John David Duggar has revealed that his wife Abbie suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during her first pregnancy, and the nausea-inducing condition sent her to the hospital several times.
The Counting On star, 29, and his wife, 27, revealed earlier this year that they are expecting a little girl, and while they are clearly thrilled, it’s been a tough road for Abbie, a former nurse.
‘It hit her hard, and she was down for probably seven weeks with severe morning sickness,’ John David told Us Weekly. ‘She got diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, and she was hospitalized a couple times.’
Feeling sick: John David Duggar has revealed that his wife Abbie suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during her first pregnancy
Gonna hurl! The nausea-inducing condition has sent her to the hospital several times
Hyperemesis gravidarum is a complication in which pregnant women experience severe nausea and vomiting, which frequently leads to dehydration.
Other celebrities including the Duchess of Cambridge, Kelly Clarkson, and Amy Schumer also experienced it.
‘We made multiple visits to the ER for dehydration,’ John David explained. ‘She couldn’t eat, pretty much, or drink, or anything. So she was actually on IVs and had IVs at home. So that was a pretty scary time.’
For now, John David — who, after sex pest brother Josh, is the second-oldest male sibling in the family — said he’s taking especially good care of his wife.
‘I keep her water filled up, and her snacks for her. I keep her eating and just comfortable. Anything I can get for her, I try to. I run to the store, [get] whatever she needs, just keep her as comfortable as possible when she’s feeling bad.’
Abbie said he’s even went to the grocery store to by a heat pack around midnight, and has cooked and cleaned as well — something many of his brothers and his sisters’ husband aren’t known to do.
Everybody gets a bump: The new season of Counting On will include Abbie’s announcement, including a photoshoot with all the Duggar girls who were pregnant at the time
Another pregnancy? Shocker! Kendra, Joy Anna, Jessa, Anna, and Lauren (left to right) were shocked when Abbie showed up
Knocked up: She asked if she could join them revealing that she was pregnant too
‘He’s just been an angel,’ Abbie, who has been craving okra, said.
Abbie was also feeling when she first learned she was pregnant, and had gone to urgent care when the doctor delivered the news.
‘We went to the urgent care because I was feeling a little under the weather,’ Abbie said in a video announcement. ‘And then she said, “Oh, and by the way, we always do a pregnancy test and yours came back positive.”
‘And I was like, “What?!”‘ Abbie said, seemingly in shock. ‘I think I’m gonna cry! Out of excitement and shock.’
‘It’s not the way she had planned to find out,’ said John David. ‘But we’re so happy.’
The pregnancy hasn’t been all sickness, though: The couple has already picked a name, and Abbie said they’re ‘really enjoyed feeling our little girl kick, move around and respond when we talk to her.’
That the couple has already visited the hospital during this pregnancy — and that Abbie was a nurse before getting married — suggests that they may set them selves apart from some of the other Duggar couples and have a hospital birth, rather than a home birth.
Bring on the pink! John David and Abbie announced in August that they are expecting a girl
Keeping it simple: They shared their news with family by setting off pink confetti
Feeling better: Abbie has entered her second trimester, and said she was quite sick during her first
Back in August, the couple held held a gender reveal party at the Duggar compound, inviting nearly the whole family over to come discover the sex of their baby.
Later, they shared the happy news with fans, talking all things pink and bows for their future child.
‘We are so excited to announce that we are having a baby girl,’ the couple said in a joint TLC video.
‘We knew the gender of the baby but our family didn’t. Nobody else except Jana knew,’ John David said, showing off photos of their big gender reveal on the lawn of his parents’ house.
The pair surprised everyone by setting off pink streamers and confetti.
‘I’m so excited about hair bows and pink dresses and lots of sparkle,’ said Abbie.
‘I’m really looking forward to having a little baby girl around the house. I already have one, so now I’m gonna have two,’ John David added, referring to his wife. ‘I just hope she’s as pretty as her mommy. I know she will be.
‘I’m so excited about hair bows and pink dresses and lots of sparkle,’ said Abbie
Grandparents: The mom and dad-to-be are pictured with their parents
Abbie went on to say that the first trimester of her pregnancy was ‘pretty rough,’ but ‘now that I’m in the second trimester, I feel like a human again. It’s going great.’
The couple said they have not yet decorated a nursery and will likely just put a crib in the guest room of their ‘pretty small house,’ but they might add a few pictures and pink sheets.
