By Holly Rasmussen
Former 19 Kid and Counting star Jill Dillard may become the first woman in the Duggar family to have a career outside of wife and baby machine!
Fans watched Jill and her sister Jana serve as apprentice midwives often on ‘19 Kids and Counting,’ even assisting in the delivery of their sister-in-law Anna Duggar’s deliveries.
After Jill married Derick Dillard in 2014, however, she stopped mentioning her goal of becoming a midwife, leading many fans to believe that Jill had abandoned her career goal in favor of being a wife and mother.
Yesterday, Derick revealed on the Dillard family blog that Jill is still studying and will be taking a test to become a certified professional midwife soon.
“I am so proud of all the hard work she has put in over the years to prepare to be a midwife,” Derick wrote of Jill. “As it should be in all Christian’s lives she is using this skill as a means to an end, and that end being the spread of the message of the greatest love story ever told, that is, the work of Jesus Christ upon the cross so that all people who believe what she said and choose to make him the Lord of their life will enjoy life with him forever in paradise.”
During a 2013 episode of ’19 Kids and Counting,’ it was stated that Jill had already completed 3,000 hours of training as a midwife.
Jill, Derick and their infant son Israel relocated to Central America in June to do mission work but they’ve already made two trips back home since then. They came home last month so Jill could participate in a TLC special about victims of childhood sexual abuse. The family was also back in Arkansas this past week so they could attend Cousin Amy Duggar’s wedding (and probably praise Jesus she isn’t living in sin anymore).
In the blog, Derick mentioned that he and Jill took care of some chores during this recent trip back home. They’ve apparently just now finished moving things out of their house in Rogers, Arkansas. (Perhaps it is being readied for Anna Duggar and her kids to move in, now that Josh Duggar is in rehab for his sexual addictions?)
Last weekend, Anna was seen in public for the first time since Josh’s second sex scandal broke last month. She and her four children attended Amy’s wedding alongside the Duggar family.
Watch Jill and Jana talk about their midwife training in this clip of a 2013 episode of ’19 Kids and Counting.’
(Photo: Duggar Family Blog)
19 Responses
good for Jill! I’m glad that she will be known for something other than just spreading her legs and popping out a kid. She has to know her worth, and that’s not something the Duggar woman were taught. Good for Derek’s support.
I don’t like her passive aggressive tweet clearly about Anna not putting out enough, but I do commend her for finding an area where she can assert some independence.
What a b*tch! What exactly did she say?
She posted a link to a sermon claiming that was the reason men strayed.
She’s already a fake missionary. Why not be a fake midwife also?
I don’t think she is fake, just because someone believes and serves God, people (clearly non- Christians) always wants to tear them down….ye without sin cast the first stone. and you shouldn’t judge if you live in a glass house because all of your sins will become transparent. we are sinners saved by grace but we are human and we make mistakes but when we ask for forgivness he covers us with His bloox
Please explain how she is a fake missionary??
Why did you leave out the fact that her “degree/license” will be issued from whatever Central American third world country they relocated to. She’ll never be a real nurse in the he United States, or have anything approaching a real education.
first of all a mid wife is not a nurse, and her degree and license will be transferred…it is her choice to work or not, I am gathering that you don’t think women should work
To be a practicing midwife (CNM) you need to earn your RN degree (BSN), and then earn your Masters degree in midwifery. Jill Duggar Dillard has never step foot on a college campus in her life, and she never will. Oh, and for the record, I AM a nurse.
I thought that was certified nursing midwife…not a certified midwife…aren’t there two separate distinctions? Not trying to be snarky…just asking…
Jill was obtaing a lay midwife certificate in Arkansas. I understand her “trainer” had her license revoked, and that’s why Jill stopped. No real education required for that. A CNA requires an actual college education. Something the Duggars do allow their spawn to achieve.
I ask those reading which would YOU prefer to attend your birth?
Stupid autocorrect… CNM on CNA, although I’d prefer a CNA over jill, they are better educated in the medical field.
Newsflash: The Duggars LIE about EVERYTHING. And blind followers like you always believe them.
I’m so happy for Jill that she followed her dream of furthering her education and that she broke away from her controlling father. Derick was smart for taking his little family away from that circus in Arkansas. They make a nice couple.
How could this be possible?!? She was home schooled with no science curriculum by her mother that never attended college. She will have a hard to impossible time passing the certification test.
??? she doesnt have to go to any sort of college to do that??????
That’s what I was going to say. I know in Kansas and Nebraska, you have to attend nursing school, then to go to a special school for midwifery, and it’s really competitive at KU.
There is a difference between a certified midwife and a certified nurse midwife. Each state has differ my laws regarding what each can do.