Jill (Duggar) Dillard's baby number two is here! The "Counting On" star welcomed her second son, Samuel Scott Dillard, last Saturday, July 8 at exactly 1:02 p.m. The Duggar Family announced the happy news on their official website hours after Jill's delivery.
Samuel's first picture worries fans
Baby Samuel was born weighing 9 pounds, 10 ounces and measuring 22 inches long. The Duggars announced on their website that Jill labored for a total of 40 hours before finally giving birth via C-section at a hospital.
Jill's husband Derick gave fans a first peek at Baby Samuel, posting a photo of his son on his Instagram account.
The proud dad reported that both Jill and the baby are doing well. However, the picture had many fans worried about Baby Samuel.
In the Instagram photo, Derick is holding the newborn, who is hooked up to various types of medical equipment. Several concerned fans pointed out in the comments section that "something is going on with little Samuel," as he is connected to two IV lines and has oxygen tubes in his nose.
Usually, newborns who receive such medical attention have infections or other concerns that need to be observed. Duggar followers are speculating that Jill must have had gestational diabetes, and had difficulty giving birth because Samuel is a large baby.
Jill's intense labor
While the Duggar family has not given any other updates regarding Jill's actual labor, fans are guessing that it wasn't a scheduled C-section delivery.
Rather, Jill must have insisted on giving birth the natural way up until the last minute. She only went to the hospital after 40 grueling hours of labor.
According to People, when Jill gave birth to her first son Israel in 2015, she labored at home for 70 hours before conceding to a C-section. The 26-year-old reality star has always been vocal about her desire to have a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) for her second child.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, 60 to 80 percent of women who previously had Cesarean operations can successfully have normal vaginal deliveries. However, VBACs require much planning and physical preparation. Medical practitioners would want to minimize the risks of complications such as uterine rupture.
Doctors usually allow a VBAC when the baby is normal in size and in a head-down position.
It seems that Jill did everything to have a normal delivery but unfortunately had to resort to another C-section probably because of Baby Samuel's size.
The Duggar women are known to be in favor of natural deliveries and home births. Jill, after all, is a trained midwife herself. Her younger sister Jessa also had a difficult first delivery back in 2015 which required her being rushed into the emergency room after severe blood loss. Jessa finally had a successful home birth with her second son, Henry, last February.
Baby Samuel is the eighth grandchild for the growing "Counting On" family. The reality show has always featured special moments such as baby arrivals, so fans can expect to witness Jill's delivery in the coming episodes.
"Counting On" airs every Monday, 9 p.m. on TLC.
