Joy-Anna Duggar is a mom! The Counting On star and her husband, Austin Forsyth, welcomed their first child Friday afternoon.
Did the newlyweds welcome a boy or girl?
The couple’s first-born son arrived at 3:39 p.m. on February 23, measuring 22 inches long and weighing a massive 10 lbs., 3 oz.
Yes, he broke double digits. Poor Joy.
“We are blessed beyond measure with the arrival of our son, Gideon Martyn Forsyth,” the couple said in a statement today.
The new mom and Gideon are both doing well, according to the family … which is a relief, given the size of the new arrival:
“Looking at our child for the first time was such an incredible moment! God is so good, and we are both so thankful.”
The couple got married 39 weeks ago.
That’s not a lot of time to be married before starting their own family (they “started” it the night they got hitched, according to the couple).
Ever since their wedding – before it, really – talk of the relatively rebellious duo breaking courtship rules started to run rampant online.
The Duggars move fast, for sure, but despite shotgun wedding rumors and this Joy-Anna due date speculation, it looks like it adds up.
A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks from the end of the woman’s last menstrual period, so there’s nothing unusual about this whatsoever.
Well, medically.
Joy-Anna, 20, and Austin, 24, first met when his family moved to Arkansas and began attending the Duggars’ church – almost 15 years ago.
In November 2016, Joy-Anna announced on a very special episode of Counting On that she had entered into a courtship with her friend.
By March of last year, they were ready to marry. Not even three months later, they exchanged vows at Cross Church in Rogers, Arkansas.
Following their “I dos” and first-ever full-frontal hug (and other things), Joy-Anna and Austin went to Switzerland, for an “incredible” honeymoon.
In August, they announced they were expecting.
“We’re so happy and thankful to announce that we’re expecting a baby!” said Joy-Anna. “Every child is such a precious gift from God.”
The mother-to-be added, “I’m most looking forward to watching Austin as a dad and raising children together with him.”
“I’m really looking forward to the journey of this pregnancy and all the different stages it will bring,” added Austin.
“It’s really exciting and I feel so blessed!”
The image above, showing Joy appearing to be further along than 11-12 weeks, was a major catalyst of the shotgun wedding chatter.
In the end, the rumors were likely just that.
Rumors can be rooted in truth, and certainly the Duggars don’t do themselves any favors with their penchant for secrecy (and hypocrisy).
Any chance of premarital body-slapping appears to have been dashed by Gideon’s on-schedule arrival, however. So it goes.
The not-so-little one broke double digits in multiple ways, becoming the 10th grandchild for Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
Gideon joins Jill and Jessa’s sons Israel, Samuel, Spurgeon and Henry. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named also has five kids.
Jinger Duggar and her husband Jeremy Vuolo will welcome #11 later this year; Jill and Jessa are both rumored to be pregnant as well.
They’re well on their way to 100. Poor Jana.
It’s unclear if Joy had a natural birth or when we’ll see the first photos of the little one, but congratulations to the happy family!
As if this weren’t enough Duggar news for one day, incredibly, the family reality show Counting On returns THIS EVENING on TLC.
Not even Jim Bob could time it that well.
