Pregnant Jessa Seewald Shares 25-Week Bump Photo as She Grieves Lauren Duggar's Miscarriage

As pregnant Jessa (Duggar) Seewald is excitedly preparing to meet her third baby this spring, she’s also grieving the loss of her sister-in-law’s unborn child.

More than a week after Josiah Duggar and his wife Lauren Duggar opened up about the heartbreaking miscarriage they suffered in October, Seewald revealed that she and Lauren shared the same due date.

“#25weeks Pregnancy— such a precious gift, and definitely not something I take for granted,” Seewald, who is expecting baby No. 3 with husband Ben Seewald, captioned a photo of her 25-week baby bump on Thursday.

“As we look forward to meeting our baby, we’re also feeling an exceptional amount of grief over my brother Josiah and sister-in-law Lauren’s loss of their baby. Lauren and I shared the exact same due date,” Seewald, 26, revealed.

She continued, “We have cried so many tears, both together and apart. My heart aches for them. I weep when I think of how difficult it must be for her to see me pregnant in the very stages where she would’ve been— right up through the baby’s due date. And yet, even in a flood of emotions, there are perplexities of the human heart that may cause us to want to clam up or remain silent through such a trial. Because of this, many people feel like they’re walking this road alone.”

Seewald also praised Lauren, 19, for her “graciousness” when people have been “unknowingly insensitive” with their comments about the loss.

“It is true that speaking for the sake of filling silence is not needful and is often hurtful. I’ve watched Lauren converse with people who have been unknowingly insensitive, and I am amazed by her graciousness. I’ve heard some try to give reasons or explanations, not realizing that their unsolicited opinions might be very painful, like salt to a wound,” wrote Seewald. “One might never know the tears you cry at night as a result of their words flowing back through your head. Often times, ‘I love you and I’m praying for you’ along with a hug are quite sufficient.”

The Counting On star then suggested that “we do not need to fill every silence with words.”

“But at the same time, conversations of lost dreams should never feel suppressed. Silence can stifle healing, but a carefully chosen word may work to help bring life and healing to the soul. We must all reinforce the fact that emotions over a life lost are not something to be resisted,” said Seewald. “They’re not wrong, and you should never think that for a moment.”

Concluding her post, Seewald also addressed the women who have experienced the loss of a child — including Lauren — in a series of text posts.

“If you’ve lost a child, know this— YOU ARE A MAMA,” wrote Seewald, “and you will never cease to think about and cherish the life you carried. So no matter how hard or difficult the journey, please don’t feel guilt over this.”

Earlier this month, Josiah and Lauren opened up about their miscarriage in a PEOPLE exclusive sneak peek from the new season of Counting On.

“Lauren and I were actually preparing for a trip to go to a friend’s wedding,” said Josiah, 22. “She started feeling really sick and started noticing some different things. Mrs. Swanson was there, so she was able to help her out. I didn’t know exactly what was going on.”

“I wasn’t feeling well,” recalled Lauren, breaking down in tears. “I was cramping really, really bad, which was quite strange because I normally don’t. I was thinking maybe I had something that had gluten in it. It was late at night and I went to use the restroom and there was the baby. Gone. I couldn’t believe it and I was hoping it wasn’t true.”

The couple further reflected on the miscarriage in a post shared on their Instagram account on Feb. 11, when they shared why they decided to open up about the tragic news.

“Many of yall don’t know this, but a couple of months ago we found out we were expecting, however, soon after we miscarried,” they wrote. “At first, we kind of wanted to just stay quiet about the news, but knew that since everyone is anticipating for us to announce that were having a baby, we felt like it was time that we told everyone that our first and only baby is in heaven. It is hard to hear when people asks us if we are expecting, when we only recently lost our baby. You can imagine it was devastating to the both of us.”

The couple, who got married on June 30, continued, “Our expectations of setting up a baby room, hearing the heart beat, feeling the baby’s first kick in mommys tummy, holding our little one and getting to to see our precious baby were – Shattered. Gone. Right before our eyes. Even though our sweet child is no longer with us, it is such a comfort to know that one day we will get to see our baby in Heaven!”

“To the ones who have gone through this, I know your pain. It’s real and terrible. I just want you to know you don’t have to suffer in pain alone. It is not your fault. We greatly appreciate your prayers as we go through this hard time!” they concluded.