Joy and Austin 13: Another Duggar Pregnancy Grandbaby 10

[AtlanticTug]

She's definitely arching her back but the bump still looks squishy to me. Think more fat than actual bump.

I am 16+3 today, her bump is bigger and this is not my first pregnancy.

I wouldn't be shocked if she was carrying twins, but I would be a bit surprised if she hasn't had an ultrasound by now. OK, maybe they don't do the early dating u/s, but do the Duggar girls all routinely refuse first trimester screening? If so, maybe they only have the anatomy scan at 18-20 weeks (please tell me they have those at least).

[ihaveanexamintwodays]

random thought, but I just rewatched the episode where Benessa+ go for the gender reveal ultrasound of Henry, and Jessa in her TH said "besides the appointments for the regular prenatal care, today we have our US to find out the gender of the baby" or something like that. So we know that at least for her, she did see some sort of somebody for prenatal care at least before they knew the sex, what do we think that means? and where, like a birthing center or midwives office?

[Joyleaf]

5 hours ago, adidas said:

According to this website if she conceived on her wedding night, she would be 17 weeks and 0 days pregnant (using lmp of May 12).

https://menstrual-cycle-calculator.com/how-many-weeks-pregnant-am-i-pregnancy-calculator/

And that is why I shouldn't do things in a hurry. You are absolutely right, of course. It would make her 17+0 today, so 18 weeks pregnant.

Anyway, for 17 or 18 weeks pregnant her belly looks completely normal. Some women only have a tiny bump at that stage, others look like Joy.

[Carm_88]

Oh it's totally possible that Joy and Austin did the deed before their wedding night, but it's also possible that I am Bigfoot. Neither of these things are very probable. 

Joy is probably eating whatever she wants and it's causing weight gain as well as being short waisted. I just ate a 6 inch sub from subway with some cookies and I look like I could be well into my 4th month. I'm not pregnant, that's just the way that bloat hits me. Plus arching her back and sticking out her stomach ala her Mama Jill, will make it look that much bigger. 

[singsingsing]

Rufus, take the wheel.

[nausicaa]

2 hours ago, Carm_88 said:

Joy is probably eating whatever she wants and it's causing weight gain as well as being short waisted. I just ate a 6 inch sub from subway with some cookies and I look like I could be well into my 4th month. I'm not pregnant, that's just the way that bloat hits me. Plus arching her back and sticking out her stomach ala her Mama Jill, will make it look that much bigger. 

Yes, I think people are forgetting that Joy was much smaller than her typical size for her wedding. It's pretty common for non-pregnant women to gain weight after getting married, and if Joy was really sacrificing treats or crash dieting to get into her wedding dress, I can see her now being like, "I'm pregnant anyway, so bring on the fudge!"

And , I'm 5'11" and long waisted, and even I can rock a pretty solid three month food baby after a buffet.

 

[Four is Enough]

Joy is tiny. That uterus has no place to go except up and out. She's also swaybacked to the max there. 

 

[JesSky03]

I don't really understand how someone arches their back and pushes out their stomach so much that it makes them look more pregnant. I'm 16 weeks and I took some pics of myself about a week ago so at 15 weeks and thought my back look really arched(even though I wasn't trying to do that) so I tried to stand straighter. My bump didn't look all that different between the two pictures- the one where I'm standing straight actually looks bigger to me. I even tried "pushing out" my belly more and really arching my back and my bump looked smaller because it just kind of spread out over my abdomen. Its much more likely that she just has a decent sized bump and probably took this pic after a meal. 

[IReallyAmHopewell]

18 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

I know you were trying to be funny, but as the mother of a late-term preemie (who was on the bigger side) I would never wish that on anyone. Even a Duggar. There are so many issues that are related to premature birth. We are so fortunate our daughter seems to be doing ok, but many families aren't so lucky. 

 

16 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

Gotcha! If that's the case I'll just mentally add quotation marks around "huge preemie" and "comes early." 

Exactly on both. And, fyi, 55 years ago I was born a 3lb premie--and lone twin.

[Lurky]

1 hour ago, JesSky03 said:

I don't really understand how someone arches their back and pushes out their stomach so much that it makes them look more pregnant.

