It’s another boy for Jill Duggar, who announced Wednesday that she and husband Derick Dillard are expecting a son.
The couple revealed that Jill, 30, is pregnant with her third child last month, after previously revealing she suffered a miscarriage last fall.
Now, the former reality TV couple has revealed the baby’s gender, writing on their website that six-year-old Israel and four-year-old Samuel will have a baby brother in July.
It’s another boy for Jill Duggar, who announced Wednesday that she and husband Derick Dillard are expecting a son.
The couple revealed that Jill, 30, is pregnant with her third child last month, after previously revealing she suffered a miscarriage last fall.
Jill will give birth five years after her last birth – an eternity compared to other members of her family who tend to give birth in quick succession.
“Originally, we planned to find out the gender of our baby earlier a couple of weeks ago, but Covid hit our family and we had to postpone the exciting discovery,” she said.
The couple shared several photos from a previous pregnancy photo shoot that were edited to make the balloon blue and add the word “brother” to the jumpsuit Israel and Samuel are holding.
“Originally, we planned to find out the gender of our baby earlier, a couple of weeks ago, but Covid hit our family and we had to postpone the exciting discovery,” they said.
“However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because by the time we were able to reschedule, it was spring break in Israel. This meant that our entire family could be together for the reunion as we all learned together that another little boy would be joining the Dillard tribe!
“We decided to make this day special by starting with a joint breakfast at a local restaurant called Buttered Biscuit. We then made some small purchases before heading to a meeting to hear some exciting news.
“We are grateful that we will have a healthy baby boy in July! We really appreciate your constant prayers,” they concluded.
Their newest addition will join older brothers Israel, six, and Samuel, four.
“We are grateful that we will have a healthy baby boy in July! We greatly appreciate your constant prayers,” she and her husband wrote on their website.
Jill and Derick’s COVID-19 bout appeared to be mild enough that the couple told fans that they were both vaccinated, though neither had been boosted.
Jill shared her diagnosis on March 10, posting a photo of her positive home tests.
In another shot, Jill and Derik are grimacing at the camera while holding napkins and tea.
“Give me all the hot liquids and cough drops please!! Derik and I tested + for covid for the first time and it’s not fun!” Jill wrote.
“With a little help from the family, we were still able to celebrate Derik’s birthday at home yesterday, although it wasn’t quite as we had originally hoped.
“Prayers for a speedy recovery and for the baby to stay healthy too!” she added.
Jill and Derick’s COVID-19 bout appeared to be mild enough that the couple told fans that they were both vaccinated, though neither received a booster shot.
“Give me all the hot liquids and cough drops please!! Derik and I tested + for covid for the first time and it’s not fun!” Jill wrote
“With a little help from the family, we were still able to celebrate Derik’s birthday yesterday at home, although it wasn’t quite as we had originally hoped,” she added.
The first announcement of the Dillards’ pregnancy came on February 27, when they admitted they “kept a little secret”.
“Ever since we were devastated by the miscarriage of our sweet baby, River Bliss, last fall, we have been praying that, if it were God’s will, he would bless us with another child,” they wrote at the time.
“We are delighted to announce that God has answered our prayers and we are expecting our rainbow baby in July 2022!”
Jill’s due date in July means she likely got pregnant in October and probably found out she was pregnant right before her older brother Josh’s child pornography trial, which began on November 30th.
Derik was in court every day, with Jill joining him for the closing arguments.
The Dillards were open about the use of non-hormonal contraceptives, although Jill’s parents were outspoken against it and left family planning up to God.
Their miscarriage occurred shortly before the trial, which was certainly an emotional time for the family.
On October 11, they announced on their website that they had lost a long-awaited pregnancy.
“Recently, we found out that we are expecting a third child. We were all delighted! they wrote.
“It was funny to see so much joy on the faces of the boys when we shared the news with them. They were full of questions and were so excited when we talked about the pregnancy and how they will be involved in the process and after the baby is born.
“However, after a few days, we started miscarrying,” they continued. “Even though it was too early to tell the baby’s gender, we chose a name that we believe captures the meaning of our baby and a life we will always remember: River Bliss Dillard.”
They continued: “Our child will not live here with us on earth, but will forever remain with the source of the river of life, in the presence of the Lord! And we chose Bliss as our middle name because our child lives in perfect bliss with the Lord and was such a gift that brought us great joy and happiness, albeit only with us here on earth for a short time.”
In October, they announced that they had suffered a miscarriage. She is pictured holding a pregnancy test, which they were “delighted with”.
The Dillards’ new baby will be born five years after their current youngest, Samuel, who is by far the youngest child in the Duggar family.
Most of her siblings followed in their parents’ footsteps, quickly having many children.
Jim Bob and Michelle have been open about leaving family planning “up to God,” giving up birth control, and apparently being sexually frequent.
They originally used hormonal birth control after the birth of their first child, Josh, and Michelle miscarried while taking him. They took the miscarriage as a sign from God and gave up birth control after that.
Some of their children seem to have followed suit, with eldest son Josh, 33, already the father of seven.
Jessa, 29, has four children, while Joseph and his wife Kendra, 23, already have three children and are rumored to be expecting a fourth.
But Jill and Derick have been open about using birth control, although Jill has emphasized that they do not use any hormonal birth control because they mistakenly believe it can cause an abortion.