Jessa, Ben and Their Brood: Making a (Diaper) Mountain out of a Mold House

[Sunnybobs]

Ha ha Fred's and Ethels have started making a comeback over here. I know 2 baby Ethels, Fred is really popular as is Stanley and Betty and Edith!

[Fuzzysox]

*gasp* They just might name the baby Guinn if it's a girl. Oh that would make MEchelle's head explode. Clean up in the TTH stat

[Cherrio]

How about Funderlla?

[Joe Jitsu913]

Ha ha Fred's and Ethels have started making a comeback over here. I know 2 baby Ethels, Fred is really popular as is Stanley and Betty and Edith!

I would kill my parents for naming me Fred/Ethel/Edith/Betty etc. Of course, of course I already have a old fashioned name, not as bad as Ethel, though.

[GEML]

We were fortunate our grandmothers had lively, classic names. Easy call!

Isn't Ben's mother Guinivere? That is SUCH a lovely non-Fundy name!

[Foghorn Leghorn]

It's very very rare to have twins with your first pregnancy. (IVF excluded, and yes, I know your aunt's cousin's daughter in law did, but is still RARE when you see the stats.). However, both Jill and Jessa should worry about the second pregnancy....Anna, not so much.

 

I have googled stats about twins and first pregnancy, I can't find any indicating it is rare so which site are you using?  My sister had first pregnancy twins without intervention.

[GEML]

It's been awhile since I've read about it, but it's something from medical journals, which aren't accessible from Google. Basically the way it works is this - women's ovulation history is very sporadic when they are young. They rately release more than one egg before thirty because the body still is testing the mechanisms, so to speak. However, women throughout history have almost always had a baby before that, which smooths over their ovulation and if they have a genetic history towards releasing more than one egg, they will after a first pregnancy (or miscarriage) or later in their ovulation age.

So we are seeing more first babies/twins, as women have delayed childbirth.

But this certainly wouldn't apply to the Duggar girls. They are more on the older cycles, where their ovulation would be more sporadic, and it would extremely uncommon for them to have twins out of the gate.

But the girls in that family are likely to have twins, given that Michelle had two sets. Even triplets can't be ruled out.

[Seashell Lover]

If she has twins she will really stick it to Dilly.

[Absolom]

Women naturally are more likely to ovulate two or more eggs as they age.  That simply makes it more likely an older woman will have twins whether it's her first or fifth pregnancy.  I hope Jessa and Ben are just having fun with the viewers and don't have twins now and possibly never.  I hold out hope that pregnancy and child rearing is going to be 10 times harder than they expect and they'll find a way to slow it way down.  I'm still an eternal optimist.  

[Readalot]

It's been awhile since I've read about it, but it's something from medical journals, which aren't accessible from Google. Basically the way it works is this - women's ovulation history is very sporadic when they are young. They rately release more than one egg before thirty because the body still is testing the mechanisms, so to speak. However, women throughout history have almost always had a baby before that, which smooths over their ovulation and if they have a genetic history towards releasing more than one egg, they will after a first pregnancy (or miscarriage) or later in their ovulation age.

So we are seeing more first babies/twins, as women have delayed childbirth.

But this certainly wouldn't apply to the Duggar girls. They are more on the older cycles, where their ovulation would be more sporadic, and it would extremely uncommon for them to have twins out of the gate.

But the girls in that family are likely to have twins, given that Michelle had two sets. Even triplets can't be ruled out.

I can see that. My first pregnancy at 27 was twins. Unfortunately I miscarried early 2nd trimester. There is no family history of twins.

[Ilovemylabs]

I love the name Sophia. So pretty. I don't know anyone with the name Sophia under the age of forty and that makes me sad. It's one of my favorite names and I hope it isn't going to be phased out any time soon.

Sophia is currently the most popular name for girls, according to an article I just saw.  Jacob for boys.  My soon to be born granddaughter will be named Sophia, but I'm not so keen on the name.  I will love her no matter what, of course!