I've been able to fake a baby bump since I was a skinny distance running 15 year old - I have a big diaphragm, so inflate the lungs and push down, get swaybacked, especially with a hand in the lower back to help, shoulders back, tits out, bum out.   Stand with all the weight on the hip nearest the camera, with a light background, et voilá.  Bonus points for burrito/period bloat, or actually being pregnant!

Now, I, like Joy, was/am short and curvy, so it would work with me, while on someone like my partner, with tiny bones and a more angular body, it wouldn't work so much, probably even if she got pregnant. 

[bal maiden]

I just went back to look at my own pregnancy pictures from my first baby, and I looked like Joy does at about the same point in pregnancy. I don't think Joy is off the charts, just maybe carries large and may have a bigger baby as I did. 

[JesSky03]

I guess it depends on body type- I'm just sitting here now trying to figure out how you even push out your stomach when there's a legitimate bump. I can't make it "blow out" any bigger than it already is. I'm probably closer to Jill's body type than Joy's- had a flat stomach before pregnancy, I'm 5 foot 6, not much to talk about up top, and the only place I carry fat is in my behind. I just hate how much the Duggar girls' bodies get picked part, I feel like I need to defend them. Like I said, my back looked very arched when I wasn't even trying- it's probably just my bad posture.

[sta_sha]

I'm having twins in just under 11 weeks (eek!) and I didn't start showing until around 14-15 weeks. I also have a very different body type than Joy. Could she be having twins- of course she could be, but until she announces or pops out two babies, we won't know for sure. It could also just be that she carries large. Could Joy and Austin have had sex before the wedding? Again, of course they could have, but I don't think it's likely that they did.

My money is on a honeymoon conception, one baby, and either baby is large or Joy just caries large. Regardless, I wish her a happy and healthy pregnancy. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

Ok. Joy is not "tiny." She may be short, but she's always been heavy-looking compared to the other girls. One of the younger girls is also pudgy. 

Betting on multiple down votes on this one, but I'm just calling it as I see it. Joy isn't slim and I agree that her "bump" is likely the result of too much ice cream or a burrito. Or she could just be showing early. 

[Snarkle Motion]

20 hours ago, singsingsing said:

 

-What makes sense to us in the secular world is not necessarily what makes sense to the Duggars. Why would they feel it would 'make more sense' to wait until Joy was 20? Young marriage to them is a very positive thing and something to celebrate. Michelle was only 17 when she got married and she's never indicated that she regrets marrying in her teens. If they'd had an issue with Joy's age they would have put off allowing her to court. Remember, these young women only enter relationships when their father allows it.

I think it would make more sense to wait until she's 20 because of potebtial negative publicity for her being so young. I also am skeptical of the idea that the October wedding date was a "placeholder" date as it appears Joe and Kendra used their actual date in the registry. Each couple is different but I do see red flags with Joys marriage that make it feel different than the others.

[Snarkle Motion]

I'm also not sure why people are so offended by this kind of speculation. They are adults and did nothing wrong, it's their belief system that shames them for premarital sex. They are celebrities who make their religious convictions about sex a central part of their public persona, if these were private citizens I would never engage in his kind of discussion -it's none of my business. But they literally made it their business by selling books and a tv show based on rules about sex. They also tempt to influence others to conform to their belief system and judge those who don't.

Their belief system is messed up and I don't believe it actually works in practice. But this idea that "it could never happen" or that it's somehow hurtful/shameful to them if they did break the rules so we shouldn't dare discuss it only serves to perpetuate the belief system and shame others who do end up breaking the rules. Like I think talking about it is a way to demystify sex and the reality that it happens even in religious conservative families. Making it seem so impossible or hurtful is actually part of their worldview, not a healthy realistic worldview.

If they were really worried about what people think, and if she did actually conceive before marriage, then I doubt they would have printed a photo of her belly. Anna has successfully managed to stay out of the limelight with her current pregnancy to avoid controversy. Joy could have done the same if it was actually true and the family was concerned about people talking/speculating.

But the couple is profiting from the pregnancy announcement! THEY chose to do a pregnancy shoot and spread for the magazines, in my book that is essentially means you are choosing to open yourself up to judgment and scrutiny. If that's not what you want, then announce it over Instagram or your families blog and otherwise stay private. But being paid to be in a tabloid like magazine means you have to be willing to embrace the downside that people are going to judge you and potentially talk about you in ways you don't like.

