Joy-Anna Duggar Reveals Her Kids’ Sweet Reaction to Baby No. 4: ‘They’ve Been Praying’

Joy-Anna Duggar’s three children are already eagerly preparing for their newest role: big siblings.

The Counting On alum, 28, revealed on Thursday, Sept. 3, how her children reacted after learning that she and husband Austin Forsyth are expecting their fourth baby.

 

Joy-Anna shared a video capturing the moment she and Forsyth, 32, broke the pregnancy news to their children — sons Gideon, 8, and Gunner, 3, and daughter Evelyn, 5.

According to Joy-Anna, the children were thrilled to discover that their family would soon be growing.

“They are going to make the best big siblings,” she wrote alongside the video. “They’ve been praying for a baby brother or sister for a long time and since finding out they have been talking to & about their baby non-stop 🥹.”

In the video, Joy-Anna and Austin remind their children about something they had previously told them: that if they wanted another baby in the family, they could pray to God.

“You know how Mama and Papa told you guys, ‘If we want a new baby we have to ask God for them?’ ” Joy-Anna says.

She then delivers the news that immediately gets the children excited.

“Well, God answered our prayers,” she tells them.

 

Two of the children can be heard laughing before asking whether the baby will be a boy or a girl.

“We don’t know,” Joy-Anna responds. “I have a baby growing in my belly right now.”

Austin then joins in, telling the children, “Lord willing, we’re going to have another baby.”

The sweet family moment came just one day after Joy-Anna and Austin publicly announced the pregnancy.

On Wednesday, Sept. 2, the couple shared a series of photographs on Instagram revealing that they are expecting their fourth child, with the baby due in 2027.

Joy-Anna appeared in a long white dress that highlighted her growing baby bump. In one photograph, Austin placed his hands beneath her belly while smiling down at her. Another showed the couple holding sonogram images and leaning in for a kiss.

“Coming 2027!! So much joy, so much excitement, and so much love for this little one already. God knew we needed you 🤍,” they wrote in their announcement.

The new baby will join Gideon, Evelyn and Gunner, giving the couple four children.

 

The pregnancy also comes years after Joy-Anna experienced a heartbreaking loss. In July 2025, she spoke publicly about suffering a miscarriage at 20 weeks in 2019 during an appearance on her sister Jinger Duggar’s podcast, The Jinger and Jeremy Podcast.

Joy-Anna became emotional while recalling the experience and said that, looking back, she remembered having a feeling that something might not be right.

“I guess looking back, I did have kind of a gut feeling of something may not be right,” she said. “But also I’m like, ‘I don’t want to over-exaggerate.’ I don’t want to read into things… I just remember feeling so numb leaving the ultrasound.”

She also spoke about the importance of having support from her family during such a painful period.

“I’m so thankful that I had [my mom] there that had been through it before,” Joy-Anna said. “And I had a really good support team, but even with all of that, it was extremely difficult.”

Now, Joy-Anna and Austin are entering a very different chapter as they prepare to welcome another baby.

For their three children, the excitement has already begun. After years of praying for a younger brother or sister, Gideon, Evelyn and Gunner appear more than ready to meet the newest member of their family.