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18 kids & counting will now have to be 19 kids & counting (TLC)
It will be awhile before little Josie Brooklyn Duggar will be able to leave the neonatal ICU at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
But, the good news is she is that the youngest Duggar has not had any setbacks and is holding down that all important breast milk.
As a micro-preemie, Josie will need to stay in the NICU where she can get the round the clock care and monitoring that she needs.
The family has been driving the 200 miles from their home (Tontitown) to the Little Rock hospital daily and so the Duggar’s have decided to re-locate until Josie is well enough to leave.
The family has been staying with a family friend in Little Rock while they look for a place they can rent. It may be a bit difficult to find a location that can house the entire family!
Michelle, who had the condition preeclampsia, gave birth via an emergency C-section on December 10 when she was only 25 weeks along. Josie weighted only 1 pound, 6 ounces. Michelle recovered enough to be released last week where she gave an update on Josie adding, “We feel so blessed that God has given us to her and are cherishing every moment with her."
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar now have nine girls and ten boys (including two sets of fraternal twins) are well known from their TLC reality show 18 and Counting. Little Josie Brooklyn’s siblings are: Joshua James, Jana Marie, John-David, Jill Michelle, Jessa Lauren, Jinger Nicole, Joseph Garrett, Josiah Matthew, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah Robert , Jeremiah Robert, Jason Michael, James Andrew, Justin Samuel, Jackson Levi, Johannah Faith, Jennifer Danielle, and Jordyn-Grace Makiya.
The Duggars: 20 and Counting!: Raising One of America's Largest Families
--How they Do It (Book)
18 Kids & Counting: Season 2 (DVD)
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Comments
This is her 3rd C-section, and her own life is getting more in danger as well it seems it is time to stop!
Just curious, who is paying the high hospital bills they will be faced with once the baby is released from hospital?
Hi Moms I'm guessing insurance then TLC and they may be getting money from People too as they keep giving them the updates?
it's her 4th c-section. she had one with the first set of twins as well and also had the same thing with them as she had with this one.
I pray that Josie Brooklyn will thrive and be home soon!
They are going to run out of J names!!!
Moms: They are completely financially independent, and I'm pretty sure that includes having insurance, since they have healthy children that visit the doctor regularly. They were financially independent and completely debt-free soon after their 1st two children were born. Jim-Bob owns businesses, and I'm sure they do have additional funding now that they have the show, but I'd be willing to bet quite a bit of money that they donate a lot to charity.
Also FYI...goverment usually gives money to families to babies who are born under 2lbs. I pray that little Josie can make it home and for the rest of the Duggars
Thanks for the update, I am glad the family will be nearby. I will keep them all in my prayers.
They have addressed on the show many times that they pay for private insurance.
I love this family and pray for little Josie but I hope Michelle doesn't get pregnant again before Josie comes home from the hospital
I have a friend who has had 7 C-sections with no complications. Ethel Kennedy had NINE C-sections. Was SHE attacked like the Duggars have been?
The Duggars cost taxpayers no money. Leave them alone. It is NO ONES business how many kids a family has except THIERS
I get so tired of hearing people who seem to know nothing about them, judge the Duggars. People with conservative/family values seem to be such a target these days. I wish I had the patience and organizational skills to handle my 3 children with the ease that Michelle does. They are financially responsible and own multiple businesses. They pay for their own health insurance like other self employed people. Of course they get money for doing the show. How else could they help the Bates family with that huge house addition, but remember they built their own large home prior to beginning the show and built it with their own hands. I only wish more people were as responsible in how they live their lives as the Duggars are. I also get so tired of hearing how they should feel guilty about their inpact on the environment. They only buy used things, from clothing to the appliances they put in their kitchen. They make their own laundry soap for goodness sake. God Bless the Duggars!!!
I don't know where some of you get the idea that the Duggars own businesses. All I've ever heard is that they own COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES. All this means is that they own the BUILDINGS that the businesses are using. Jim-Bob Duggar gets paid rent monies from several businesses. That doesn't mean that he owns the actual businesses that are using his properies. A person could own a whole shopping mall but does that mean that they own all of the businesses? No. They get paid rent monies from the stores in their shopping mall.
momma:
I don't think that the government just doles out money to parents who have babies under 2 lbs. I know plenty of preemie and micropreemie moms who have hospital bills close to (or over) a million dollars from their babies being in the NICU for months on end.
I have five children and I had one of my girls in NICU for a week. It is very scary and you do alot of praying that your baby will come out healthy with no future complications. I pray that the littlest Dugger comes home soon to be with her family. Michelle and Jim-Bob are very lucky that they have been able to love and provide for all of their children. My husband and I also homeschool our children it can be difficult at times but worth it when you see how they grow and learn every day.
