventually, she opted to get an epidural.

“I think just looking at everyone’s birth plans, you just have to decide what works best for you,” she said. “I thought an epidural would probably be best because I was so at the end of anything I could do. I had no energy or strength to continue on and I couldn’t relax.”

Several hours later, Jinger started feeling some pressure, and it was time for the baby to arrive! “Our baby girl arrived at 4:37 a.m.,” Jinger gushed. Clearly, this was several hours after the estimated time, but once little Felicity Nicole was born, it didn’t matter. “When we held our baby for the first time and heard her little cry…I think both of us were just so overjoyed,” she said. “She’s finally here after waiting thees nine months and we have her in our arms. It’s incredible.”

Meanwhile, Jingers husband, Jeremy Vuolo, was in absolute awe of his wife. “Seeing how strong she is and how incredible that whole effort was and what she’s done and what she’s been carrying in her body for nine months just gives me a greater appreciation for her and my mom and for women,” Jeremy raved. “She was just incredible. It’s kind of surreal.”

Jinger and Jeremy got some special surprise visitors in the hospital, too — her sister, Jessa Seewald, and Jessa’s husband, Ben Seewald! Jessa and Ben already have two sons of their own, but Felicity’s birth definitely got Jessa thinking about a new addition. “Seeing all these baby girl clothes and getting these things for Jinger made me think…I would love to have a baby girl one day,” Jessa admitted. She later added, “I’ve been experiencing baby fever for quite some time now and holding a newborn baby definitely made it more intense.”

At the end of the episode, Jinger and Jeremy finally took little Felicity home and welcomed her to her nursery for the first time. “I can’t stop staring at her,” Jinger gushed. “She’s so adorable. I can’t believe she’s ours.” And, yes, they changed their first official diaper away from the hospital, too! “I’ve changed hundreds of diapers in my life, but having my own little baby…it’s just so sweet,” Jinger concluded. “Everything that you get to do is just the sweetest thing. It’s a joy changing her diaper!”