Little People, Big World alums Audrey and Jeremy Roloff are expecting their fourth child together this spring.
The former reality TV stars announced they were expecting yet again back in November 2023 and revealed Baby Roloff’s gender earlier this year.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Audrey is pregnant with her and Jeremy’s second daughter, who will join siblings Ember, Bode, and Radley.
Although Jeremy’s parents, Amy and Matt Roloff, and his fraternal twin brother, Zach Roloff, are dwarves (also called little people or LPs), he is average height, like his sister Molly and brother Jacob.
Many LPBW viewers have wondered about the possibility of Jeremy passing along the gene for dwarfism to children of his own despite being of average height.
So, is there a possibility that Jeremy and Audrey’s fourth child could be a dwarf? Let’s take a look.
Jeremy’s parents, Matt and Amy Roloff, and his twin brother, Zach Roloff, all have dwarfism.
Amy and Matt Roloff were born with different types of dwarfism: Amy, like her son, has achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism, while Matt has diastrophic dysplasia.
Achondroplasia affects one in 20,000 babies, per Boston Children’s Hospital, and while some children inherit the condition from their parents – like Zach Roloff did – 80 percent of cases are caused by a new mutation in the family.
People with achondroplasia have a 50 percent chance of passing the gene to a child. If both parents have achondroplasia, the percentage remains the same, with a 25 percent chance that the child will be average height and a 25 percent chance the child will inherit both abnormal genes from their parents, which typically isn’t compatible with life.
Last year, Audrey explained the possible scenarios to her Instagram followers during an IG Story Q&A.
Audrey explained the odds of giving birth to a little person
Audrey noted there are different types of dwarfism, some with dominant genes and some with recessive genes.
Amy and Zach’s achondroplasia is a dominant gene, so for her and Jeremy to have a child with that type of dwarfism “would be a random genetic mutation because neither of us carry the gene since it’s dominant.”
As it turns out, the odds for Jeremy and Audrey to have a child with achondroplasia are no different than any other couple with both parents of average height.
Matt’s type of dwarfism is much rarer, and the gene is recessive, so for the possibility that Audrey and Jeremy’s child could be born with diastrophic dysplasia, both would have to carry the gene. Still, neither of them has been tested to find out whether or not they do.
Jeremy’s brother, Zach, has three children with his wife, Tori Roloff (who is of average height), and all three were born with achondroplasia like their dad.
The Little People, Big World alums will welcome Baby #4 at home
Aside from the topic of dwarfism, the Roloffs are quite busy these days, between raising three kids, expecting a fourth, and living with Audrey’s parents while renovating their own Oregon home.
Audrey recently opened up about Baby Roloff’s impending arrival and shared that she’s currently in her third trimester.
She also divulged that she’ll be giving birth in her home this time around, although she hasn’t decided which room yet.
Audrey told her Instagram followers that she’s considering using the in-ground bathtub in her master bathroom or using a birthing pool in another location with more space.
Audrey’s first two children, Ember and Bode, were born in the hospital, but she opted for a birthing center when she welcomed Radley into the world.
Audrey’s experience in a birthing center influenced her decision to try a home birth this time around with Baby #4.
Season 25 of Little People, Big World airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on TLC.