19 kids and counting
Ben Seewald and Jessa Duggar (center) with her mother Michelle Duggar in a scene from Season 9 of TLC's "19 Kids and Counting." TLC

It might be a while before “19 Kids and Counting” viewers get to see Jessa Duggar and her husband, Ben Seewald, with a baby. Following months of viewer speculation that Jessa, 22, was with child, the reality star and her husband couple spoke out about their plans to start a family last month. They said they are planning to adopt, but their plans are rumored to have recently hit a snag.

According to a report from the Duggar Family Blog, Jessa and Ben, both 19, have been forced to put the adoption on hold. While the couple are married — they wed in Bentonville, Arkansas, Nov. 2 — the report suggests that the brevity of their union is a speed bump in the process. “The Seewalds researched adoption but discovered that most agencies require a couple to be married for two years before adopting,” reported the blog.

The Inquisitr elaborated on the report, noting, “Jessa will have to get pregnant if she and Ben decide that they want to become parents in the near future. Because children are so important to the Duggars, it’s hard to imagine Jessa and Ben waiting two years or longer to adopt their first child."

Jessa and Ben last spoke out about their adoption plans in the March 2 issue of People magazine. “If God blesses us with biological kids of our own, it’s not going to quench our desire to adopt. … We hope to adopt a lot of kids,” Jessa said. “Kids are important,” Ben added.

While some “19 Kids and Counting” viewers may be disappointed with the wait for Jessa and Ben’s family, they do have something to look forward to. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s eldest child, Josh Duggar, 26, recently revealed that the family will be making a "big announcement" on Tuesday.

While it's unclear exactly what the announcement might entail, some fans have shared predictions. Since it was Josh who made the statement, many expect that the family will reveal the gender of his wife Anna’s fourth child. Others have suggested that the announcement might also include the big reveal that Anna, 26, is expecting twins, a rumor first circulated by the Duggar Family Blog after the couple announced they were expecting in December.

But the Duggars' announcement may not be about babies at all. Some viewers have guessed that a spinoff program featuring Josh, Anna, and three children, Mackynzie, 5, Michael, 3, and Marcus, 1 , could be in the works.

Rumors of a show featuring the Duggars' cousin and co-star Amy Duggar have also been circulating. In a recent interview with Radar Online, Amy, 28, said she would be open to filming a spinoff with her boyfriend Dillon King. "If they film my real life in Fayetteville with my boyfriend, yeah we would do that,” the aspiring singer shared, adding, “It would be a different type of show.”

What do you think the Duggar family’s big announcement will be? Sound off with your predictions in the comments section below! Episodes 4 and 5 of “19 Kids and Counting” Season 9 premiere on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST on TLC.

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