Jessa Duggar Seewald Welcomes Fifth Child After Devastating Pregnancy Loss

He's here! Jessa Duggar Seewald, former star of "19 Kids & Counting" and "Counting On," announced on December 23 she had given birth to her fifth child. The new arrival, a boy, came on December 19 after 21 hours of labor, weighing 9 pounds and 14 ounces. "Baby is here and we couldn't be more grateful!" she wrote on Instagram. The photo showed the reality TV star just moments postpartum, cradling her newborn. Seewald chronicled her journey in a new YouTube vlog, where she shared the moments before and after the birth.

It was a joyful moment for the family, occurring just a year after Seewald suffered a devastating miscarriage in late 2022. She'd been keeping a low profile since then and only announced her next pregnancy in September, when she was entering her third trimester. Her rainbow baby — the term for a child born after a previous miscarriage — joins older siblings Spurgeon, 8, Henry, 6, Ivy, 4, and Fern, 2. Fern was also a rainbow baby, as Seewald lost a pregnancy the year prior to her birth.

As of this writing, the Seewalds haven't revealed their son's name. When their fourth child was born, Seewald shared a video in which she and husband Ben formally introduced Fern to their other children. It's possible they may keep to the tradition of naming their sons after religious figures; per Page Six, both Spurgeon and Henry are named for British preachers.

Jessa Duggar Seewald's YouTube vlog about her son's birth began with her "in baby countdown mode" as she entered her 39th week of pregnancy. She had a feeling her fifth child was going to be large and she confessed she was hoping he would come before his due date. "Every night when I haven't gone into labor, I'm a little bit disappointed," she said. 

Seewald got her wish: On December 18, as she was celebrating sister Jordyn-Grace's birthday at the famed Duggar "Big House," she began experiencing strong contractions. By late afternoon, she and husband Ben were checking in at the hospital ahead of what proved to be a long labor process. Seewald enlisted the help of her midwife and her mother, Michelle, to move into positions that might move the baby along. 

Finally, at 2:45 a.m. on the 19th, Seewald's water broke, and she felt the baby descending rapidly. The nurses assured her the doctor would come in a little while, but she responded, "[W]hen a woman who's had four kids asks, 'Where's the doctor?' you'd probably better start running for him!" the experienced mom said. Sure enough, the new little Seewald arrived minutes later, to the delight of his parents and "GrandDuggar" Michelle. "There were just so many emotions in that moment," Seewald reflects in her video. Among the Instagram well-wishers was Seewald's older sister, Jill Duggar Dillard, herself the mom of three. "So excited for y'all!" she wrote.