Joy-Anna Duggar and her husband, Austin Forsyth, have a lot to look forward to as they're expecting their newborn daughter any day now. Her arrival is extra sweet, because it comes on the heels of a devastating loss. Their new little one is a rainbow baby, conceived after Joy-Anna and Austin's stillbirth last year.
Although she's still mourning the loss of Annabell, who passed away last June, Joy-Anna has been excitedly looking forward to this new chapter with her current pregnancy. Their newborn daughter will join their son, Gideon, to round their family out to four.
Joy's been documenting the journey on Instagram, sharing photos of her baby bump all along the way. Here are some of her cutest moments with her belly thus far.
Hiding the bump with a baby
Joy hadn't yet announced her pregnancy when she posted this photo, but since she was 19 weeks in mid-March, that means she was about 14 weeks along in this picture. If she was showing a little bit, Joy-Anna was sneaky about it, because she perfectly positioned friend Carlin's baby in front of her belly.
Mama again
Here's another photo of the budding bump from before Joy officially announced the pregnancy. We love her "mama" T-shirt! It's like she was subtly giving us clues. OK, she was already a mama at this point, since she's literally walking her son around here, but still we think this hint counts.
The announcement
Finally, come March 18, the happy couple announced their big news: Joy is expecting again! Her husband, Austin, posted this sweet family photo, captioning it, "It’s been quite the crazy journey these last few months, but we are so thankful that mom and baby are healthy!"
Us too!
Bumpin' along
With this March 26 picture, Joy revealed how far along she was. She was 19 weeks here, putting her conception date sometime in November 2019 — which is actually when her daughter, Annabell, had originally been due before the tragic stillbirth. This rainbow baby is really bringing happiness to all aspects of the year.
Inside the belly
Here's a different kind of bump shot… one from inside the bump! Joy shared this sonogram when she was 21 weeks along. "Seeing those little lips, nose, and hearing her heartbeat made my cry tears of joy!!!!" she wrote on Instagram. "SO soooooo thankful she is growing and healthy!"
The perfect shirt
It's backwards in this photo, since it's a mirror selfie, but Joy is wearing the most perfect shirt for her current situation. It says "Pardon My Bump." Such a great outfit choice for a pregnant person! Also, we love that Gideon is totally photobombing his mom's bump update.
Bump snuggles
"Apparently my bump makes a pretty good pillow!" Joy captioned this shot of her son Gideon snuggling with her growing belly. Us moms know that baby bumps are great for all kinds of things — like shelves to hold our food on when we're eating, or pillows for our little ones.
Spring style
Austin posted this sweet family photo in early May. It's the quintessential spring shot, with blooming flowers in the foreground and everything. Joy has some seriously great maternity style going on here. We love that dress, and it perfectly complements her baby bump.
Entering the third trimester
When Joy hit 30 weeks pregnant in June, she was officially in the third trimester and almost done with this whole thing. She continued to be one of the most glowing pregnant women around, with an impeccable fashion sense as usual. This hat would make any sunny day better.
The struggle is real
Yep, Joy was at the point here where her bump almost eclipsed her own feet. We remember that stage well, but this Duggar didn't have anything negative to say about this part of the process. "Each step is one step closer to meeting this baby!" she wrote. "We cannot wait!!" Such great positivity and enthusiasm.
Friends for the Fourth
Joy got to see her good friend Carlin for the Fourth of July, and the two had a fun little photo shoot together. Carlin posted this on her Instagram page of the duo in their red, white, and blue outfits for the holiday. Joy was really getting far along at this point.
Cuddling the bump
Joy also posted an image from the Fourth, only she chose a really sweet shot where Carlin is tenderly holding her baby bump. These BFFs clearly really support each other, and Carlin is probably just as excited as Joy for her little girl to be born.
Baby shower
Not long after they spent the Fourth together, Carlin threw Joy a baby shower. She wrote the sweetest message alongside this photo of the two of them. "Joy, I’m SO excited to celebrate this occasion with you! Crossing all these new roads together and watching your sweet little family continue to grow has been amazing! … I can’t wait for our little girls to meet and become best friends… whether they like it or not."
Sounds like Carlin's daughter is waiting for her BFF to be born.
Jill stopped by
Also in attendance at the baby shower was Joy's sister, Jill. Jill Duggar has two kids of her own, so Joy's baby girl not only has a built-in best friend in Carlin's daughter, but some pretty cool cousins to play with when she's old enough, too.
2020 seems like a good year for the Forsyths
Not everyone has enjoyed 2020, but Joy and Austin have had a lot to celebrate thus far. And there's even more excitement to come since baby Forsyth is due to be born soon. Even if our own 2020s haven't been as great, at least we can watch Joy's pregnancy journey on Instagram. We can't wait to see that bump turn into her beautiful baby girl.