Im not sure why speculating that Joy had premarital sex is any different than speculating Jinger is using a form of birth control? Both are inconsistent with their stated belief system. Neither is shameful in my mind or necessarily an impossibility because of their beliefs. The only difference I see is that Jinger has more or less avoided the public eye so I actually thinks it's less fair to discuss her choices and potentially more harmful or insensitive if she's attempting to conceive but is infertile or experienced miscarriages. Jinger hasn't chosen to make her uterus and decisions about it public or get paid for magazine articles and so it's really not my business. 

[Carm_88]

52 minutes ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

Ok. Joy is not "tiny." She may be short, but she's always been heavy-looking compared to the other girls. One of the younger girls is also pudgy. 

Joy is not heavy. She's just not of the same petite build as her sisters. She's bustier, not pudgy. Judging by the fact that she had to wear clothes that were fairly loose, she would look larger then what she actually is. 

Body shaming is not cool. 

[singsingsing]

12 minutes ago, Snarkle Motion said:

I'm also not sure why people are so offended by this kind of speculation.

Okay, I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't find speculation that Joy may have had sex before marriage offensive. I find the continued speculation based on completely erroneous "facts" (Joy looks too big to only be X weeks along, they rushed the wedding, Jim Bob was worried about their purity, a tabloid said it, etc.) really tiresome.

 

12 minutes ago, Snarkle Motion said:

They are adults and did nothing wrong,

They most likely didn't 'do' anything.

 

13 minutes ago, Snarkle Motion said:

But this idea that "it could never happen"

Once again, and for the trillionth time, no one is saying it could never happen. I'm pretty sure we all acknowledge that it's possible.

 

14 minutes ago, Snarkle Motion said:

Making it seem so impossible or hurtful is actually part of their worldview, not a healthy realistic worldview.

No, pointing out the reality that it's incredibly unlikely that they had sex before marriage due to their upbringing, their restrictive courtship system, their enthusiastic embrace of fundamentalist and quiverfull ideology, and their own words and actions is acknowledging reality. You literally said it yourself: it's not a healthy worldview, but it is their worldview.

 

17 minutes ago, Snarkle Motion said:

Im not sure why speculating that Joy had premarital sex is any different than speculating Jinger is using a form of birth control?

There has been a ton of argument back and forth about whether Jinger may or may not be using birth control. Plenty of people have pointed out that there is essentially no evidence that she is, just like there is no evidence that Joy had sex before she was married. And the fact is, it's a lot different. Many fundies are totally on board with certain forms of family planning, but I can't think of any fundies who are okay with premarital sex. 

 

20 minutes ago, Snarkle Motion said:

The only difference I see is that Jinger has more or less avoided the public eye

Like hell she has. She has a public, active instagram, and she regularly takes part in her family's reality TV show. She and Jeremy have not shunned the public eye at all.

 

20 minutes ago, Snarkle Motion said:

Jinger hasn't chosen to make her uterus and decisions about it public or get paid for magazine articles and so it's really not my business. 

Jinger hasn't had the opportunity to do so yet. Let's see what happens if/when she gets pregnant. She seems to have no issue with repeated questions about the state of her uterus airing to an international audience on a reality TV show.

 

Speculating about whether Joy had sex before marriage, and what the implications of that would be - totally cool. I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. Like you said, they're adults and they've chosen to put themselves in the public eye and flaunt their uteruses (uterii?) for cash.

You can speculate, and other people can disagree with you, and point out why they disagree. Feel free to reply with your own evidence and reasoning. 'Why are you so offended', or, 'There's nothing wrong with premarital sex' are not, in my opinion, great arguments.

Again, there's a difference between saying, "I disagree with your reasoning and here's why" and saying, "You're not allowed to speculate about this!" 

[acheronbeach]

I find a lot of the speculation on here pretty gross, and frankly, ignorant.  

The reason people have a problem with this discussion isn't because we have a problem with premarital sex.  It's because such speculation impacts upon the dignity of the Duggar women.   For most Western women, premarital sex is totally acceptable, but purity is sacred to the Duggar women.  They have virtually no agency for themselves.  The men around them control their lives - purse strings, where they live, even their bodies; and these same men judge them and determine their worth based on their perceived sexual purity.  They are constantly surrounded by rape myths which they have little chance of escaping.   Because of that, their value as a human being is directly tied to their sexual reputation.  

