Jill Duggar’s Dad Jim Bob Had ‘Frustrating’ Reaction to Her Fertility Struggles

Jill Duggar is opening up about how her estranged father, Jim Bob Duggar, reacted amid her concerns about fertility. The Counting On alum, 32, appeared on a recent episode of the Ask Dr. Julie Hanks podcast, during which she spoke candidly about the “pressure” she felt from an early age to have a lot of children due to her family’s belief system and emphasis on procreation. 

Having such importance placed on having lots of children, Jill said it was tough to reconcile also trusting God with the number of children she would have, as it “could also mean trusting him if he doesn’t give us 20 kids.” She continued, “Am I being punished for my lack of desire of having 20 kids? All those mind games that you play.”

Jill then revealed she first became concerned about her fertility and sought out a specialist after her second son Samuel faced health problems after he was born in 2017. “I don’t think I’ll be able to have any more kids,” recalled Jill, who also shares son Israel, born in 2015, and son Freddy, born in 2022, with husband Derick Dillard. “My Dad pipes up, ‘We don’t really know do we know?’ He’s trying to control the situation.”

Hearing Jim Bob’s reaction was “frustrating,” Derick admitted. “This idea still that he was a gatekeeper for our information,” he said. “We don’t know that yet. Let’s be careful what we say to other people.” Derick continued that he and Jill should have been the only people who had a say in how many children they had, but Jill noted, “Think there was this boundary line that we didn’t have in place.”

Jill opened up about her decision to begin taking birth control in her memoir, saying that after she welcomed Samuel via C-section, doctors recommended it, as women shouldn’t become pregnant in the 18 months following surgery. The 19 Kids and Counting star kept her decision a “secret from nearly everyone,” saying she felt like her fertility “had been robbed from” her at the time. “But also, dare I say it, I was somewhat relieved,” she added. “The devastation far outweighed the relief, but there was a small part of me that appreciated the excuse not to have to go through a zillion pregnancies and deliveries.”