Jessa Duggar opens up about her son's difficult birth

SPRINGDALE, Ark., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Jessa Duggar was surprised by the difficulty of her son's birth last week.

The 23-year-old reality star opened up about her experience in an interview for People magazine's Nov. 25 issue. Duggar and husband Ben Seewald welcomed their firstborn after nearly 48 hours of labor Nov. 5, four days after the baby's due date.

"Labor is hard," the star said. "It was very intense, very long. Everything was different than I expected."

Duggar, who delivered via an all-natural home birth, had to be rushed to the hospital after she began bleeding heavily following her son's birth. She underwent a blood transfusion and stayed overnight, but was able to have the baby by her side.

"I had dreamed about those first moments, getting to breastfeed right away, all that," she shared. "And so when I had to go to the hospital, it was a shock."

Duggar posted a family portrait of herself, Seewald and their son Tuesday on Instagram, writing, "So in love with our little man!" She and Seewald married in November 2014, and shared the first photos of their baby over the weekend.

Jessa Duggar shared a family portrait with husband Ben Seewald and their newborn son Tuesday. Instagram/Jessa Duggar

Duggar and her family came to fame on TLC series 19 Kids & Counting, which was canceled in the wake of Josh Duggar's molestation scandal. The reality star and sister Jill Duggar will appear on the three-part special Jill & Jessa: Counting On in December.