Jill (Duggar) and Derick Dillard: Israel David's Birth Brought Us Closer Together

"I love our birth story because it bonded us so well," Jill tells PEOPLE

Photo: TLC/Larsen&Talbert

After a 70-hour delivery and surprise C-section, Jill and Derick Dillard open up about their firstborn’s arrival. Subscribe now for Jill and Derick’s exclusive interview – and to see photos of their son Israel David – only in PEOPLE!

In advance of their first wedding anniversary, Jill and Derick Dillard are closer than ever following the birth of their first child, Israel David.

Though the dramatic, 70-hour delivery was undoubtedly tough on Jill, 23, she tells PEOPLE that her baby boy was “worth every single contraction.”

After Israel’s birth by surprise C-section, Derick, 26, sang “Jesus Loves Me” to his son as Jill recovered from surgery. “[It was] the song I’d sung to him every night when Jill was pregnant. I looked at him and thought, ‘This is my son. I love this person.’ ”

Now that Jill is back at home, nursing Israel and receiving support from the expansive Duggar clan, she says that she wouldn’t change a thing. “I love our birth story because it bonded us so well. It brought us through something amazing together.

“It was a journey that we needed to go through.”

Fans of TLC’s hit show 19 Kids and Counting can see the birth of Israel David on May 5 in advance of Mother’s Day.

For more of Jill and Derick’s exclusive interview – and to see photos of their son Israel David – pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now

Want more Duggars? Click here to get weekly updates on the stars of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting in the Duggar Family Newsletter.

How Derick Dillard Is an ‘Amazing’ Dad to #BabyDilly