Kendra and Joe from 'Counting On' welcome their first child together after long labor
On Friday’s special episode of ‘Counting On: Joe and Kendra's First Baby,' Kendra Caldwell Duggar was seen giving birth to her first child. He was born at a healthy seven pounds and eight ounces on June 8. His parents decided to name him Garrett David Duggar, after Joe's grandfather.
Joe mentioned, "We thought that's a great, strong name … for a strong leader." Through the course of the episode, Kendra was seen fighting her way through labor. Her husband Joe Duggar tried to hide his own anxiety and supported her through the painful experience. He tried his best to use his words to calm her in any way that he could. “I don't like seeing Kendra going through pain,” he confessed. It was evident that he was suffering internally, watching his wife push through the agonizing pain.
Kendra spent the first 6 six hours of her labor in the comfort of her own sheets. Her family helped her through it. Joe’s sister advised her to “stay calm.” Once her contractions were close together, they decided to head to the hospital. On their way there, Joe nervously attempted to time Kendra’s contractions and keep his eyes on the road. “Get on the smooth roads,” Kendra begged Joe. After a quick drive, they arrived at the hospital, prepared for the next big challenge, the delivery. When the couple arrived at the hospital at 5 am, Kendra’s contractions were 3 minutes apart. The doctor decided to break Kendra’s water to help the labor progress much faster.
After a good 10 hours later, her contractions were finally two minutes apart. Clutching her hand tightly around Joe’s, Kendra braced herself for the pushes. In between Kendra complained that she was having trouble breathing, so she was given an oxygen mask to increase her comfort. She continued pushing exclaiming in between, “I feel so bad.” Joe did not let go of her as the midwife said, “You're almost there sweetie.” And finally, little Garrett was born. 'It just makes your heart skip a beat when you see the baby, it's just such a miracle, it's hard to believe,' she said. Joe’s excitement was evident, he said, “Just super excited to meet this little guy and hold him in my arms.
The entire family was extremely supportive through the entire process. Coincidentally, Kendra’s mom was also pregnant at the same time as she was. Her mom made sure to give her some great advice and practice breathing in between contractions with her.
Baby makes three! See Joe and Kendra welcome their son to the world, tune in to Counting Now: Joe and Kendra’s First Baby tonight at 10:28pm ET on TLC. #CountingOn pic.twitter.com/XbtlZDtKba
— TLC Network (@TLC) July 6, 2018
Kendra said, “We found out that my mom was expecting about a month ago, I think this has definitely been really interesting because we've been able to share a lot of things that we didn't get to share before so I feel like we've become even more like friends. And I guess our relationship has gone more to a different level, I guess.”
Other family members also showed their love and support, but at the same they prepared the couple for the difficult task of raising a baby. “They're going to do a great job raising this little one,” said Joe's sister Jana. Jessica’s husband Ben said, “Prepare to have sleep patterns rocked. Every schedule, every pattern of baby life is going to change, and it's OK, you just have to adjust and figure out the new normal."
"For Joe and Kendra, I would say, help each other out as much as you can, especially Joe, because having a baby is not easy," Joy-Anna added. The family even had a little surprised planned for the newborn and the new parents. Jessa decided to huddle up the rest of the children and create some craft to celebrate the wonderful news. “We're going to make a welcome home banner for Joe and Kendra and the new baby, and also make some gift baskets with snacks and treats for them,” she said. “We're just playing the waiting game right now,” she added.
E! News reported that Joe and Kendra opened up to TLC about their joys of becoming parents. They said, "No matter how many times we’ve experienced the joy of babies born in our families, there’s nothing comparable to the joy in our hearts today! Children truly are a gift from God. We are so thankful for his safe arrival and this new journey as parents."
The couple got married back in the September of 2017. The began courting only earlier that year in March, but it seems like they found exactly what they were looking for. Soon after, Kendra announced that she was pregnant with her first child.