I hope to God that Jim-Bob realizes the stress he is putting his wife's body through and that they see this as a sign from God that it's time to stop having children.
My grandmother had 16 children and one of her youngest had Down Syndrome. Does Jim-Bob not realize how much stress a womans body goes through during pregnancy??? Poor baby Josie, hope she makes it. Can't imagine the lengths they will have to go to in protecting her from germs and protecting her immunity around such a large family.
Dear "Stop": First, what's wrong with having a DS child? They deserve a life just as much as you do. They aren't "inferior" or unworthy. We are ALL "handicapped" in one way or another.
Second, what "number" child was your parent? What if your grandmother had stopped at 1? Lots of your family members wouldn't even be born.
Y'all who insist they stop having children: what business is it of yours? Who voted you the BC/reproductive police? They are raising wonderful people and citizens with THEIR OWN RESOURCES.
Perhaps if more people truly welcomed children into the world/their lives, we wouldn't have the problems we do today.
The Duggars are a wonderful example of how to parent/be a family. Are they perfect? Nope. Are you? Nope. Am I? Nope. Maybe we all need to get off the computer, mind our OWN families and get a life.
I think the Duggars are a remarkable family and their children are a credit to their good parenting. I also resent the comment about the possibility of a DS child. As a parent of a child with DS, I can assure you that they are nothing short of a blessing. I wish people would quit being so judgemental of other people's choices.
My life has been so blessed by the Duggars, as I am sure other peoples lives have as well. Their faith is an amazing testimony to the rest of the world. And letting God make the decisions as to how many children they can handle is up to Him. Praise the Lord for Michelle and Josie's health. All babies are a blessing. I know I look forward to the day God blesses me with my first.
I love watching and following the Duggars! They are true believers and signs of how good family life can be. You'd never see them plastered on the front of tabloid magazines like Jon and Kate!
IF the Duggars were living in a commune, eating alfalfa sprouts, and playing Bob Marley no one would say a thing. The REAL issue here is that they are a God fearing, Christian family, and yes, Jesus and His followers are STILL ticking off people, even today. SO WHAT if they make money from their show? Don't ALL the "reality" people make money? YES! SO WHAT! The proof here is in the kids and they ARE NORMAL, well adjusted, kids! They are happy. Their friends, the Bates, are just like the Duggars, self sustaining, homeschooling, Christians. I've known them for years and they are the same as always and yes, they have SEVENTEEN kids now and until recently, they got by in that tiny house! Their kids too are very well rounded and happy. If you don't like these people, just shut up and go about YOUR sad, worldly lives! IMO we can ALL learn from these people and how they are living their lives, with their faith in Christ leading their way.
I love this family and what they stand for. I am concerned for Michelle should she have any more children especially since Josie is going to need extra attention.
I will keep them in my prayers until little Josie comes home
Human women were not meant to have 19 children! What in the world is inspirational about being a brood mare??? God is not asking this of anyone. Just because it's possible doesn't mean that's what we should do! A century ago, or less, Michelle and a lot of those children wouldn't have lived. They would be better off Amish, who, incidentally, have a large number of children with birth defects because of large families and in-breeding. If the Duggars are going to be so anti-modern, how about swearing off modern medicine?
This Mary unlike the Mary in the previous post believes that the Duggars are an amazing family. They truly are doing what God has called us to do by sharing their faith. Their children seem to be well care for, have high moral standards, and very well educated. This is more than I can say about many families that have only a few children. Praying for little Josie!
I love the Duggars. They have done a WONDERFUL job raising moral, responsible, unselfish children. I pray for the whole family as they are faced with the challenge of a premature birth. Knowing the Duggars,they have already committed Josies future to God. What a great example of living your faith and not bad mouthing everything like a lot of people do!!
I pray that baby Josie pulls through which she should. I myself had my daughter early due to preeclamsia. she was 10 weeks early and only weighed 2lbs 14oz and she was in the NICU for 6 weeks. To people like "stop having kids now" It doesn't matter if you have one child or if you are like the duggers and have 19 you could still end up having complications and it has nothing to do with what youv'e done or how you have lived your life. And as for Mary you say that "God is not asking this of anyone" can I ask you how you known this did God tell you that he has not aked this of them. He speaks to everyone in a different way and only that faithfull person or couple knows what he has told them to do with their lives. She is an awesome mother who is raising an amazing set of kids to walk in the Lords path and spread his good word. I know as a mom of a preemie that the last thing you need is negativity it is the hardest thing any woman can go through they need our prayers and positive thought
Mary #1. I've learned a lot about who I want to be by watching the Duggars, reading their book and going to their website. So, here is what I want to say to you. . ."37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven" Luke 6:37.
