Joy-Anna Duggar is approaching her fourth pregnancy with a completely different perspective this time around.
The 28-year-old is expecting another child with her husband, Austin Forsyth. Joy-Anna has also started serious conversations with Forsyth about possibly ending their childbearing journey.
Joy-Anna Duggar and Forsyth married in 2017 and eventually welcomed three children together. They are parents to Gideon, Evelyn, and Gunner, while the expecting mother also experienced the devastating loss of daughter Annabell Elise in 2019.
The mother of three says her fourth pregnancy has felt “different” from the beginning. She admitted that she has been sicker and considerably more tired this time around. She also wondered whether her body was reacting differently after four years without having a child.
The mother of three said the age gaps between her children previously felt much smaller. This pregnancy has instead left her feeling like she is “starting over in a lot of ways.” She has experienced round ligament pain since her first trimester and morning sickness that continued into her second, leading her to question, “What is happening?”
Joy-Anna is deliberately trying to enjoy the experience, even though it has been hard. Her sister, Jinger Duggar, asked if she plans to have more babies, but Joy-Anna said, “I don’t know.”
PEOPLE reported that Joy-Ann also opened up about whether this baby could be her last. She doesn’t feel she has finished having children, but Forsyth has questioned whether they should continue after this pregnancy.
How The 28-Year-Old Announced Her Pregnancy
The announcement came through a four-photo Instagram carousel showing the couple smiling together, kissing behind an ultrasound scan, and embracing her growing bump. Joy-Anna’s happiness was especially clear as Forsyth placed his hands around her pregnant belly.
The caption announced that their baby is “Coming 2027!!” She described the pregnancy with “so much joy, so much excitement, and so much love.” Joy-Anna also wrote that God knew they needed their little one. The couple already shares three children: Gideon Martin, Evelyn Mae, and Gunner James.
Their marriage has lasted for years, and Joy-Anna and Forsyth have built their family together since their wedding. The pregnancy comes after Joy-Anna previously experienced the loss of Annabell Elise. The Blast also revisited her comments about feeling something might be wrong before that loss, as well as the difficulty of delivering her baby at 20 weeks.
More From The Blast
Joy-Anna Duggar Carries The Pain Of Child Loss
Six years later, Joy-Anna shared an important part of her story as she prepares for another baby. She told her sisters, Jinger and Jess’s Duggar, that she had “a gut feeling” something might not be right before her 20-week ultrasound. However, she worried about exaggerating her concerns and ultimately left the appointment feeling numb.
The hardest part came after learning that Annabell no longer had a heartbeat. The “19 and Counting” alum still had to go through the entire delivery process despite being only 20 weeks pregnant. Her mother Michelle Duggar stayed with her during the devastating experience.
Joy-Anna later explained she spent around six months feeling like she was in a cloud or fog while her body processed the shock. The Blast reported that Joy-Anna also marked what would have been Annabell’s sixth birthday.
She shared black-and-white photographs of her daughter’s feet alongside a tribute marking July 1, 2019. “Annabell means ‘God has favored me,’ and Elise means ‘God satisfies.’
The Expecting Mother Found Healing Through Faith
Joy-Anna has emphasized that healing looked different for her emotionally and physically. She said people often called her strong while she was internally struggling and “freaking out.” She also explained that there was no fixed timeline for recovering from such a loss.
Visualizing God holding Annabell became particularly meaningful for Joy-Anna. She connected that image to the words “In the arms of Jesus,” which were placed on Annabell’s tombstone. That perspective eventually helped her find comfort as she continued to carry the loss.
After Gunner’s birth in 2023, Joy-Anna revealed that she experienced intense postpartum depression, which began around two and a half months after giving birth.
She said everything eventually “crumbled” and admitted she reached a point where she questioned whether she wanted to be here. Joy-Anna eventually sought help, exercised, and focused on healthier habits. She described the resulting improvement as “a huge drastic change” after months of fighting to feel better.
Joy-Anna Duggar And Austin Forsyth Are Proof That Age Is Nothing But Numbers
The couple’s relationship has also attracted attention because of their age difference. They first met when Joy-Anna was four, and Forsyth was eight, after his family moved from Texas.
Their families initially crossed paths through church before the pair eventually stopped seeing each other regularly. Their connection changed after Forsyth got his driver’s license and began playing football and broomball with the boys.
By 14, Joy-Anna said she was already “crushing hard” on him. She later insisted that she would have married Forsyth “from day one.” Joy-Anna recalled entering their relationship with a simple vision of a farmhouse and a happy life together. She admitted she didn’t think beyond believing Forsyth was the one and that everything would work out.
Joy-Anna previously spoke about struggling after her brother Joseph Duggar’s arrest. She said her faith helped her take things one day at a time. Joseph and his wife Kendra were later given a 12-month advisement period requiring good behavior, no new offenses, payment of a $1,850 fine, and compliance with court orders.
