Entertainment

Joy-Anna Duggar's First Baby Is Here & Their Name Is So Sweet

by Gillian Walters

The Duggar family just got a bit bigger. On Friday, Joy-Anna Duggar gave birth to her first child, according to People. And needless to say, Counting On fans are *thrilled* about the exciting news. So, what adorable details did Joy-Anna and her husband, Austin Forsyth, share about their little one? Buckle up for a load of cuteness.

If you checked out the Duggar family's social media accounts this past weekend, you might have noticed something a bit ... unusual. Simply put, the Duggars went completely dark on social media over the weekend. Yep, out of the family's 19 kids, not one of them took to Instagram or Facebook in the days following Joy-Anna's Thursday due date. This silence was most atypical for Jill and Jessa Duggar, as they regularly share updates about their young kids on social media. Of course, fans couldn't help but wonder if the family was gearing up for a big baby announcement from Joy-Anna. Well, it looks like fans had the right idea because Joy-Anna just delivered (see what I did there?) the exciting news.

Joy-Anna and Forsyth are now the proud parents of a baby boy named Gideon Martyn Forsyth, People reported on Monday. “We are blessed beyond measure with the arrival of our son, Gideon Martyn Forsyth,” Forsyth and Joy-Anna told the outlet in an official statement. “Looking at our child for the first time was such an incredible moment! God is so good, and we are so thankful.”

As for the birth details, Gideon was born at 3:39 p.m., measuring 22 inches long and weighing 10 lbs., 3 oz.

Although Joy-Anna and Forsyth have yet to share private snaps of Gideon to social media, fans are already abuzz about the new addition on the 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On Reddit forums. "Awww what a cutie," one fan gushed. "That is an adorable name," another person added.

Others couldn't help but wonder if Joy-Anna gave birth at home or in a hospital. A fan speculated:

I like the name. And the bassinet the baby is in in the one picture definitely looks like a hospital bassinet. And the blankets in it are also hospital blankets so I'm assuming hospital. I wonder if it was planned or she ended up there.

"I hope it was a C-section for her sake. Ouch," someone else said.

Of course, this is all just speculation. Until Joy-Anna confirms details of the birth to fans, the precise method of Gideon's entry into the world will remain unclear!

What is clear, however, is that the baby's name pays homage to his dad, Austin. Apparently, Gideon shares the same middle name (Martyn) as Austin. A few Counting On sleuths pointed out this sweet similarity when discussing the moniker. "Hey, a decent first name! Interested to hear why they chose it," one fan said. "Not surprised at all the middle name is a tribute to Austin." Someone else chimed in: "Gideon is trending lately."

Baby name and birth details aside, I think it's also worth pointing out that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have a lot of grandsons at the moment. Right now, the total number of grandsons is eight (yes, I included Kendra's baby boy on the way). As for granddaughters, the headcount is at two. It will be interesting to see how Jinger Duggar will tip the scales when she announces the sex of her first baby. And who knows, maybe Jinger will announce the little one's sex before the birth like her older sister, Jill, has done in the past with her own kids.

Lastly, I can't help but notice that Joy-Anna and Forsyth made their baby announcement on the same day of Counting On's season 7 premiere. Very savvy, right? And if you're wondering when Joy-Anna's baby will make its debut on the show, I think it's a safe bet you'll have to wait for season 8. But don't fret — it's likely the Duggars will keep you busy with more baby news until Gideon is ready to make his first television appearance.

Check out Romper's new video series, Bearing The Motherload, where disagreeing parents from different sides of an issue sit down with a mediator and talk about how to support (and not judge) each other’s parenting perspectives. New episodes air Mondays on Facebook.