Joy-Anna Duggar Shares Special Moment with Her Rainbow Baby: Joy After the Pain
She’s finally here! After months of updates, in August, Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth welcomed their baby girl into the world, and since then, we’ve been loving all of the adorable baby pictures they’ve been sharing. The Counting On couple’s journey definitely hasn’t been an easy one, though. In 2019 they lost a baby girl to stillbirth at a time when many of Joy’s sisters and sisters-in-law were also expecting babies. It couldn’t have been easy, but Joy kept such a positive attitude — and we were overjoyed for her when she announced she was expecting again.
Here’s everything we know about Joy’s daughter, Evelyn Mae Forsyth, so far. We know Joy and Austin must have been waiting for this time for so long, and it’s been so much fun to see their happiness through it all.
Evelyn Is Joy and Austin’s Third Child
Last year, Joy lost a baby girl to stillbirth, when she was 20 weeks pregnant. Joy went to an ultrasound for a gender reveal … only to find out that the baby no longer had a heartbeat. It’s hard to imagine how difficult that must have been for Joy and Austin, but they have shared their memories of their baby, whom they named Annabel Elise, on Instagram.
Joy Announced Her Pregnancy in March
After weeks of fan speculation that she might be expecting, Joy officially announced she was pregnant in March, sharing a family photo that included her obvious baby bump. Given what happened to her in the past, it was totally understandable that she wanted to wait longer than usual to share the good news, but it was still clear that Joy was over the moon to grow her family.
Documenting the Journey on YouTube
Even though Joy is still on Counting On — though not quite as much as she once was — she documented the entire pregnancy for her YouTube channel, too. Starting from the time she announced that she was expecting, Joy shared regular vlogs about baby prep, including packing her hospital bag, decorating the nursery, and her OB appointments.
Though she didn’t make a huge deal about it online (in fact, she didn’t post about it at all on her own Instagram account), Joy’s family threw her a sweet baby shower, where she was surrounded by her sisters, mom, and friends to help her celebrate the impending arrival of her baby girl. The pictures were too sweet.
Evelyn & Gideon Will Share a Room
Before the new baby arrived, Joy-Anna enlisted the help of her sisters to give Gideon’s room a bit of a makeover. After spending some time rooming with her parents, the baby would be sharing a room with Gideon, and the nursery turned out so cute. Hopefully, room sharing will go well for these two, and they’ll grow up with a close relationship.
Though Joy definitely went beyond her due date of August 19, Evelyn made her big arrival on August 21, and her parents proudly shared the news on Instagram. At the time, they hadn’t announced her name yet, but they did share that she weighed 8 pounds and 5 ounces. “To say my heart is full is an understatement,” Joy wrote.
Austin Is So Excited to Have a Daughter
After the initial announcement that their baby had been born, Austin shared another closeup photo of Evelyn to Instagram, writing in his caption, “Can’t get over the fact that I have a DAUGHTER!” He’s been a great father to Gideon so far, and now, it seems like he’s excited to add a baby girl to the mix.
Once Joy and Austin were home from the hospital, the photo sharing began — not that fans were complaining! Joy shared these sweet photos of her baby girl all dressed up in comfy jammies and a pretty bow, writing, “I am at a loss for words, so I’m just going to say… She is perfect and I love her more than I EVER thought imaginable!”
Her Nickname Is Super Cute
Joy left fans in suspense for a few days before officially announcing her baby’s name, but when she got her professional baby photos back, she finally let everyone know that she’d named her daughter Evelyn Mae Forsyth. “I wanted her name to be perfect and elegant!” Joy wrote. “We had a hard time deciding but after a few days finally settled on ‘Evy Mae’ and we think it fits her perfectly!”
Evelyn Is Already Getting the Hang of Family Photos
After that professional shoot came more pictures on Instagram … including this sweet one of Austin cuddling his new baby girl. She may be brand new to the world, but it seems pretty obvious that this baby already has her dad wrapped around her finger — and this could be the start of a sweet father and daughter relationship.
Austin has already shared the first photos of Gideon and Evelyn, and it looks like he’s adjusting well to his role as big brother. It’s too cute to see such a big smile on his face while he’s holding his baby sister, and according to Austin’s caption, Gideon is always asking to hold her.
So sweet!
Evelyn Loves Being Outside
Snuggly Baby
Joy Shared Her Birth Vlog
Though Joy ended up having a C-section when Gideon was born, she was able to have a VBAC with Evelyn, and she documented all of it on YouTube. Since Evy wasn’t coming out on her own, Joy had to go to the hospital to be induced — and yes, she did go for the epidural. It’s amazing to watch how strong she was through the entire birth.
Even though everyone had been talking about how much Evelyn already looked like her dad, Joy may actually be Evy’s twin. She shared this side-by-side comparison of a photo of her as a baby next to a photo of Evelyn on her Instagram Story, and it’s hard to ignore the fact that they looked so much alike at the same age!
