Why Abbie Duggar Is Struggling With Her First Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be the best of time and/or the worst of time for any mother-to-be, and it sounds as though Counting On star John David Duggar's wife Abbie isn't having it easy. In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, the TLC stars revealed that Abbie spent the first seven weeks of her pregnancy with severe morning sickness, also known as hyperemesis gravidarum. "... she was hospitalized a couple times. We made multiple visits to the ER for dehydration. ... She couldn't eat, pretty much, or drink, or anything. So she was actually on IVs and had IVs at home. So that was a pretty scary time," John David explained.

While between 70 to 80 percent of pregnant people experience some form of morning sickness, the American Pregnancy Association says elevated hormone levels can also trigger extreme morning sickness, also called hyperemesis gravidarum. The Association says symptoms first appear between 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy and could peak between 9 to 13 weeks. Mild cases can be treated with a diet few tweaks, but more severe cases require hospital stays where the patient can receive fluid and nutrition through a drip.

Throughout this ordeal, John David has had his priorities straight. "I keep her water filled up, and her snacks for her," he explained. "I keep her eating and just comfortable. Anything I can get for her, I try to. I run to the store, whatever she needs, just keep her as comfortable as possible when she's feeling bad," he said. "He's cooked for me. He's cleaned. He's just been an angel," Abbie confirmed.

The couple had known each other for several years before they fell in love and began courting Duggar-style in June 2018. It wasn't long after that (a month!) before John David, who is a trained pilot, proposed to Abbie Bennett (a nurse) in an airplane hangar (via People). The couple announced their pregnancy in August, and later revealed they're expecting a baby girl. The newest Duggar baby is due to arrive in January (via Romper).