That's why inventing a dramatic story that Joy had premarital sex is so dangerous.  People are stupid enough to believe baseless rumours (just look at how many tabloids picked up this story), particularly when it aligns with their own worldview.  

In some fundamentalist patriarchal cultures, this kind of speculation leads to honour killings.  That's the extreme result of this sort of lie.  

[VelociRapture]

3 hours ago, IReallyAmHopewell said:

 

Exactly on both. And, fyi, 55 years ago I was born a 3lb premie--and lone twin.

Yeah, the second I saw the post by @QuiverFullofBooksI was kind of facepalming myself. I obviously need to retrain my brain to not automatically associate "born early" with "must have been premature."

Thanks for explaining and sorry! 

[mango_fandango]

8 hours ago, AtlanticTug said:

She's definitely arching her back but the bump still looks squishy to me. Think more fat than actual bump.

I am 16+3 today, her bump is bigger and this is not my first pregnancy.

I wouldn't be shocked if she was carrying twins, but I would be a bit surprised if she hasn't had an ultrasound by now. OK, maybe they don't do the early dating u/s, but do the Duggar girls all routinely refuse first trimester screening? If so, maybe they only have the anatomy scan at 18-20 weeks (please tell me they have those at least).

They do have the anatomy scan at 18 weeks. That's how they found out that Jubilee had died. I remember watching it on YouTube and Jim Bob was telling the kids that they were going to get the ultrasound done to find out if it was a girl or a boy. How else do you think they can do all those gender reveals? 

[Snarkle Motion]

@singsingsing in response to your points:

Speculating about whether Joy had sex before marriage, and what the implications of that would be - totally cool. I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. Like you said, they're adults and they've chosen to put themselves in the public eye and flaunt their uteruses (uterii?) for cash.

You can speculate, and other people can disagree with you, and point out why they disagree. Feel free to reply with your own evidence and reasoning. 'Why are you so offended', or, 'There's nothing wrong with premarital sex' are not, in my opinion, great arguments.

Again, there's a difference between saying, "I disagree with your reasoning and here's why" and saying, "You're not allowed to speculate about this!" 

On 8/31/2017 at 8:19 PM, singsingsing said:

She also seems happy, confident and relaxed, not like someone hiding a shameful secret. And when would she and Austin ever have been left alone long enough to do the deed? I'm honestly shocked that people here are echoing this tabloid stuff. Yeah, it's possible, but it's so, so, so unlikely. And it has the potential to be incredibly harmful to her, given that purity and chastity are held on such a pedestal in her culture. 

<snip>

I really hope we're not going to go down the tabloid gossip road here, with literally nothing to substantiate it, especially about something like this.

You are absolutely allowed to disagree! But your earlier comment seems somewhat inconsistent with it being "totally cool" with this discussion and speculation.

[Rachel333]

15 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

They do have the anatomy scan at 18 weeks. That's how they found out that Jubilee had died. I remember watching it on YouTube and Jim Bob was telling the kids that they were going to get the ultrasound done to find out if it was a girl or a boy. How else do you think they can do all those gender reveals? 

Michelle did get more medical care with her later pregnancies than Jill and Jessa seem to have been getting, so I wouldn't necessarily use Michelle as an example of what her daughters do, but yeah, they do at least have some ultrasounds.

[SapphireSlytherin]

1 hour ago, Carm_88 said:

Joy is not heavy. She's just not of the same petite build as her sisters. She's bustier, not pudgy. Judging by the fact that she had to wear clothes that were fairly loose, she would look larger then what she actually is. 

Body shaming is not cool. 

I'm not body-shaming. Body-shaming would be my picking on her because of her weight or making fun of her or saying she was disgusting/gross because she's heavy. I was simply stating that she is round where her sisters are not, other than the one younger sister. I didn't say she looked awful or ugly or whatever--I was stating a fact that's visible to anyone who looks at her. 

I have NO PROBLEM with her body and weight so....

 

[coffeebean7]

Every woman is different. I'm 5'0" and also very short-waisted, but I didn't look like Joy did until I was very very pregnant. My baby was small (born at 5 lbs 5 oz) and I just never got that big. I got swollen and puffy but my baby bump was always on the small size. With my second baby (who was larger), I showed earlier and had a larger bump. 

I highly doubt they had premarital sex. If she ovulated on her wedding night she'd be due on Feb 16.