Sharing multiple sonograms in a March 7 Instagram post, the 32-year-old wrote, “Halfway to holding you in our arms!”
But before long, the news quickly sparked criticism online, prompting the former TLC star to defend the decision to grow her large family.
“Honestly, I have heard a lot of rude and unnecessary comments but generally those like, ‘Oh you’re breeding like rabbits,’ or, ‘You’re crazy,’ or, ‘Are you trying to follow in your mom’s footsteps, are you going to have 19?’” Jessa said in a May 8 YouTube video. “I’m not going to have 19 kids, but honestly, my mom is my hero.”
In fact, Jessa went on to gush about how Michelle, who shares 19 kids with Jim Bob Duggar, has inspired her in many areas of her life.
“I love her, I adore her,” she continued. “She is my role model in so many ways. Her patience, her love, her gentleness, her kind speech. She is the golden example of a mother in my opinion. So, when people say, ‘Do you want to be like your mother?’ I’m like, ‘Yes please Lord help me.’”