[Joe Jitsu913]

I'm guessing if it's a boy they will name the baby 'Carter Benjamin ' or 'Camden James'. If it's a girl, possibly 'Lillian Grace' or 'Brooklyn Faith'.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Joe Jitsu913

[RazzleberryPie]

I love the name Sophia. So pretty. I don't know anyone with the name Sophia under the age of forty and that makes me sad. It's one of my favorite names and I hope it isn't going to be phased out any time soon.

I think it's been #1 for a few years and in the top 10 for maybe 10? Funny thing about names cycling/recycling in popularity, my mother swears when my sister and I were born (both in early 30s), that she suggested Sophia, Olivia and Isabella, and EVERYONE vetoed her, because they sound like Old Italian Nonna/Grannies who wear black scarves and spit at the Evil Eye (we're Italian BTW), especially Sophie - hello, Sophia Petrillo on the Golden Girls and Olivia on the Waltons were old fashioned.

[JenCarroll]

Sophia is currently the most popular name for girls, according to an article I just saw. Jacob for boys. My soon to be born granddaughter will be named Sophia, but I'm not so keen on the name. I will love her no matter what, of course!

I'm sure not only will you love your granddaughter, you'll probably come to love the name too. :-)

I honestly can't decide if I think Benessa will go for something trendy or not. It can be irritating to have one of the most popular names, where you're never the only one in your class, but on the upside you're unlikely to get picked on much. Since they were both homeschooled, they may not have given much thought to that, and I guess it won't matter much for their kids either. (I was given the name Jennifer just as it became popular, and shortly before they started pre-printing the birth certificates with it, lol.) Whatever they choose, chances are good that I'll like it better than "Israel."

Edited April 29, 2015 by JenCarroll

[Wellfleet]

I think it's been #1 for a few years and in the top 10 for maybe 10? Funny thing about names cycling/recycling in popularity, my mother swears when my sister and I were born (both in early 30s), that she suggested Sophia, Olivia and Isabella, and EVERYONE vetoed her, because they sound like Old Italian Nonna/Grannies who wear black scarves and spit at the Evil Eye (we're Italian BTW), especially Sophie - hello, Sophia Petrillo on the Golden Girls and Olivia on the Waltons were old fashioned.

 

My mom was born in 1932 - she told me half the girls she knew grewing up were Helens, Bettys, Barbaras, Joans, Shirleys and Dorothys.

[JenCarroll]

My mom was born in 1932 - she told me half the girls she knew grewing up were Helens, Bettys, Barbaras, Joans, Shirleys and Dorothys.

LOL

My mother is Dorothy and my MIL is Joan -- both born in the 1930's also.

[Sew Sumi]

I guessed twins a few pages back because of how young and fit she was, and that she was already showing.

 

I agree with Mrs.Jumbo that the names of Faith, Hope and Charity are likely.

Hey! I was the first one to rattle off the Virtue names! :p

[Rhondinella]

I had a friend in high school who was the son of a Church of God (sort of modern Pentecostal, charismatic, Jim and Tammy Faye Baker type of church) minister. They only had three kids in the family. This was the late 90s, but  they lived in a really nice two-story brick home (owned by the church) and had weekly housekeeping and lawncare provided by church members. His mom's job was 'ministry partner,' which meant she followed his dad around and the church provided volunteers for child care. His mom and dad both drove (church owned) Cadillas, and when he and his siblings turned 16, some church member 'donated' leased cars to them. He had a Mustang convertible at one point. The church provided a clothing allowance to the mother and father, and they had very nice tailored suits that they usually picked up on multiple church conference trips every year. They were always going to New Orleans, NY, Orlando, Anaheim, Bahamas, etc., for ministry conferences, and always shopped a ton. Every time they'd take a trip, plus every Mother's Day/Father's Day/Easter/Christmas/Pastor's Appreciation Day/Birthday, theyd get a cash love offering from the church members (pass the plate), plus a gift from the church itself.  Not to mention every single Sunday morning and evening, they were treated to dinner by some member, and people constantly brought meals or desserts by the parsonage.

