InstagramLess than two months after getting married, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard announced they were expecting their first child.
Many couples wait until the second trimester of pregnancy to announce their baby news, but this wasn't the case for the 19 Kids and Counting star and her hubby. Speaking with Page Six Tuesday, Jill said, "Understanding that the majority of miscarriages happen within the first trimester, and believing that every life is precious no matter how young, we decided to share our joyful news as soon as we could." In their case, this meant sharing the news just 61 days after saying "I do!"
So why do so many people wait until after the first trimester is complete? Dr. Christine Proudfit, the Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and NYU Langone Medical Center, pointed out it's a "personal decision" when couple's choose to make an announcement, but noted the risk of miscarriage drops significantly at after 12 weeks, which is also when Down syndrome testing occurs.
As Jill stated, though, she and Derick had their reasons for sharing their news early. And while their baby-to-be was a surprise, it wasn't like they didn't want a little Dillard! "We knew that we weren't going to prevent having children," she said, adding that the pair saved themselves for marriage. And while the couple didn't even kiss until their wedding day, they certainly made up for lost time.
Her advice for others hoping to hold on to their virginity until swapping vows? "You may not wanna push the wedding date out too far, as those natural God-given desires with too much time between engagement and marriage can make it harder to remain pure," she told Page Six. "If you are financially ready, and things are in place (which should be at the time the question is popped), we believe an engagement should only be long enough to plan a wedding!"
To each their own! Jill also dished on her and Derick's future family. "I have loved having lots of brothers and sisters and although Derick comes from a family with just one brother, both of us would love to have as many children as God will give us," she said. "We are also open to the possibility of adoption."
Maybe one day they'll end up with 19 of their own! 19 Kids and Counting airs Tuesdays at 9 on TLC.