Jinger Duggar Vuolo is candidly sharing her breastfeeding anxieties following the birth of her son, Finnegan, on March 29.
In an episode of her podcast with husband Jeremy Vuolo, released shortly after Finnegan’s arrival, Jinger discussed her postpartum experiences with her two older children, Evangeline, 4, and Felicity, 6.
The reality star revealed that after her challenging postpartum experience with Evangeline, she wasn’t ready to get pregnant again for several years. “Postpartum for me with Evie was hard. It was really hard,” Jinger shared in the April 2 podcast episode, recorded before Finnegan’s birth. “Once I think I was about 14 months, I was still nursing, and it was something that I just felt like I was in a dark hole and didn’t know what to do.”
Jinger explained that after speaking with friends, she decided to stop nursing, which helped her overcome the difficult period. “When I did, I felt like I came out of this dark cloud that I’d been in for so long,” she said.
Jeremy also noticed a positive shift in his wife once she stopped breastfeeding. “I was so overwhelmed with nursing, I was like, ‘I’m just done,’” Jinger recalled.
Although the weaning process was challenging, Jinger’s support system, including friends and her pediatrician, helped her navigate it smoothly.
Despite this, the experience left Jinger with lingering fears about breastfeeding her new baby. “Even with this pregnancy, there’s a certain fear that comes back, that starts to creep in,” she admitted. “I never want to be back there again.”
Jinger has communicated with Jeremy about signs to look for if she begins to feel overwhelmed again. She remains hopeful about breastfeeding but is prepared to pump if necessary to avoid slipping back into postpartum depression. “Of course I want to be able to nurse this baby, but if that doesn’t happen, even if I need to pump instead, then that’s what I need to do to … not go back into that dark place,” she said.
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