Baby makes three! Jill Duggar welcomed her first child on April 6, and now fans are getting a behind-the-scenes look at the exciting months leading up to her delivery of son Israel David Dillard on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting. Between the gender reveal party (spoiler alert: it’s a boy!), the breathing exercises, and the emotional “Buddy Team” bonding sessions, this new mom and husband Derick Dillard had a lot on their plate!
Baby Dillard On the Small Screen
Jill waited until the 17-week mark to find out whether she was having a boy or a girl, and took her “buddy team” of siblings (plus Daddy Derick!) to a 3-D ultrasound to learn the big news. “I can’t believe there’s a baby inside me!” the 23-year-old student midwife said before finding out Baby Dillard’s gender. “This is weird because I’m always feeling other people’s bellies and listening to their baby’s heartbeats and everything.” Real talk.
The Big Reveal
Jill told everyone her big news the old-fashioned way: with a gender reveal party complete with piñata, finger-food, and tons of people whose names begin with the letter J. We’ve never seen the Duggar clan more excited then when that blue candy rained down on them. Pure baby-making joy!
It’s A Family Affair
Jill and Derick didn’t forget to include Derick’s mom, Cathy, in the fun! Mama Dillard was in an Omaha hospital undergoing cancer treatments during the party, so Derick asked his brother, Dan, to deliver the good news in person. “I think these huge milestones in life — Jill and I’s marriage, and then finding out we’re expecting, and finding out the gender — definitely give my mom something to look forward to while she’s undergoing these treatments,” Derick said.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Once Jill hit the 25-week mark she was reminded that her mom, Michelle Duggar, gave premature birth to the youngest Duggar daughter, Josie, around the same stage in her pregnancy. “It’s crazy to think that I am as far along as my mom was when she had Josie,” Jill said. “I can imagine, I can picture, the size that our little boy is, thinking about how Josie was in that incubator.”
Just Breathe
Jill went to birthing class to prepare for #BabyDilly’s grand debut, and it was completely hilarious — mostly because we got to watch Derick coach Jill through imaginary contractions. This proud papa was actually pretty helpful when he wasn’t annoying Jill with nonstop jokes, so hopefully he put some of those coaching skills to use during the actual delivery!
19 Kids and Counting airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.