 

 

As someone deep on the inside of a church I can assure you that this is NOT typical.  Not saying it never happens, obviously. But we shouldn't assume that every ministry position has these kinds of perks.  Most full-time ministers I know are barely making it, unless they pastor a really large church with lots of money. So, just saying, it's not like you could go into ministry COUNTING on this kind of lifestyle.  Unless you were stupid. Which Bin is.  So . . . nevermind.

[Rhondinella]

Giving your choices for baby names is fine.  Discussing the popularity and history of particular baby names and how they are spelled is probably off topic, so let's avoid that, OK?

 

As for speculating that she's having twins based on her size, I confess I'm not a huge fan of that because of the icky implications of "oh my gosh she's soooooo big; only fat cows would be that big at this point of pregnancy, unless she's having twins."  It's just . . . gross and not necessary. The last people who need to be fat-shamed are pregnant women.  Besides, all we have to go on is photos which can be deceiving.  I'm not necessarily banning this topic, just asking us to be sure we're keeping it in the realm of "speculation," not certainty based upon your experience, ok?  That would make me less queasy.  Thanks.

[buddabing]

Are these two kids really as dumb as they seem? I feel like there is nothing inside those heads but air.

[doodlebug]

Twins are not 'very rare' in younger moms.  They are more likely to occur in moms over 35 because they're more likely to release more than one egg at a time, but they are not rare in anyone.  The risk of twins in a naturally occurring pregnancy is about 1%. 2/3 of those will be fraternal, the rest identical.  Even though Jessa's mother had two sets of fraternal twins, which are the the kind that run in families, she is only at slightly increased risk of having them than anyone else.  Even if Michelle's history resulted in doubling her chances, it's still 98% she would have a single baby.  Twinning is inherited as a multifactorial trait which means even if the girls inherit the trait, they'd have only about a 5% chance of having it occur in any of their pregnancies. 

 

The risk of twins overall has more than tripled in the past 30 years due to reproductive technology; meaning about 2/3 of them are due to medications or procedures rather than heredity.

 

I think Jessa is just leaning back and popping out her belly in true Duggar fashion; even if she is carrying twins, she would not be showing at this point in her pregnancy. 

 

While some women do not ovulate regularly in their teens, many, if not most, do.  If that were not the case, teen pregnancy wouldn't be the problem it has been. Based on the bits and pieces we've heard about the Duggars and their cycle tracking, I doubt that Jessa is one of those who doesn't ovulate regularly.  Teens who don't ovulate regularly don't have regular periods.  The vast majority of women are ovulatory and having regular periods at Jessa's age.

Edited April 29, 2015 by doodlebug

[Foghorn Leghorn]

 

Twins are not 'very rare' in younger moms.

 

Thank you!  I think we need more links to fact when posting statements.     

[yogi2014L]

As I posted with Jill, doubtful she's having twins. It's very very rare to have twins with your first pregnancy. (IVF excluded, and yes, I know your aunt's cousin's daughter in law did, but is still RARE when you see the stats.). However, both Jill and Jessa should worry about the second pregnancy....Anna, not so much.

My cousins first kids were boy-girl twins, but twins run in  her immediate family ( her 2 sisters are twins) / I had no idea it was so rare!!

 

I don't think Jessa is pregnant with twins. Just out of shape and probably eating for 2? and she wants everyone to know she is pregnant so i am sure shes sticking it out and has some bloat going on. She is also kind of thin- I have a very flat stomach and when I eat a huge meal I swear I can look as big as she does when i let it all hang out , hah. 

 

Twins would be ratings gold tho. 

[Wellfleet]

Thank you!  I think we need more links to fact when posting statements.     

