Tori Roloff Opens up About Difficult C-Section Recovery: "I Don't Remember Pain Like That"
May 10 2022, Published 12:16 p.m. ET
Little People, Big World stars Zach and Tori Roloff recently welcomed their third child, a son named Josiah. Considering Zach and Tori's older two children, Jackson and Lilah, were born with achondroplasia dwarfism like their father, plenty of TLC fans have wondered: Is Josiah Roloff a little person? There have also been numerous follow-up questions about the birth itself, such as: Did Tori have a C-section? Keep reading to learn all about the newest Roloff.
Did Tori Roloff have a C-section?
Those who have been following Tori's motherhood journey on Instagram know that she welcomed her first two children via C-section. But did she have a C-section with her third baby, Josiah?
On May 8, 2022, the mom of three took to her Instagram story to open up about her postpartum recovery. “I’ve gotten a lot of messages about how quickly I’ve bounced back,” Tori wrote, about a week after giving birth. “I’m all about keeping it real. You see the best moments on instagram. You see when we’re feeling our best.”
"Everyone kept telling me after the fact how hard C-section No. 3 is ... they're right! I don't remember pain like that," she continued. "My pain was so bad the first night home we almost called 911. Luckily, I was able to get back on track with medication after that."
Is Josiah Roloff a little person?
Because Tori did end up delivering Josiah via C-section, many fans have assumed he has achondroplasia. But does he?
Neither Zach nor Tori have shared whether Josiah is a little person. It's worth noting, however, there are other reasons a C-section would be warranted — and it doesn't necessarily confirm that Josiah has dwarfism.
Either way, Zach and Tori have likely known since about the midway point of pregnancy. Tori explained when she was pregnant with Lilah that they found out she would be a dwarf because her long bones were measuring shorter and her head was measuring larger than average.
When she was pregnant with Josiah, Tori addressed whether they were going to find out if baby No. 3 was a little person. "I wish this could be a surprise too but when they [doctors] tell me I need a C-section, it makes it sort of obvious,” she said during an AMA session via Instagram.
Tori followed this up with: "We won't know if he or she is a dwarf until further into pregnancy. And with dwarves it's encouraged to have a C-section because of bigger head size. I was saying I'd love to not know but IF my doc says I need a C-section, it would be obvious to us."
What was Jackson Roloff's birth weight?
Some fans have taken to comparing Josiah's birth weight to that of his older brother, Jackson, in an attempt to figure out whether the youngest Roloff is a little person. Except, this isn't an accurate indicator of dwarfism either.
At birth, Jackson Roloff (who is a dwarf) weighed in at 9 pounds, 1 ounce, and was 20.5 inches long, according to People — which is actually on the bigger side for a newborn. Josiah weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 19.5 inches long, which is a bit smaller. But again, this isn't necessarily an indicator of dwarfism.
Until the parents of three share more information, however, it's impossible to know for sure if Josiah is a little person like Zach and his older siblings, or is average-sized like Tori.
Season 23 of Little People, Big World premieres on Tuesday, May 17, at 9 p.m. EST on TLC.
