Baby #17 on the way!
LITTLE ROCK - The Duggars are once again pulling out the pink ruffles and lace as they prepare for the birth of baby number 17.Michelle Duggar said Monday in a telephone interview from her northwest Arkansas home that the whole family is excited about the arrival of the baby girl they will name Jennifer Danielle, keeping with the family tradition of giving the child a name that begins with J.
Jennifer Danielle is due July 27.
Duggar, 40, said she was doing fine with her latest pregnancy. Although she has gotten older since she had her first child at age 21, she said, she still has plenty of energy and only minor aches and pains.
"With each baby, God's given me the grace and the energy to keep going, and they really keep you going," she said. "I feel like a 20-year-old kid, but I'm realizing my body isn't that 20-year-old. I don't get up and play the games as hard as I used to, and I try to be a little more careful."
Duggar said she and husband Jim Bob, a former state representative and U.S. senate candidate, view each phase of their children's lives as an adventure.
Read full article - a great article, by the way, and what a beautiful testimony this family is to our sin-darkened, self-centered culture!Related: Visit the Duggar family's website.
See a video of the 18-member Duggar family singing here.
Hear a radio interview here of the Duggar parents sharing about life with sixteen children.
(Hat-tip to Noble Womanhood for the links.)
posted by Crystal Paine at 8:21 AM
23 Comments:
More power to this lady for having so many children.For the family's sake I hope the press doesn't make a big deal about it.
The J names are funny and cute at the same time.Just think everyone but mom has a J name-how fast can they their names without messing up!!
Confession: When I first heard about the Duggar family, I was horrified. I'd never met a family with more than 6 children. And they were the only family I had ever met with more than three. I couldn't imagine having so many children and how they could possibly be well-cared for.
But then - I watched the Duggars' specials on TLC and realized they are a normal family. They love their children just as much, if not more, than a family with one or two children. Their children are probably more well-rounded and worldly (and I mean that in the best way) than an only child who is shuffled to and from dance, soccer, music, etc. They know about real-world skills. They're self-sacrificing. And those kids are going to grow up to be very special people.
I still believe there are many people who have children that they don't/can't care for. But I believe it doesn't matter how many children *those* parents have, whether it's 1 or 10, they're still likely to be bad parents. The Duggars, to me, are examples of great parents.
How Awesome! :-)
And I'm only on the first one....
The plans that God has in store, if we just listen and open our arms. What a remarkable family!
I read that Michelle only breastfeeds for two to four months before handing the newest baby off to an older daughter to bottle-feed. I'm curious what you all think of this. It seems that she's going against God's plan for mothers to breastfeed their babies, in order to increase her own fertility (in other words, since she's not breastfeeding, she can get pregnant again quicker). The only reason I can think that someone would tamper with their body (and with God's natural infertility for women during the breastfeeding period) in this way is if they're going for a record, or if they've turned a large number of children into an idol.d
I really love and admire the Duggars! Mrs. Duggar is so patient, loving, and kind with her husband and children. The children are all so bright and well-behaved. Truly a wonderful model of a Christian woman!
Blessings to her and the new little one!
Sherry
Jessica wrote:
"I read that Michelle only breastfeeds for two to four months before handing the newest baby off to an older daughter to bottle-feed. I'm curious what you all think of this."
Or it could be that her fertility returned and the baby then didn't want to nurse. This happened to me...no matter how often i breastfed it didn't stop my fertility, and once things were working again, or if I were pregnant again, the baby had less desire for my milk, which was very frustrating. Even more frustrating were those who judged me and assumed I wasn't nursing correctly given that I was so fertile.
I think it would be wrong to not nurse just so you can have as many as possible...but we don't know anyone's heart or all the circumstances of a lady's private life.
Jessica: I've not read that so I can't verify whether that is true or not, however, my personal opinion is that whether or not a mom breastfeeds and how long she does so is a personal decision. I'm a big proponent of nursing and think it is a wonderful thing for both mother and child, but I don't think we can say that "God's plan is for all women to breastfeed for two years." I just don't think we can lay down a rule like that. I've known some women who have tried very, very hard and not been able to breastfeed and other women who can only do so for a short period of time. There are a lot of reasons why a mom might breastfeed for a short amount of time - some can't breastfeed for very long (their milk dries up within a few months), for some, it is very taxing on their body, etc. Also, many women can get pregnant while breast-feeding exclusively. So, all this to day, I don't think that the only reason one doesn't breastfeed for very long is so that she can get pregnant right away. Please keep that in mind.
I don't know the Duggars personally and I don't know whether or not what you read is true or not, but if it is, it's not my place to judge whether or not she should be breast-feeding for longer. God knows her heart and the heart of her husband. All I know is that their family has been an incredible testimony of the Lord to the world.
