Joy-Anna Duggar, 'Counting On' star, further along pregnancy than 18 weeks?

A promotional picture of Joy-Anna Duggar and husband Austin Forsyth for the TLC show, "Counting On." Facebook/countingontlc

Talk about Joy-Anna Duggar's pregnancy continues to grow louder. In a recent update about her condition, Joy-Anna showed a picture of her growing baby bump. This photo only intensified the rumors that she got pregnant before getting married to Austin Forsyth.

Last August, the stars of the reality show "Counting On" excitedly announced that a baby is on the way. The couple got married three months prior to the announcement in a romantic church wedding. On Oct. 2, Joy-Anna uploaded a photo on her and Austin's Instagram account that showed her growing belly.

The 19-year-old wrote in the caption for her photo, "Can't wait to meet our baby! I got to feel it kick for the first time a few days ago!!! Soooooo amazing!!! It's already about the size of a ball pepper and weighs around half a pound!!!"

Joy-Anna and Austin got hitched in May and fans have been speculating that their little bundle of joy is now around 18 weeks. However, based on Joy-Anna's Instagram picture, many believe that the young reality star could be further along her pregnancy.

A doctor who has never met Joy-Anna personally, Dr. Sean Henry, told Radar Online, "She looks about 24-26 weeks pregnant. People start feeling fetal movement between 19-21 weeks. She looks bigger than 20 weeks."

The incessant talk about Joy-Anna's early prenatal period began when they moved their wedding to an earlier date. The couple's wedding was initially scheduled for this October, but the young couple moved it to May.

Insiders have said that if Joy-Anna got pregnant out of wedlock, it could affect the Duggar family's conservative image. As pious Christians, the famous family has always believed in abstaining from any sexual interaction before getting married.

Moreover, physical contact during the courting stage is strictly forbidden. The only thing that Joy-Anna and Austin could do back when they still at that stage was a side hug. Holding hands, front hugs and kissing were not allowed, too.

The young couple admitted that they broke some of these courtship rules. At that time, the now-husband-and-wife believed holding hands and unsupervised time together were harmless.

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