 

For the most part, I think we posters are expressing our opinions or beliefs - and that's fine because it's usually made clear with an "IMO" or similar language. But when making factual or definitive statements, I agree 100% - posters should be citing sources. Or at the very least, indicating how they have come to have this information, such as doodlebug who is fully-competent to provide OB information since he/she is an OB.

Edited April 29, 2015 by Wellfleet

[graefin]

Thank you!  I think we need more links to fact when posting statements.     

Yes, or perhaps we could engage in that which the Duggars are incapable of: critical thinking. Just because someone on the Internet says it's so doesn't make it so. ;)

[BitterApple]

Someone else mentioned the Duggar girls carrying "stuck out in front" because they're short and short waisted so the baby has nowhere else to go. I think that's likely the case. It would explain why someone whose tall with a long torso like Duchess Kate barely shows in her third trimester while Jessa and Jill show large very quickly.

[doodlebug]

Someone else mentioned the Duggar girls carrying "stuck out in front" because they're short and short waisted so the baby has nowhere else to go.

 

That was me, too, LOL, but I was talking about later in pregnancy closer to term.  Jessa is expecting her first baby and looks to be in reasonably good shape, so her abs should be pretty toned.  That should prevent her from looking obviously pregnant for quite a while, usually well into her second trimester.  She is currently about 13 weeks pregnant based on her supposed Nov. 1 due date.  Her uterus isn't even at the top of her pelvis yet (above the pubic bone) since that happens around 14 weeks or so.  Even if she was carrying twins, her uterus would only be an inch or two above the pubic bone at this point.  She's just using her posture to make her look bigger than she actually is since pregnancy is the only 'accomplishment' their family recognizes and hers is helping keep the family in the public eye and on the air.  Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't stuff a towel or small pillow under her shirt to make sure anyone who even glanced at the photo would know she had a bun in the oven.  The photo is grossly exaggerated, IMO.  Most young women, especially teens, with her build would still be wearing their regular clothes and would not look pregnant at all.

Edited April 30, 2015 by doodlebug

[BitterApple]

Sorry I didn't give you proper credit doodlebug! I couldn't remember who had made the comment and I was too lazy to go back through the threads.

[bigskygirl]

Please do not ask for documentation or other type of proof about a first time pregnant woman having twins or going off topic about pregnant women having twins. This thread is about Jessa and Ben, and is not a debate forum about the chances of women having twins the first time she becomes pregnant. Also posting about how tall Jill is and personal stories about knowing someone who had twins in their first pregnancy or your own pregnancy is considered off topic. Any talk about Jill should go in her thread, and the personal pregnancy or pregnant women having twins the first time conversation should go in the Small Talk thread. Off topic posts will be edited or deleted. Please read the forum's guidelines about posting. If you have a question or concern, please send one of the mods a PM. Thank you.

[Fuzzysox]

When are they going to announce the gender?

[NikSac]

I'm guessing we'll start hearing more about the baby as soon as the fervor about the Royal birth starts to die down, which might be awhile. It'd be a good way to get themselves back into People as quickly as possible.

[JoanArc]

http://www.eonline.com/news/652904/jessa-duggar-s-pregnancy-cravings-revealed-19-kids-and-counting-star-wants-roast-beef-and-a-special-drink

 

That Arby's cup wasn't posed that way at all! I wonder how many selfies they take to get the right one?

 

I hope the Seewalds don't get a deal like the Duggars have with Chik-Fil-A

[Mrsjumbo]

I recently watched the movie "To Rome With Love". One of the storylines had a character who suddenly became famous for no reason. Reporters were following him around asking him urgent questions like "what did you have for breakfast? Was the bread toasted?" & reporting it like it was important news.

I was definitely reminded of that reading this idiotic "Jessa craves Arby's" story.

[NikSac]

http://www.eonline.com/news/652904/jessa-duggar-s-pregnancy-cravings-revealed-19-kids-and-counting-star-wants-roast-beef-and-a-special-drink

 

That Arby's cup wasn't posed that way at all! I wonder how many selfies they take to get the right one?

