Entertainment

Will 'Counting On' Star Joy-Anna Duggar Have A Home Birth Like Her Sisters?

by Casey Suglia

The Duggar family knows a thing or two about pregnancy. The 19 siblings (yes, there are 19 of them) and stars of 19 Kids and Counting have grown up in and out of hospitals watching mom, Michelle Duggar, give birth to some of their siblings in a medical setting. However, not all the Duggar kids were born in hospital, as Michelle and husband Jim Bob Duggar have gone the home birth route with some of her children as well. So now that child #9 out of 19 is expecting her first child, people are wondering whether Joy-Anna Duggar will have a home birth or head to the hospital to deliver.

At the end of August, People announced that Joy-Anna was expecting her first child with husband Austin Forsyth after marrying in May and their announcement could not have been any sweeter. Joy-Anna told People at the time of the announcement:

We're so happy and thankful to announce that we're expecting a baby! Every child is a precious gift from God. I'm most looking forward to watching Austin as a dad and raising children together with him.

But before Joy-Anna and Austin can raise their child, they must first go through labor and delivery and have their child. But as to how they will have their child is a mystery.

It's possible that Joy-Anna will learn from example and follow in the footsteps of her sisters, Jill and Jessa Duggar, who have had kids of their own. After all — with having that many siblings, you're bound to learn from their example. Unlike hand-me-down clothing, life advice is something that siblings are great having around for.

Along with her mother, both Jill and Jessa have had home births or attempted to have home births when giving birth to their children. While pregnant with her first son, Spurgeon Seewald, Jessa was planning on having an all-natural home birth, according to People, until 10 hours of contractions and complications led Jessa to delivering Spurgeon in a hospital. With her second son, Henry, Jessa's delivery went a little smoother, and she delivered him in a natural home birth with the help of midwife, People reported.

Joy-Anna's sister, Jill, has also sung the praises of a home birth, although neither of her two deliveries went according to plan, either. According to Us Weekly, Jill had planned on having a home birth with her first son Israel. But after enduring more than 70 hours of labor, Jill ended up having an emergency C-section because the baby was in distress. Jill's second son, Samuel, was also delivered via C-section, according to the Daily Mail, after Jill went through 40 hours of labor. Hey, no one said that giving birth is time efficient or goes according to plan.

Jill and Jessa could be such advocates of home births because Jill is a midwife herself. In 2015, Jill became a certified midwife and helps women in South America with her skills through her mission work, according to People. Jill's husband Derick said of his wife's exciting news at the time according to People:

I am so proud of her for her diligence, perseverance, and hard work to see this long road through to its end and reaching her goal of becoming a certified CPM. Now begins the fruit of that labor, that is, having a valuable skill and "tool in the tool belt" to use for the furthering of God's Kingdom.

While it is unclear if Joy-Anna is interested in midwifery or delivering her baby at home, she has been open to taking advice from her sisters in the past. Whether Joy-Anna will have a home birth is entirely uncertain at this point, but rest assured she has plenty of experiences from her family members to drawl on.

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