The two lovebirds seemed to have most of their family over to Jim Bob and Michelle’s house for the big reveal, including John David’s twin sister Jana, who still lives there.
Jana wished the couple well on Instagram, sharing two shots of them from the party.
‘Congratulations to John & Abbie!!’ she wrote. ‘I couldn’t have asked for a better twin to go through life with than John, and their little girl is so blessed already that she got such an amazing guy for her daddy!!
‘And seeing what a tender caretaker Abbie has been for her family and in her job as a nurse, I know she is going to be an amazing mother!! Love y’all so much!!’
One on the way! John David and Abbie announced her pregnancy on August 1
Sticking to the theme: The two revealed the news with an airplane-themed photoshoot
Flying together: Their ‘We’re expecting a co-pilot’ sign comes after John David’s flying-themed proposal
‘We are on Cloud 9 about welcoming our own little Duggar into the world,’ the couple said
John David and Abbie had announced that they are expecting on August 1, nine months after tying the knot.
‘We are on Cloud 9 about welcoming our own little Duggar into the world,’ the couple said, according to TLC. ‘It really is amazing to think about being parents and having our own child to raise.
‘We are thankful that God has blessed us with this new life and we look forward to taking on this new adventure!’
In a video released on TLC’s website today, the couple showed off their airplane-themed baby announcement. John David, a pilot, also worked planes into his proposal.
‘I’m really looking forward to having a little one around,’ he said. ‘I mean I’m really just thrilled and just excited for the next step in our little family’s life as we expand.’
The news came nearly a year after they got married on November 3, 2018 — a veritable eon to wait for a first pregnancy in the Duggar family.
‘It really is amazing to think about being parents and having our own child to raise,’ the added
Announcement: They also spoke about the news in a new video for TLC
In lurve: They were attached at the hip for the video, laughing and smiling
No hurry here! The couple tied the knot in November but only announced today that Abbie is pregnant
Several of John David’s siblings had honeymoon babies or were expecting within the first few months of saying ‘I do.’
John David was old for a groom by Duggar standards, and married after several of his younger brothers.
Joseph, 24, had already married his wife Kendra, and the two are already expecting their second child.
Josiah, 22, had also already married his wife Lauren, and the two are expecting again after a miscarriage.
John David’s younger sisters Joy Anna, 21, Jinger, 25, Jessa, 26, and Jill, 28, are also married with children, as is his older brother Josh, 31.
His twin sister Jana is the only adult child over the age of 20 yet to get hitched.
John David had joked about being a ‘bachelor until the rapture’ until registered nurse Abbie came along, and then the two made things quick: John proposed in an airplane hanger within weeks, and they were wed four months after they started courting.
They do! The couple married after a four-month relationship on November 3
Build-up: The two shared a very intimate first kiss at the altar after being pronounced husband and wife
Not just yet! John fist kissed each of Abbie’s hands, taking her by surprise and making the audience laugh
The long tease: He then leaned in and kissed each of her shoulders while holding her hands
Well this is getting a bit… private! Commenters on Reddit have compared the kisses to foreplay
Their wedding aired on TLC, spotlighting their first kiss as man and wife — in fact, their first kiss ever, due to their strict courting rules.
But when the pastor pronounced them husband and wife, and told John he may kiss the bride, the scene grew much more intense than that of the chaste, awkward kisses of John David’s siblings.
Abbie, waiting for her husband to takes the lead, stood back and looked into John’s eyes as he whipped out his surprise. Holding both of her hands in his, he lifted up first her left, then her right, and kissed each — to boisterous laughter from the crowd.
The crowd continued to laugh as John still avoided her lips, instead kissing her left shoulder, then her right shoulder.
Abbie giggled, telling him, ‘You’re so silly.’
He then put his hands on either side of her face, and Abbie leaned in — clearly thinking this was it.
But John fooled her, and the onlookers, once again, leaning in to kiss her forehead, then her left cheek, and then her right, as everyone gathered continued to laugh.
Finally, looking into her eyes, he leaned in and kisses her on the lips, drawing out the moment for at least eight seconds.
Not yet! Abbie thought John was finally going to kiss her when he kissed her head
Wait for it… He held her face as he kissed each of her cheeks
Just hilarious! John’s mom and dad, Jim Bob and Michelle, laughed in the audience
Big moment: The couple had never kissed before their wedding day due to strict religious rules
There ya go! Finally, they sealed the deal with a kiss on the lips