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Jessa Duggar Seewald Pregnant: ‘Counting On’ Star Announces Pregnancy, Derails Adoption Plans

By Treva Bowdoin
Published on: 02:27 PST, Aug 23, 2016

Jessa Duggar Seewald is pregnant with her second child, which means that she and her husband, Ben, are going to have to put their adoption plans on hold.

“We are overjoyed to announce that Spurgeon has a new title in life as ‘big brother!'” the couple told People. “We are so thankful that God is adding to our family.”

Jessa Duggar’s due date is sometime next February, which is just three months after her first child, Spurgeon Elliot Seewald, will celebrate his first birthday. Spurgeon was born on November 5 of last year.

“2017 is shaping up to be a wonderful year already, and we know Spurgeon will do a great job in his new role,” Jessa said. “Having Spurgeon has been such a wonderful blessing, and we cannot wait to see the face of this sweet new baby (or babies!).”

Jessa and Ben turned their second baby announcement into a promotional tool by sharing the big news with their fans on the same day as the premiere of Season 2 of their family’s reality show. Counting On returns tonight on TLC, and the network has touted Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald’s plans to adopt as a major storyline. Their dream of adopting a child was even No. 3 on TLC’s list of the “top 5 things we’re most excited about for the new season.”

However, now that fans know Jessa is pregnant, they also know that she and Ben will not be adopting a child in the near future.

A few days after Spurgeon was born, Jessa told People that she and Ben were already looking into adopting a child.

“We would love it if our next baby is adopted,” the Counting On star said.

However, she and her husband discovered that most adoption agencies don’t allow parents with young infants to adopt, so they would have to wait until Spurgeon was at least 1-year-old before taking on a child in need of a home. During an episode of Counting On, Jessa said that she and Ben were told that they could start filling out the adoption paperwork when Spurgeon was 9-months-old.

“Usually, when your baby reaches about 9 months old, that’s when they ask you to come back and start your paperwork and everything,” Jessa said, as reported by Us Weekly.

Spurgeon just reached the necessary milestone this month, but now Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald will have to wait for another baby to turn 9-months-old before they start the adoption process.

By announcing that she’s pregnant on the same day as the Counting On Season 2 premiere, Jessa stole some of the spotlight from her younger sister, Jinger. The main focus of the premiere is probably going to be Jinger Duggar’s courtship with Jeremy Vuolo, a former soccer player who now works as a preacher in Laredo, Texas. However, now all fans will be able to talk about is how Jessa and Ben are going to top the name Spurgeon when they start trying to come up with a unique moniker for their second child.

According to Us Weekly, Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald introduced Jinger to her fiancé. On July 25, Jeremy Vuolo asked the Counting On star to marry him after just seven months of courting. Duggar engagements are usually pretty short, so Jessa may have to find a bridesmaid dress that can accommodate a big baby bump.

Jessa Duggar and her siblings return to TLC for Season 2 of Counting On tonight at 8 p.m. E.T.

[Image via TLC]

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