'Counting On': Lauren Duggar struggles with pain and sleeplessness in two-day intensive labor
Lauren and Josiah Duggar are now happy parents! The latest episode (August 11) showed the journey of the couple as they welcomed their first child, their daughter whom they named Bella. Lauren and Josiah had been excited to welcome their first child after they opened up about the miscarriage they previously had. The pair were planning on keeping the news a secret for a while, but seeing their family expecting the news, they decided to break their silence.
In the latest episode, the show followed Lauren's labor journey. When she first started feeling the contractions, Lauren thought it would be a good decision to walk up and down the stairs to make sure she is dilated enough. Once she felt the pain increasing, Lauren and Josiah decided to rush to the hospital.
Opening up about choosing a hospital birth over home birth, Lauren stated that it was safer. Recalling that her mother always had a hospital birth, Lauren was at peace knowing that the doctors would be there if anything went wrong. As the pair reached the hospital, Lauren struggled with the pain.
She felt the majority of her pain in the back and it reached a point where she thought it was impossible to go on. To make sure Lauren did not feel the stress, the doctors decided to give her an epidural with the hope that it would reduce the pain. Unfortunately, the first dosage of epidural made Lauren feel dizzy.
As time went, the pain continued and the doctors decided to give her an epidural again. Unfortunately, that did not make much difference. The doctors struggled to understand why the pain was not reducing. Lauren continued to experience labor pain for nearly two days and after a long time, she was able to sleep.
However, the doctors informed her that if she did not get dilated in a couple of hours, they would be opting for a C-section, a thought that Lauren feared. Luckily, after waiting for a couple of hours, Lauren was dilated enough and the doctors decided to move forward with the birthing process.
Finally, Lauren and Josiah welcomed their first child, Bella. She was born 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 18½ inches long on November 5. Lauren admitted that it was the greatest feeling to hold her child after losing one and thanked God for the blessing.
'Counting On' airs on Tuesdays at 9 pm ET on TLC.