"Brood Mare" Mary, where do you get the idea the Duggars are "anti-modern"? Because they have a large family because Michelle has CHOSEN to have a big family? Choise is good, right? Your comment that Michelle Duggar is a "brood mare" is sexist, demeaning and degrading. Michelle and JimBob are partners, Michelle seems to be very much her own person, and JimBob never seems to treat his wife with anything but respect, tenderness and love. How terrible!
I think the duggers are wonderful parents...and they love their kids very much..
Hi Michelle and Jim Bob,
I pray for your family in hpe the josie will get better. I try to read updates about your family as often as I can. When I heard that josie was born 3 months early and in the NICU. I told my mom and We were both sad. Hope Josie will be better soon.
I wish Josie a swift recovery and I hope she does not have any of the problems premature babies are known to have. They are a beautiful family, but I agree these people need to regard life as important in that a woman has reproductive lifespan. She is in her 40's and has given birth to 19 children. If they want to keep Michelle alive and hopefully not give birth to a still born child they need to stop and realize that they HAVE BEEN blessed many many times over.
I hope they let the camereas in for just a little peek at their newest angel, I'm just so hoping to see her. I pray for them all every night :-)
I pray the family will all be together soon
May God bless you Michelle and Jim-Bob and baby Josie. We love you and will continue to pray for you all.
Jim bob and michelle no more kids michelle is putting her self at risk
I am with ya 100% (Love2Bamom).
God Bless you Duggar family. You are an inspiration to my family.
Praying for you daily.
Dear Duggar Family, Your family is an inspiration to all families who are working to raise their children to be kind, caring, loving, responsbile, hard working adults who will make a difference for good in out world. I follow Jesus as you folks do, so I especially appreciate you training your children that Jesus is the way, the only way, to eternal life. My calling is to care for children and I blessed with 16 exceptionally bright, beautiful grandchildren. I love your family, your show, your book. My prayers are for Josie. She is perfect, even now
This mom of 7 wants to the Duggar family to know that our family, our homegroup, and our church are lifting you all up im prayer, praying for comfort, healing, that those closest to you are filling you with the encouragement that you so desperately need. Our family had a baby girl in October 2001, and I wasn't quite 24 weeks along yet. Our girl is perfect and happy at the right hand of our Father and we rejoice daily that we will hold her in heaven. I will pray for you all, and take tremendous hope in how strong your Josie is and how hard she is fighting. May He bless you all.
Jim Bob, Michelle, & kids...thanks for being kind, loving, & compassionate towards each other! May this bond that already exists carry on over to baby Josie & she will grow up being a true DUGGAR! Love to all of you!
I am the grandparent of a preemie 2+lbs. Even though Ethan has had some problems (open heart surgery and lasik eye surgery) at the age of 6 yrs. he is a perfectly normal child and as full of life as any other child. My prayers are with you ALL! God is good!
I love your family. Last year my cousin had preemie twins, and today they are healthy and strong, and nearly the size of my 3 yr. old. I am praying often for your precious little Josie. I teared up at the news. I will keep others who pray informed. God bless you all. (By the way I love large families & have 7 kiddos)
hello i am 12 years old and want to meet you one day good look with the baby and hopefully she is the last one i
Pride keeps the Duggers producing children. They want the record for the biggest family! Shame on them for creating the situation that Josie is in today. I am sure that she has suffered struggling to breathe and survive. It is time for the Duggers to really consider what they are doing here, having more children than they ought to have. I pray that they will reconsider having any more pregnancies. Maybe the pre-eclampsia was a sign from God!
To Bambi: How do you know that this family is "having more children than they ought to have"? How could any of us be the judge of that? That is a personal decision and blessing between them and the Lord that we cannot judge. My guess is that with as many children as they have been blessed with as well as the way that they have now been able to use that situation as a witness for Christ that they must be doing something right. Their life isn't for yoy and it isn't for many people but it works for them and they are using the blessings God gave them to bless others and witness to others. All you are doing is casting judgement which is definitely not your place.
To the Duggars: We pray for you all and especially for little Jsie! We also continue to pray for your protection forom all the negative that attempts to bring you down daily. Hang in there!
Keep up with the updates, we all love you and want to know how things are going!! You are in our prayes
I've been praying for little Josie. Hopefully she'll go home soon and be a healthy, happy child. I'm very thankful for your TV program and book. Please stay on the air as long as you can because you are such an excellent example of what God can do for a family.
God Bless you Duggar family
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