Finally, some positive news about the Duggar family.
With most of the free world buzzing endlessly about Josh Duggar’s arrest and the ramifications of the heinous charges against him, the accused pedophile’s sister has given loved ones a reason to smile.
Indeed:
Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald just welcomed their fourth child!
“Baby Seewald #4 has arrived!” Jessa wrote on Instagram on Monday, July 19, announcing the arrival of her latest newborn.
The television personality then shared an up close and rather personal glimpse at her road to this child via her YouTube channel, documenting the days leading up to their arrival at the hospital on Sunday.
In the YouTube footage, the former reality star spoke to her kids about their impending sibling, giving viewers a look at some of the preparations she had taken for the big day, which included a “birth bag.”
Later, Jessa said she and her husband were grappling over what to name their child.
“It’s harder than it seems,” she said.
At no point on Instagram or YouTube — not yet, anyway — did Jessa or Ben drop the name or gender of their fourth child.
Elsewhere, the video featured scenes of Jessa and Ben arriving to the hospital with their luggage in tow, as the former said her contractions were three minutes apart.
Simply being at a hospital, of course, is a big deal here.
Duggar previously gave birth all three times at home, although she ended up being taken away in an ambulance on two of those occasions due to medical complications.
Using an actual doctor at an actual facility, of course, is a giant break from Duggar family tradition.
We applaud Jessa for doing it.
The 19 Kids and Counting alum announced her pregnancy news in February with an ultrasound photo.
“We’re looking forward to summertime, and here’s our No. 1 reason!” she wrote via Instagram at the time, adding:
“Thank you, God, for this precious gift!”
Duggar went on to tell Entertainment Tonight in a statement:
“After the heartbreaking loss of a baby last year, we’re overjoyed to share that another little Seewald is on the way.
“We are so grateful to God for the precious gift of a new life!
“The kids are delighted, and we can hardly wait to welcome this little one into our arms this summer.”
Seewald added that Duggar’s “pregnancy [was] going smoothly” and both she and baby number-four were “doing well” back then.
As far as we know at the moment, everything is still going well for mother and newborn. Thank goodness.
Jessa and Ben share sons Spurgeon, 5, and Henry, 4; along with daughter Ivy, 2.
They got married on November 1, 2014.
“Ben and I have been sitting on the [sex] here for forever — months and months — and you’d think we’d have a name by now,” Jessa explains in the birth video, adding:
“But … I feel like the more kids you have, the more you’ve used up, you know, the favorites. And I haven’t even always liked the same names from pregnancy to pregnancy.
“It’s kind of changed.
“I look back on my name list from previous pregnancies and I’m just like, they don’t really just — none of them are just like, ‘wow.’ So I kind of start from scratch. And Ben too.”
Jessa added that they “think we have a first name, we’re struggling with the middle name, we have about five or six different options, so we’ll see.
“The first two kids were five days old before we settled on a name, which was a long time.”
We’re sure Jessa and Ben will pass along the information soon, as they wrapped up their YouTube video as follows:
“Ready to have this baby!” Jessa wrote, with the couple entering an elevator and the video closing with “to be continued.”
Over the past several weeks, all talk surrounding Jessa and her siblings revolved around Josh Duggar and his alleged downloading of sexually graphic material that depicted kids under the age of 12.
Said Jessa and Ben shortly after Josh’s arrest:
We are saddened to hear of the charges against Josh.
As Christians, we stand against any form of pornography or abuse and we desire for the truth to be exposed, whatever that may be.
Our prayers are with their family as they walk through this difficult time.