Jessa Seewald Announces Pregnancy 3 Weeks After Jill Duggar Gives Birth, Reveals Due Date, Hints at Baby's Gender

Apr 21, 2015 03:04 PM EDT

19 Kids and Counting Jessa Seewald
Facebook/Jessa Seewald

After months of speculation from fans, Jessa Seewald and her husband, Ben, of the hit TLC show "19 Kids and Counting" have confirmed they are expecting their first child, just a few weeks after Jill Dillard and her husband, Derick, welcomed their firstborn into the world.

On Tuesday, Jessa took to Instagram to make the exciting announcement.

"Ben and I are so excited to announce that we're expecting a baby!!! she captioned a sweet photo of herself and her husband. The baby's due date--November 1--is particularly special for the young couple, as it will mark their one-year wedding anniversary.

According to People Magazine, who first broke the news, Jessa is already entering her second trimester. While the baby's gender has not yet been revealed, fans have speculated she may be having a boy as she was seen shopping for male baby clothes earlier this week. 

"I am feeling pretty good," the 22 year old said. "The morning sickness was different every day. It's getting better, but I'm still hanging on to the heartburn. And I don't have any super-serious food cravings."

Jessa explained that she broke the news to Ben, 19, after taking a pregnancy test early one Sunday morning.

"I said, 'Hey Ben, guess what? Yeah, you're a dad.' We couldn't believe it," Jessa says. "We are so excited. We have started talking baby names. It is one of those things that is so special, picking a name for a baby."

Of course, the young couple say they are excited to raise their child in a Christian home, and are already seeking counsel from wiser, more experienced parents.

"We are trying to take it one day at a time," Ben explained.  "We pray every night that God helps us be good parents. We are getting advice from other parents."

The pair's announcement comes shortly after Jessa's older sister, Jill, and her husband Derick welcomed their first child, Israel David, into the world.

Because she just went through a pregnancy--and a 70 hour labor--Jill now "has all the knowledge and training," Jessa told the news source.

"I am not comparing, not worrying about what could happen, we are just getting prepared," she said."I think having this first year together to share our lives, just the two of us, has been special. We are definitely excited to be parents."

Jessa and Ben were married in a big wedding ceremony back on Nov. 1, which was attended by at least 1,000 guests. Since then, pregnancy rumors have continued to circulate, especially since Jill announced her pregnancy just a few weeks after her own wedding on June 21.

The Seewald's child will be the sixth grandchild of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. In addition to Jill and Derick's child, the eldest Duggar, Josh, currently has three children with wife Anna named Mackynzie (5), Michael James (3), and Marcus Anthony (1), and they are expecting to have a new baby girl in July this year.  

Tonight's episode of their TLC hit show 19 Kids and Counting, airing at 9 p.m., will feature a special message from the couple for fans.