Michelle Duggar, mom of 19, miscarries

Michelle Duggar, mom of 19, miscarries



By Rebecca Dube
TODAY.com
updated 12/8/2011 5:49:53 PM ET


Michelle Duggar, the famous reality show mom of 19, has miscarried her child.

“I feel like my heart broke telling my children,” Michelle told People magazine. The Duggars announced their pregnancy publicly last month on TODAY.

Michelle and her husband, Jim Bob, were hoping to find out the gender of their unborn child on Thursday; but the doctor was unable to find a heartbeat, People reported. Michelle was 19 weeks along, in her second trimester.

"Earlier today at a routine doctor's appointment, Michelle and I received the sad news that we lost the baby," Jim Bob Duggar said in a statement. "We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, but ask for privacy during this difficult time."

“After the appointment, we came back home and told the children," Michelle, 45, told People. "We had just been talking about baby names last night and they were getting excited about naming a boy or a girl. It has been a real sad disappointment."

The Duggars plan to name the baby, once they find out if it was a boy or a girl, and then they’ll have a funeral service.
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"We would like to thank everyone for their prayers, emails and outpouring of love," Jim Bobn Duggar wrote in a letter he provided to TODAY.com. "As our whole family is grieving, we also know that God promises to work all things for good in our lives.... Our prayer is that baby Duggar’s passing will help us all realize that this life is short, and our relationship with Jesus is the most important thing."

“The Lord is the giver of life and he can choose when that life is ready to go on and be with Him," Michelle Duggar told People magazine.

The Duggars star on the TLC reality series "19 Kids and Counting," which chronicled the difficulties of Michelle Duggar’s last pregnancy with Josie, now 2 years old. Michelle suffered from gall-bladder problems as well as preeclampsia. In order to save her life, doctors delivered daughter Josie three and a half months prematurely – she weighed only one pound, six ounces at birth, and endured a series of health emergencies, including a perforated bowel. Josie eventually went home with the rest of the Duggar family, and is now a healthy toddler who celebrated her second birthday in December.

In an interview with TODAY last summer, Michelle Duggar acknowledged the struggles of the 19th pregnancy, but said she would welcome more children. “The precious life that we see here is not a coincidence,” she said, referring to her youngest daughter Josie. “I just know that it is a miracle. I don’t take that for granted. I know that God is the one who gives life, and I’m just so grateful and thankful. We would welcome another if He saw fit, but we’ll wait and see.”

The Duggars also suffered a miscarriage with their second pregnancy. Originally, they planned to have only one to three children, and Michelle took oral birth control pills. But the miscarriage led them to believe they should eschew birth control.

The couple felt "devastated" by their first miscarriage, they wrote in their recently published book, "A Love That Multiplies":

"At that point we read in Scripture that children are a blessing from the Lord and a gift from Him. We asked God to forgive us for taking matters in to our own hands and to give us a love for children like His love for them. We committed to letting Him decide how many children we would have and when they would be born," the Duggars wrote.

Nystyle709 wrote:Someone tie a knot in that bitch's tubes. And ya know what, I'm willing to bet that she WILL be pregnant again.

Bluesmama wrote:I think it is sad because this appears to be a well-adjusted family that loves being "in the large".

But I agree that she should take this as a red flag that it's time to stop producing. Quite soon they will have grandchildren to focus on.

Forgiveness Man wrote:Of course everyone is happy cause it's okay to be happy for other people's loss when you didn't think they deserved it. People are so one-sided in their views and their attitude about the Duggar's prove it.

Bluesmama wrote:I think it is sad because this appears to be a well-adjusted family that loves being "in the large".

But I agree that she should take this as a red flag that it's time to stop producing. Quite soon they will have grandchildren to focus on.

Chris wrote:I wonder if these people have ever bothered to consider adoption.

Duggars Set Memorial Service for Baby Jubilee Shalom

By Alicia Dennis

Monday December 12, 2011 12:30 PM EST


After suffering the miscarriage of their 20th child, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar will hold a memorial service on Wednesday, Dec. 14, for the baby girl they have named Jubilee Shalom Duggar.

The reality TV stars of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting had discovered on Thursday at a routine ultrasound appointment that their 20th child, due next April, no longer had a heartbeat. Advised by her doctor to let the miscarriage occur naturally, Michelle, 45, was being cared for at home by her family.

Following the miscarriage late Sunday night, Michelle began to feel lightheaded and as a precaution was taken to the hospital, where she was kept for observation, according to a family spokesperson. Michelle is recovering well and expected to return home later on Monday, the spokesperson adds.

RELATED: Michelle Duggar Resting at Home, Plans to Name Child


"We have had many tears today," says Jim Bob Duggar, 46. "This is life, and I understand that we are going though something that many others have. You think about the what-ifs, but God gives us strength to go on. We won't be able to see this child's life and the phases that we've seen for our other children, but we know we will see this child in heaven one day. We are thankful for each child, and we are blessed to have the children we have here and the ones we will meet someday in heaven."

Jubilee Duggar's memorial service will be for friends and Duggar family members, who on late Sunday already held a private service in their home.

"We would like to thank everyone for their prayers, emails and outpouring of love," Jim Bob wrote in a letter he shared with PEOPLE. "As our whole family is grieving, we also know that God promises to work all things for good in our lives. Our prayer is that Jubilee's passing will help us all realize that this life is short, and our relationship with Jesus is the most important thing. He gives us a peace in our hearts as He guides us through whatever we might face."

Though the family is in mourning, Jim Bob says they are grateful for the health of youngest daughter, Josie, who turned 2 on Dec. 10. Josie survived against all odds after being born at just 25 weeks and 1 lb., 6 oz. and has developed normally with no lasting impairments.

"We were looking forward to this birthday because it is a milestone for her," he says. "It is wonderful that she is with us and doing so well."