The Controversial Way Kendra Duggar Sped Up Her Labor

Fans celebrated with Kendra and Joseph Duggar when they welcomed their new baby daughter, who they named Addison, into the world earlier this month. Counting On fans weren't so happy with the Duggars, however, after TLC shared a birth special for the couple on November 25.

In the two clips, we see Kendra going into labor. "I think we're going to head to the hospital tonight because contractions have gotten around four minutes apart," Kendra said. "So we did some castor oil, and it's — it seems to be working. I would say we're definitely in labor. It's not transition, but it's definitely labor."

While castor oil is a traditional method to induce labor, modern doctors don't recommend it. According to Healthline, castor oil has a laxative effect and was once believed to stimulate contractions in the uterus, but there's no medical evidence that definitively supports the claim that it can help induce labor. Studies have shown that castor oil isn't harmful to the mother or to the baby, but taking it might cause irregular and painful contractions.

Fans promptly freaked out that Kendra took castor oil to speed up her labor. Many took to social media to criticize Kendra for taking castor oil, with some of them claiming that the practice is dangerous. "[Please] stop telling pregnant women to take castor oil to induce labor," wrote one Twitter user (via In Touch Weekly) while another wrote, "Don't do castor oil. You'll have 10 hours of false labor AND the s****."
Another Twitter user warned of the dangers of castor oil, writing, "Don't do this! It can cause massive issues. My cousin used this and her baby pooped in the [womb] and caused infection!"

While fans might have been critical, the delivery went smoothly aside from Kendra reporting some nausea, and Kendra and baby Addison are doing well.