Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard thought #BabyDilly would be born naturally at home.
The 19 Kids and Counting stars changed their plan, though, after Jill experienced complications during labor that required medical supervision. In the new issue of People, the first-time parents open up about Jill's 70-hour labor with Israel David Dillard, which ultimately resulted in his delivery via emergency C-section.
"His birth didn't go as expected," says Jill, 23. "But having him here—it's all worth it. I wouldn't do anything differently."
Things started to go awry shortly after Jill's water broke and she tested positive for Strep B, a common bacteria that moms can pass on to their babies during birth. She started taking antibiotics for this via an IV. She labored on for 20 hours, with contractions just one minute apart, until she "saw a faint stain of meconium (the earliest waste of an unborn infant, often a sign of fetal distress) and decided it was time to move to the hospital."
"I was praying to God to give me strength," she tells the mag. "I was really scared and nervous, but I was praying."
Jill initially said no to pain meds, but after 70 hours in labor, baby Israel had flipped into a breech position, where he was experiencing irregular heart rates. At this point, the mom-to-be and Derick, 26, listened to the doctors' concerns and agreed to move forward with an emergency C-section. It was only then that Israel was delivered, weighing in at 9 lbs., 10 oz.
"I love our birth story because it bonded us so well," says Jill. "I still haven't changed a single diaper. Derick has been changing them all."
The couple wasted no time getting pregnant with their first child, so it might not be too long before they give him a sibling! "We're open to as many children as God will give us," Jill told People last year. "We believe children are a blessing from the Lord and a gift from him."
"We've talked about adopting, too," Derick added. "My mom was adopted."