When Jill Duggar shared new family photos on October 21, some 19 Kids and Counting fans couldn’t help but wonder if she had something else to share as well. In an Instagram post, Jill, 33, shared three photos from her family’s recent photo shoot.
In the first picture, the Counting On star, her husband Derick Dillard and their three sons, Israel David, Samuel Scott, and Frederick Michael, stand hand in hand looking away from the camera. In the second picture, Jill and Derick kiss while seated in the grass next to their children. The last picture is just of Jill and Derick. In it, they’re holding each others hands and gazing into each other’s eyes. Fans adored the sweet photos — but many of them also believe they spotted some signs that Jill might be pregnant.
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TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains information about stillbirth and infant loss, which may be triggering to some.
Some fans speculated that Jill Duggar was purposely hiding her belly in the photos.
“We just got our family pictures back from @rubylove.photo & we are so excited to share them! 😍More to come later…! 💗” Jill Duggar captioned the post. “Meanwhile, I’ll just be over here with the tissues wondering how our little guys are growing up so quickly!🥹🥰💙” Nowhere in the caption did she seem to imply pregnancy, but that didn’t stop fans from spotting possible hints.
Some noticed that one photo was suspiciously cropped in a way that hid Jill’s belly. In the picture where the family is sitting in the grass, one of Jill’s sons sits in front of her, blocking her belly, which might be a coincidence — or not, according to some fans.
“Is she pregnant?” one person commented on the post. “Cropped the picture and one kid is hiding her belly.”
People had questions about a stuffed animal in one of the photos.
In one of the photos, the boys hold a stuffed animal wearing a pink bow. Many fans saw the stuffed animal as a way to include Isla Marie Dillard, their stillborn daughter, in the family photos. Jill and her husband announced the devastating pregnancy loss on April 13, revealing that they found out that their baby girl died in utero when Jill was four months pregnant.
“The stuffed bunny for Isla made me tear up 😢,” one fan reacted to the photo shoot.
“I love how Isla is included ❤️,” another person wrote.
But some fans seemed to think the stuffed toy was a discreet pregnancy announcement.
“Are you trying to tell us something with the pink bow on the teddy ?” one person commented on the post.
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Though some fans seemed convinced that Jill is 'hiding' something, others encouraged them to stop making comments about it.
Pregnancy is a sensitive topic — especially for those who have experienced pregnancy loss. While some fans commented on Jill’s photos to ask if she was “hiding something” or to assert that she must be pregnant, other fans stepped in to remind them that Jill has previously suffered from pregnancy loss. Besides, speculating about whether or not a woman is pregnant can come across as insensitive and invasive even when you don’t know if someone has dealt with pregnancy loss before.
“That is a rude comment because she did just Lose a baby not that long ago,” one person wrote in response to a fan who was speculating.
“I’m sure every woman ever would prefer to post anything without the assumption that they’re pregnant… especially when they’ve had losses before,” another person cautioned.
In April, Jill shared the 'baby bump photos we were so excited to share, but didn’t get to before she was gone.'
The decision of how or when to announce a pregnancy is a personal one, and one that can be made more complicated by pregnancy loss. After dealing with pregnancy loss earlier this year, Jill revealed that she had wanted to share her baby bump photos during that pregnancy — but ultimately did not have a chance to before she lost her baby girl. She ended up sharing the photos on April 29, captioning the post with, “🤰🩷The baby bump photos we were so excited to share, but didn’t get to before she was gone.”
After sharing her pregnancy loss publicly, Jill posted a series of emotional photos and updates as she grieved. In one post, Jill and Derick shared photos from the memorial service they held for their daughter. “🩷Isla Marie, our baby girl. We will love you forever & hold you in our hearts until we hold you in heaven. 🩷 Laid to rest 4.19.2024,” they captioned the post.
Jill also experienced pregnancy loss in 2021.
Sadly, losing Isla Marie was not Jill’s first pregnancy loss. On October 3, Jill posted about the baby she lost due to a miscarriage in 2021. “💜10/3/21, the day we lost our 3rd baby to early #firsttrimestermiscarriage River Bliss Dillard, you were loved from the start & will never be forgotten. 👼🏼💜,” she wrote on Instagram.
Jill and Derick first shared the news about their pregnancy loss on October 11, 2021. “💜We recently found out we were expecting our third baby. We were thrilled! However, a few days later we started miscarrying. 😭,” they captioned a video at the time.
