Jinger Duggar's Pregnancy Timeline Has Played Out A Bit Differently Than Her Siblings

When your family stars in reality shows called, 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On, there's bound to be a lot of pressure to procreate ASAP after tying the knot. As evident by the majority of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's adult children, once a Duggar gets involved in a serious relationship, it's only a matter of months before wedding bells and babies are a reality. Because this family takes the phrase, "be fruitful and multiply" very seriously. However, Jinger Duggar's pregnancy timeline has played out a bit differently than her siblings.

Let's start where it all began — when Jinger met Jeremy Vuolo back in May 2015 through her brother-in-law, Ben Seewald, People reported. Jeremy and Jinger announced they were officially courting in June 2016, Us Weekly reported. In October, Jeremy proposed and the very next month the couple exchanged vows. So from courting to married, only five months had passed — which is pretty typical if you're a Duggar. No surprise, there. However, the fact that more than a year went by before Jinger and Jeremy revealed they were expecting their first child together is highly unusual for the super-sized conservative Christian family, who are openly against using birth control.

In a July episode of Counting On, viewers witnessed Jinger's sisters badgering the newlywed about the state of her uterus. "So are you pregnant," Jill directly asked while video-chatting Jinger —who lives in Laredo, Texas, with her husband, Jeremy — alongside her sisters in Arkansas. "Huh?" Jinger replied, seemingly caught off-guard by the sudden change in topic. "Have you taken a test?" her sisters follow-up, after Jinger's non-answer. To which she merely shifts her eyes awkwardly while maintaining a polite (yet obviously WTF-esque) smile.

So yeah, the expectation for a quick-turnaround between marriage and babies is totally there. Speculation that Jinger was possibly on birth control arose, In Touch Weekly reported. And then it happened: This January, Jeremy and Jinger announced on their website — and with a TLC video — that they are expecting their first child. "The past fourteen months have been the best of our lives as we have had the wonderful privilege of beginning our journey through life together in marriage," the couple wrote on their blog. "We both looked forward to the joys of marriage but neither one of us fully understood just how amazing the start of this journey would be. Truly, the Lord’s mercies are new every morning!" They continued:

Now, the journey has taken an exciting turn: we are expecting our first child! We are praising God for this beautiful gift and ask that you join us in praying for a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Much to their Instagram followers' delight, both Jeremy and Jinger have updated fans on their journey to parenthood since the big announcement. In my opinion, Jinger's adorable bump photos with a chalkboard countdown have been particularly fun to watch as her bump continues to grow.

At this point, it looks like fans have at least three more months left before the countdown to baby Vuolo begins. That's because, as In Touch Weekly reported, Jinger's approximate due date is in July. This tidbit of information was revealed via the website of Grace Community Church — on Jeremy's pastor bio page.

Jeremy and his wife Jinger were married in November 2016 and now reside together in Laredo, Texas, on the border of the United States and Mexico, as Jeremy continues to serve as the pastor of Grace Community Church. They are expecting their first child in July of 2018.

Although Jeremy and Jinger seem to have forged their own path when it comes to the timeline of Jinger's pregnancy, it's important to acknowledge that it may not have necessarily been planned. Maybe they were trying to conceive right away, but it just didn't happen for them. Or, maybe the Vuolos decided that birth control was the right path for them — and purposefully took the first year of their marriage to enjoy each other as a couple. It's difficult to tell for sure, since neither of them have opened up about this aspect of their relationship so far. But no matter how long they were married before becoming pregnant, one thing's for sure: Jinger and Jeremy are thrilled to embark on this next chapter in their lives. And their fans are excited that they're bringing us along.