Jessica-
Interesting that you bring that up. I plan to eco-breastfeed, which I believe is a natural way that God designed our bodies to space births. More info here: http://ccli.org/nfp/ebf/summary.php
I think the subject of breastfeeding can be so packed with emotion and controversy. There will be women who advocate it for 6 months and those who will say "6 months isn't long enough at all."
We don't know the exact reasons why Michelle breastfeeds for 2-4 months, which is why we shouldn't even start on that line of thought.
She is doing what she feels is best for her family and following God :-) Prayer does wonders though :-)
Aisha
I heard about baby 17 back in February. I think it's so great! Praise God He has blessed Michelle with good health to be able to carry and nurture all these blessings.
The blog world is furious at this of course. Yesterday I was defending the Duggars going from blog to blog, the ones who were being critical and wishing for Michelle's death and all that. Goodness...people are so mean!
There were maybe 2 or 3 blogs where the blogger stood up for Michelle...that was a breath of fresh air from all the negativity.
You all may wonder "don't you have a life". Not really. LOL. The Internet is my link to the "outside world" as I like to call it (I am stationed in Germany). I don't have any children and my house is clean, and I did some praying and Bible reading, so it was Internet time :)
Besides, someone's got to defend our brother and sister in Christ.
HOW WONDERFULLY EXCITING!! I love learning about that family!! What a testimony they are to the Lord's goodness!!!
His,
Mrs. U
I am confused - why it is such a testimony to the Lord? Is it because they are using their children to go out and teach Christ? if that is the case, I thought that was shot down as a legitimate reason to send your children to public school on this and other blogs ?
Is it the sheer number of children they have? I like the Ladies Against FEminism site where they said 'having ten children does not make you a better christian."
What if they were not christians - would it be so wonderful? I just don't get it, it seems like contrary to what LAF says, the more children you have = the better christian you are.
Why?
I certainly have no idea how long Mrs Duggar nurses her babies (and I have to wonder how she feels knowing that this sort of thing is discussed on the internet), but I did want to mention that one of the specials they did after baby #16 was born (when she was more than 4 months old, to my best guess) showed Michelle nursing (very discreetly). I was very impressed with her commitment to nursing when I saw her walking around Disney nursing a baby!
Anonymous: It is a testimony to the Lord because they are standing as lights in a sin-darkened world. If you have ever heard the Duggars talk or seen the special on their family, you will maybe understand this more. In a world which says by its actions and attitudes: "Children are a curse" - the Duggars are a shining light to show that children truly are, as Scripture says, a blessing from the Lord. They aren't just saying it, they are living it and the world is watching and seeing in them a beautiful, wonderful picture of a Godly Christian family. And not only that, but in their openness to the Lord's blessing of children in their lives, they have been able to testify of so many other things of the Lord to the world at large.
That is what I believe is so wonderful. They and their children are sharing openly of the Lord - and the media is broadcasting it. And it's incredible!
Sure, they get plenty of backlash for it, but they also have gotten so much positive media coverage - and that can be rare in this day and age.
Interesting that you should post this. I was just thinking the other day if they were expecting #17 yet!
How Wonderful!!!!
They seem like such wonderful. That little girl will be truely blessed to have
Bro. and Sis .Dugger as parents!
Ruth, PA
Women like Michelle make me realy proud to be a mother and an Arkansan like her and her family. God Bless them!
Mrs. Duggar is my hero. I really enjoyed the TLC specials.
Congratulations, to the ultimate eco-criminals. ;-)
-Zan
Wow...I think it would be kinda fun to have so many kids. I'd like at least 6 (but of course whatever the Lord gives will be wonderful). I'd sure love to just see how this family functions on a daily basis.
It matters not how long Michelle Duggar breastfeeds each baby. Our Creator is the one who opens and closes the womb. He's the One who chose to knit each Duggar child, at the precise moment He wanted each one to be there.
When I first heard about the Duggars I thought they were a collective miracle. Such a large family living for God (I thought) had to be an anomaly. How wrong I was! There are many large families out there living with God first in their lives. I can only imagine the legacy their family is creating by raising up their children to the glory of God alone.
Regardless of whether this baby was their seventh or their seventeenth - I think people would think they were unusual or abnormal either way. Anything more than two or three is considered 'large' these days.
Another proud Arkansan here! I love the t.v. specials that have been done about the Duggars. I have read that Mr. Duggar said that he would only agree to do a t.v. special about his family if they could openly speak about their faith. (And to think they don't even own a television!) They make life with so many kids look like so much fun! I wish they would write a book. How refreshing to see so many children being raised for God's glory by loving parents. Valerie
I know it's not possible for every family to have that many children due to finances or medical issues. But, I think if they can handle it, more power to them!
wow nummber 17! congrates i hope u guys make more tv shows i really enjoy then and i say one thing wow u got to be a wonderful mom and dad having 17 childeren i hope one day to have as many as u doo! :)
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