Jill's 70-Hour Labor!

Members of the Duggar family have had their picture on the cover of PEOPLE Magazine more than nine times. This week is Israel David Dillard's first appearance. We have included a few highlights below, but you can read the full article by visiting your local news stand starting this Friday.

 

Jill and Derick Dillard had been planning for a home birth with a team of midwives, but the newlywed couple experienced complications and ended up having a hospital birth. Jill had been in labor for 70 hours when Israel David Dillard was finally born via emergency C-section.
Twelve days past her due date, Jill's water broke and she tested positive for strep B. She began labor at home, but she and Derick decided to head to the hospital after 20 hours of labor had yielded little progress. Jill, who is trained in midwifery, also noticed a meconium stain, which often indicates that the baby is in distress. After arriving at the hospital, Jill continued with natural labor for another 50 hours, but by that time, it was clear that little Israel was in distress. Jill and Derick decided to go  ahead with a C-section. Throughout their difficult delivery, the couple continued to pray. Although the road was hard, their story had a happy ending, and Jill told PEOPLE that Israel is worth all the pain and discomfort that she endured.