Kendra Duggar is one tough mama! The Counting On star and husband Joe Duggar may have welcomed their second child, daughter Addison Renee, earlier this month, but Kendra admits in a new TLC online special chronicling the birth that she thought she was going to die while in labor.
In the two-part exclusive special available on TLC’s website, Kendra is captured moaning in pain for hours while struggling to breathe normally and pushing through severe nausea. Adding to the stress of the labor, Kendra was initially told not to push when she was ready, as her doctor was delivering another baby.
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“I feel kind of nauseous — I don’t think I can do it,” Kendra says while in labor. “I just want to cry.”
With Joe, her mother, Christina Caldwell, and sister Lauren by her side, worries that Kendra was becoming dehydrated soon surfaced as she began to vomit, with Joe revealing she’d only been able to drink a little water due to the pain.
Producers also added, “Kendra has a history of holding her breath when she is in pain, which can lead to fainting. Her family is concerned that is going to happen while she’s in labor.”
As Kendra tired of waiting for her doctor to arrive, she made a last-minute decision to allow the attending nurse to deliver her daughter, telling the cameras, “I know I wanted him here but now I really don’t care.”
With that, Kendra and Joe welcomed their daughter Addison to the world at 5:33 a.m. on Nov. 2.
“Thank you for being there, just helping me breathe. It’s incredible,” Kendra told Joe after giving birth. “I thought I was going to die.”
It was a dramatic birth, but the Duggars have since settled in as a family of four, telling Us Weekly on Nov. 4, “Addison Renee has made us a family of four and we are already so in love with her! She made a quick arrival in the early hours of the morning and has already melted our hearts. We know [17-month-old son Garrett] is going to be a great big brother. Children are each a special gift from God and we are so happy our newest blessing is here.”
On Nov. 18, they revealed of their family’s new normal, telling Us Weekly, “We’ve quickly adjusted to being a family of four. Our new pastime is staring and smiling at this precious new face! Garrett is very interested in his new sister. We may be a little tired but what we lack on sleep has been made up in happiness!”
Counting On airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.
Photo credit: TLC
