Secret’s out! Jill Duggar revealed that she is expecting another baby with husband Derrick Dillard after her recent miscarriage.
“We’ve been keeping a little secret!” the couple shared via their blog on Sunday, February 27. “Ever since we were devastated last fall by the miscarriage of our sweet baby, River Bliss, we have prayed that, if it was God’s will, he would bless us with another baby.”
They continued, adding, “We are excited to announce that God has answered our prayers and we are expecting our rainbow baby due July 2022! We are so thankful for a healthy baby and pregnancy so far and we look forward to finding out the gender soon!”
Duggar, 31, shares sons Israel, 6, and Samuel, 4, with her 32-year-old husband.
The parents, who married in 2014, revealed in October 2021 that the Arkansas native suffered a pregnancy loss. “We recently found out we were expecting our third baby,” the Growing Up Duggar: It’s All About Relationships author captioned an Instagram video at the time. “We were thrilled! However, a few days later we started miscarrying. We love and miss you River Bliss!”
The former reality star and the accountant named their unborn child very intentionally. “One meaning for River is ‘tranquil,’ and here in Arkansas, rivers are often a serene, beautiful escape in nature,” they explained in a blog post.
The devout Christians also found a religious meaning behind the name. “We also like how the River talked about in the Bible (Rev. 22:1-5) represents God’s life-giving presence. The river of life (Holy Spirit), ‘flows from the throne of God,’ and with the tree of life is ‘for the healing of the nations,’” they added. “Our baby doesn’t get to live here with us on earth, but is forever with the source of the river of life, in the presence of the Lord!”
Duggar and Dillard were introduced to America on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, which followed the Duggar family. The couple appeared on the show’s spinoff, Counting On, before leaving the series in 2017 after six seasons. Since their exit, they’ve distanced themselves from her family.
“We were ready to leave and felt strongly about leaving,” Jill told Us Weekly in February 2021. “There are definitely some issues there. We definitely feel like we’re in a healthy place now for our family and have control over our lives. … Certain people are more supportive than others. I think it ebbs and flows with a family of that size. Every family has drama and so when you’ve got that many more people giving opinions or whatever, it can get crazy.”
