Jessa Duggar Seewald Confirms Reason For Fewer Pregnancy Selfies

Jessa Duggar Seewald has posted fewer pregnancy selfies with her second pregnancy, and there has been some speculation about the reason. Fans wondered if Jessa might be tired of the spotlight and seeking a little bit of privacy for herself and her family. Critics wondered if it was a ploy to require viewers to tune into Counting On for any information about Jessa’s pregnancy.

However, the simplest explanation, and one that parents of babies close in age probably considered right away was that Jessa is just busier this time around. On Friday, Seewald confirmed exactly that.

Posting on her social media accounts, Jessa shared two photos, comparing her body at this point in her first pregnancy to a current photo.

Many viewers think the fact that the fifth-born Duggar is showing her selfies side-by-side is an indicator that she wants fans to pick up on the difference between the two pregnancies — that she’s hinting she’s having a girl this time. There are, of course, a range of old wives’ tales about ‘carrying’ a pregnancy differently based on whether the baby is a boy or a girl, so comparing appearance from one pregnancy to another is a common trick for guessing at the sex of the baby.

However, Jessa Duggar Seewald’s first child was a boy, and she and Ben Seewald both said on their TLC reality show, Counting On, that they think this is also a boy. On the other hand, TLC released a teaser with several of Jessa’s siblings, including Jill Duggar Dillard, who has performed some midwife duties, although her training is disputed, saying they believe Jessa is having a girl.

Perhaps it’s merely wishful thinking on the part of Jessa’s younger sisters, but Jill may be basing her guess on the baby’s heartbeat. In a recent episode of Counting On, Jill asserted that higher heart rates are thought to mean girls, and lower heart rates to mean boys, before describing Duggar grandbaby #7’s heartbeat as in the higher range. (Like tales of ‘carrying high,’ this too is a myth.)

On Friday, however, Jessa Duggar Seewald jumped into a conversation with some fans on her Facebook page to add a little more information.

Does she believe that her pregnant body looks different this time because the baby is a different sex? Jessa says that she thinks the difference is due to a change in eating habits.

“I gained nearly 40 lbs with Spurgeon’s pregnancy, but less than 30 this time around. Haha! Think it’s partially because of all the food aversions I had early on– didn’t experience that with Spurgeon. I ate everything in sight!”

As for why Jessa hasn’t posted as many selfies this time around, she responded to one fan who said the pregnancy seemed to have been shorter or faster.

“For me too! Chasing a toddler around definitely causes life to fly by!”

Jessa Duggar Seewald’s due date is now less than a week away, although she reminded followers that her last pregnancy went almost a week past the due date.

The Duggar family also teased audiences with the possibility of Jessa birthing twins, though an ultrasound Seewald shared weeks ago indicates only one baby.

If Baby Seewald didn’t show up early, it was expected that Jessa and Ben, along with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, would speak at a marriage retreat in Branson this weekend. If the Duggar family did make it to the retreat, neither they nor the church hosting it have shared about their presence at event on social media.

However, they also haven’t posted about a rush to the hospital or a new baby, so presumably, Jessa Duggar Seewald has not yet had her second child.

[Featured Image by Jessa Seewald/Instagram]