Jessa Duggar Seewald, one of the stars of former TLC reality show 19 Kids And Counting , and of Counting On , the reality show that emerged after the previous one was yanked off the air in the wake of controversies, scandals, and reports of criminal behavior on behalf of family members, says she’s looking forward to expanding her family. However, what seems to be in question is whether Jessa is adopting, or pregnant.
If you’ve been watching the show for the years it has been on the air, you’ll be aware that pregnancies are a major part of the draw for audiences. If you haven’t been watching, then perhaps the fact that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar got their introduction to reality TV through a TV movie called 14 Children And Pregnant Again in 2004, and had made it all the way to up 19 Kids and Counting before police reports released through an FOIA request revealed to the public that the eldest of the children had admitted to molesting several of his young sisters, as well as another young girl.
Well, pregnancy is still one of the key features for the show, and in the last episode of the last season, the two married Duggar daughters, Jessa Seewald and Jill Dillard, revealed that they’d like to each be pregnant with a second child at the same time. Now, viewers are speculating on pregnancy, not only for Jessa and Jill, but for Jinger Duggar , who is next in line to be married.
So, why do viewers think Jessa is pregnant?
Well, here’s a selfie she posted last year, when she was pregnant with son Spurgeon, but hadn’t announced it yet.
This is from the video in which Jessa announced her pregnancy.
Notice the angles that don’t show the waist, and the loose top? That’s typical of the photos Jessa Seewald posted in the month before she and Ben Seewald made their announcement.
Starting with the pregnancy announcement on social media, though, most of Jessa’s photos looked more like these:
Not everyone does pregnancy, or pregnancy photos, the same, of course, but many women, especially those subject to a lot of public scrutiny like the Duggar women, follow a certain pattern: before announcing a pregnancy, they share photos that defocus the belly area, and they wear looser tops in public. After announcing, like Jessa, for many pregnant women, the “baby bump” is the new focus.
So, what’s Jessa doing right now?
Well, the most recent set of photos shared by viewers on the fan page Life Is Not All Pickles And Hairspray includes one of Jessa in the type of loose top that does exactly that — de-emphasizes the stomach area.
Meanwhile, Jessa hasn’t shared a selfie on her own social media in weeks, and below is the most recent photo set of her from Ben Seewald’s Instagram — from all the way back in May.
Again, loose T-shirt, and angles that don’t show much of Jessa’s midsection.
None of that has to mean pregnancy, but for a family that defines itself in large part by the number of offspring, it’s enough to start speculation among Duggar fans.
What does Jessa say herself, though?
Well, in one of the new promos for Counting On , she says she and Ben Seewald have started the process of adopting a child. The Duggar Family Blog reports Jessa and Ben saying the same thing in another recent interview .
As for the baggy shirts, Jessa says she likes them because she’s post-baby and trying to get back into shape. Mrs. Seewald has, however, been photographed in tight shirts since giving birth.
According to the promo, it’s Jessa’s sister, Jill, and her husband, Derick, whose plans include “…hav[ing] another baby before next year.”
Of course, photos have Duggar viewers speculating on pregnancy for Jill, too.
Trying to teach this guy to be a gentleman today here at the airport. #toddlerentertainment #layovers #dfwairport pic.twitter.com/uGXxreVRa8
— Derick Dillard (@derickmdillard) August 4, 2016
Since the Duggar family’s reality shows have always focused to a great degree on multiple pregnancies, a large family, and fundamentalist Christian views, particularly a chaste courtship, pregnancies among Jill Dillard, Jinger Duggar, and Jessa Duggar Seewald are likely to be a major focus — if not in this season, then in any future ones.
[Image via TLC/YouTube ]