Amy Duggar King is standing her ground about the timing of growing her family.
The 34-year-old niece of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar posted a screenshot of a message on Instagram accusing her of being a “little behind” and needing to “pick up the pace” on having more children. In a lengthy caption, King addressed the unsolicited advice.
“Whew! Ok..I'm just going to leave this here... I tried so hard not to post this . But . I literally had to speak my mind! ( when have I not?),” she began her "rant," in her own words. “This is a message I received yesterday. I think what really got to me was the fact that this total stranger apparently knows my body so well!? and literally tells me that my body is ok to produce more (children).”
"First off I'm flabbergasted that someone would have the audacity to type these words to anyone!!" the former "19 Kids and Counting" star continued. "I mean. Who in their right mind says ' I think your body is ready to pop out more kids' to a total stranger?!🙄 This is for all the 'Karen's out there.’”
She explained that her body went through a lot giving birth via cesarean section to her first child, Daxton Ryan, with husband of five years, Dillon King, in 2019.
“Yes of course it was worth it. But I still need to heal,” she explained. “C- sections are no joke and vertigo is/ was very hard on me. I still get dizzy sometimes but I'm getting stronger everyday.”
King emphasized that she's also exhausted from the coronavirus outbreak and its effect on her business.
“This pandemic has been so rough on so many people and my business has taken a hit just like so many others,” she wrote. “I need to be on my A game. I need to give it my all . I need to stay creative and focus on 3130. Children are such a blessing, but I can't imagine being pregnant again right now. I'd be unmotivated, emotional, stressed out and not in a good head space and that's ok to admit.”
She described herself as a “very hands on mom,” who doesn’t “want to miss a thing” during her son’s toddler phase.
“A women's body is not a factory!!” she added. “Yes our bodies can do miraculous things! But I hate that phrase 'pop out' umm. No. It's WORK. And our bodies go through alot!”
While the Duggar family is known for its size, King isn’t sure that life is for her, especially after growing up as an only child.
“Some women are designed not to have large families. I am one of them,” she shared. “Too much noise, chaos , it's just not for me. But kudos to those mama's who do! God gave you super human strength.”
King ended her caption with a plea: “It's exhausting always being compared to other people. I'm in my thirties now, away from that show and I'm so over it. It just has to stop.”
Online commentary aside, King has been enjoying life as a mother of one. Earlier this month, she put together an astronaut-themed party to celebrate Daxton's first birthday.
"Oct 9th 2019 changed my entire world!" she wrote on Instagram. "To the c-section , the vertigo for 8 months , the breastfeeding, the late sleepless nights to the greasy hair, and the giggles ...my heart skips a beat every time he wraps his hand around my finger, his beautiful red hair!! We tell everyone it's Heaven sent!"