Jill Duggar and her husband Derick Dillard welcomed their first child, Israel David, April 6. Despite a detailed birth plan, Duggar revealed she was in labor for 70 hours.
"I was praying to God to give me strength," Duggar told People. "I was really scared and nervous, but I was praying."
The new mom's labor began April 4 when he water broke in the early hours of the morning.
"I had been praying for contractions and when contractions did start, God made me grateful for those contractions," she recalled. "When they came, even though they were really intense, I was crying, but I was saying, 'Thank you for this contraction God, this is what I prayed for, thank you for this.' "
The 23-year-old midwife student at first refused pain medications but when 70 hours passed and the baby was breached, doctors performed a cesarean section.
"Though we were planning on a home birth, we were grateful to have the option of being in the hospital," Derick told People. He said that although he was nervous, he tried to put his feelings aside to be there for his wife.
"I would say, 'Think about being on the beach on our honeymoon, just think about this one contraction, don't think about the future ones," Dillard said.
TLC will air the birth of Israel David May 5.
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