Jana Duggar is opening up about her postpartum struggles seven months after the birth of her first baby with husband Stephen Wissmann.
“Some people will never realize the impact they have on others,” Duggar, 36, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, August 6, while sharing video footage from her family’s trip to see American Idol season 24 winner Hannah Harper perform live.
“I’m such a big fan of Hannah Harper!! 🤩,” the 19 Kids and Counting alum continued. “Seeing her perform live was so special! I watched every episode of American Idol this year, and I know Hannah doesn’t realize it, but she’s been such a blessing to me.”
Duggar then admitted that her “postpartum season was incredibly challenging.” (The former reality TV personality welcomed son Archie with Wissmann, 33, in December 2025.)
“Every week, I looked forward to watching her perform,” she added of Harper, 26. “Her talent, joy, and authenticity brought a little light to some really hard days and gave me something to look forward to each week. 🥹Getting to see her perform live felt like such a special full-circle moment. ✨🩷.”
Harper went viral after her American Idol audition earlier this year, as she performed an original song called “String Cheese,” which explored her battle with postpartum depression.
“Hot Wheels and little people under my feet / Babies crying, it’s pure chaos, but I don’t miss a beat / Always knew that a 9 to 5 wouldn’t suit me very good / But my hours are extended, that’s just motherhood,” Harper sings in the emotional track.
Harper, a mother of three children, told judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan that the song was inspired by a moment where her son asked her to open a snack for him.
“I was sitting on my couch wallowing … and you have boys, you know, everybody wants to touch you,” she explained. “I didn’t want to be touched. I was just having a pity party, praying that the Lord would calm my spirit. My son kept coming up to me, ‘Mom, open this. Mom, open my cheese.’ I’m like, ‘Leave me alone with the dadgum cheese.’”
Harper continued, “I realized that God had put me in that place. That where I was in my house was the biggest ministry that I could ever have.”
Duggar and Wissman, who tied the knot in August 2024, announced one year after their wedding that they were expecting baby No. 1.
“We are so excited, January 2026 is going to come with a little bundle of joy joining our family!” the couple captioned a joint Instagram post at the time. “We’re counting down the days and eagerly looking forward to this thrilling new chapter in our lives!”
The first-time parents later announced their son’s arrival in January.
“We took some time to settle into our new rhythm before sharing this sweet news 🤍,” Duggar wrote via Instagram. “Archie Gerald Wissmann arrived on December 30, 2025, and our hearts have been completely changed. We’re soaking in these early days, full of love, wonder, and so much gratitude.”
