Jinger Duggar is looking back at one of the hardest parts of her motherhood journey.
The former reality TV star has been vocal about certain parts of her personal life, including her mental health struggles and marriage over the years. The trials of pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing her kids are not new subjects, as she has also previously detailed the toll she faced.
Jinger Duggar said her vows to Jeremy Vuolo in 2016, and they welcomed three kids thereafter: daughters Felicity and Evangeline in 2018 and 2020, and a son, Finnegan, in 2025.
Duggar reflected on the wave of postpartum depression that hit her when she least expected it after giving birth to her second daughter in 2020. She shared that after having Evangeline, she had postpartum depression, a condition she seemingly did not have after becoming a first-time mom.
“It was a little bit later than I expected, too, and I was still nursing her, but I was so down. I could not figure out up from down, couldn’t clean my house, couldn’t get up much,” she said, explaining the effects of the serious mood disorder during an episode of her podcast.
The mom of three expressed gratitude to her friends who noticed the symptoms and advised her to get help. “That was really good,” she said of the advice to seek help, adding, “but there have been so many seasons and trials [after] that I did not expect.”
Later in the conversation with her sister, Joy-Anne Duggar, she explained that the tough patch helped her lean on God more and trust him even when life throws her a curveball. “Everything that He allows is for a reason, and it’s working something in me,” the former reality TV star declared.
The TLC Alum Admitted Reconsidering Nursing With Baby No.3
On an April 2025 episode of the same podcast, Duggar got candid about her postpartum experience, which hit while she was nursing Evangeline. She said that because of that “hard” phase in her motherhood journey, she had second thoughts about nursing Finnegan, whom she welcomed about 4 years later.
“I think postpartum for me with Evie was hard. It was really hard. Once I think I was about 14 months or so, I was still nursing, and it was something that I just felt, like, I was in a dark hole, and I didn’t know what to do,” she revealed on the podcast.
Duggar also noted that her PPD fears contributed to why they have a 4-year age gap between their second daughter and son. She admitted that she was not ready to go through that “dark place” she struggled so hard to get over.
The mom of three was ready to opt for pumping instead of breastfeeding, but was ultimately able to sort through some of her complicated feelings once she made the connection between her mental health and nursing.
More From The Blast
Jinger Duggar Also Struggled With Her Body Image
A few months ago, the TV personality answered followers’ questions on her Instagram Stories, during which she opened up about one of the struggles of her pregnancy journey. An internet user asked Duggar for advice on dealing with body image struggles both during and after pregnancy.
“Yes, I’ve struggled with body image quite a bit, and honestly, pregnancy and postpartum have been some of the harder seasons for me in that area,” the mom of three admitted before answering the question.
She then told her followers that she navigated that hurdle by eating healthy, giving herself some grace, and establishing a workout routine, even if that meant simply taking walks.
PEOPLE reported that the mom of three stressed that although the struggles were real, she “would never trade it for the world because bringing these sweet babies into the world is always so worth it in the end.”
The Couple Opened Up About Raising Their Children
Duggar and her husband Vuolo previously talked about a pattern they are following as they raise their three children. Even though the “19 Kids and Counting” alum does not agree with some of her family’s values, religious teachings, and practices she was brought up with, there is one Duggar tradition she has chosen not to part ways with.
The 32-year-old noted that her family did not allow them to watch Disney films when they were growing up; instead, they watched Christian and Bible stories. She further explained that, as Christians, they were taught to avoid magic.
When it comes to her own kids, Duggar says she tries to limit screen time to a minimum but still plans to let her children watch some of the “slower-paced” older Disney movies, like Curious George or PBS’s Franklin. As reported by The Blast, she will also allow her kids to watch Mickey Mouse and other mostly harmless, magic-themed shows.
Jinger Duggar Went Through A People-Pleasing Phase
In her 2025 book “People Pleaser: Breaking Free from the Burden of Imaginary Expectations,” the reality TV icon penned her personal battles with people-pleasing behaviors she has battled with since her teenage years.
She disclosed that the behavior metamorphosed into self-imposed isolation over time. Duggar shared in an interview with PEOPLE how she got “so consumed with what everyone around me thought about me.” It began to seep into her relationships, causing her to reject potential friends and partners because she was worried about how the other person perceived her.
Duggar also revealed that she spent her years as a teen wondering whether some of her friends would like her because she was “too fat” and they were “skinnier than [her].” This then spiraled into an eating disorder she dealt with and overcame thanks to the support of her friends and family.
Shoutout to Jinger Duggar for facing and overcoming her challenges!