 

I hope the Seewalds don't get a deal like the Duggars have with Chik-Fil-A

 

Wow that was seriously obvious!  Usually they at least halfway try to make it look like a coincidental brand shot.

 

Isn't coffee kind of a no-no for pregnant women? Or has that changed?

[Potato511]

like all the names ending in an 'uh' sound (Gabriella, Mariah, Laura, ect)

Like me and my 4 sisters! We all have names ending in A ("uh") (with 3-4 syllables each)...

[CofCinci]

http://www.eonline.com/news/652904/jessa-duggar-s-pregnancy-cravings-revealed-19-kids-and-counting-star-wants-roast-beef-and-a-special-drink

 

That Arby's cup wasn't posed that way at all! I wonder how many selfies they take to get the right one?

 

I hope the Seewalds don't get a deal like the Duggars have with Chik-Fil-A

When a photo of one company (Arby's) is published by another (People) there is most likely some sort of deal in place.

 

For example, a few years ago a photo of Katherine Heigl entering a Duane Reed was posted without her permission.  She sued and they eventually settled after a large donation to her brother's charity.  Through that lawsuit, I learned about the Latham Act, which protects use of likenesses for purpose of trade.  If People publishes the "story" of Jessa craving Arby's there is a deal in place between the Seewalds - Arby's - People that is mutually beneficial.

[BitterApple]

The last time I ate at Arby's I got food poisoning. Just thinking about it now makes my stomach roil. If I ever get pregnant it will NOT be on my go-to list for food cravings.

[Seashell Lover]

Yeah Jessa we get it you are the first pregnant female who had cravings. Congrats on your achievement.

[GEML]

Limited amounts of caffeine are, at this time, considered to be ok. A jamocha shake would be fine. So would a cup of coffee. The biggest rule is moderation in all things.

[irisheyes]

Yeah Jessa we get it you are the first pregnant female who had cravings. Congrats on your achievement.

I craved Pringles and cheese in a can. So, it could be worse. I'm just shocked it wasn't the holy Chick-fil-a.

[Zahdii]

I craved Pringles and cheese in a can. So, it could be worse. I'm just shocked it wasn't the holy Chick-fil-a.

 

I think Josh and family got that one all locked up.

[RazzleberryPie]

I doubt if there's actually any real coffee, just coffee flavored syrup, in those shakes. If they don't have a product placement agreement with Arby's, then they're gunning for one. Jessa looks really pretty there.

[Skittl1321]

They could have posed the cup to make the photo look less like "look at this product placement"!

 

Amateurs...

[dillpickles]

They could have posed the cup to make the photo look less like "look at this product placement"!

Amateurs...

But how will Jessablessa make extra money to support lil' I.C Seawald?

[Skittl1321]

But how will Jessablessa make extra money to support lil' I.C Seawald?

Oh no, I still expect them to do it.

 

But the people who are best at that style of marketing do it without you even KNOWING that it is all about the product placement.

[GEML]

The Duggars really are terrible at product placement, and this is no exception. The Swiffer moment. The healthy breakfasts that Anna did. They have no ability with subtlety at all.

[Fostersmom]

Given Ben keeps making vague "it might be twins" comments/hints, it's not totally off base to speculate. Sure, it is Ben and I'm not positive he understands how babies are made, but still. 

[Wellfleet]

The Duggars really are terrible at product placement, and this is no exception. The Swiffer moment. The healthy breakfasts that Anna did. They have no ability with subtlety at all.

 

They just can't act to save their lives...  

[JoanArc]

That Arby's pic just showed as Jessa's desperation to be a mainstream figure - like a model. Not gonna happen.

[Literata]

Has it struck anyone else that Jessa's dates are not adding up?

Israel Dillard was born April 6. As another poster noted in the thread for his birth episode, Jessa's pregnancy was evident toward the end of that episode, when she would have been only two months along. And she was obviously showing on Instagram before early April.

What am I missing?