Do Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar Actually Have a 20th Child?
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar are best known for their massive family. The couple has 19 children, and it’s earned them nationwide fame — mostly from their reality show, 19 Kids and Counting. Although the couple has 19 kids, they didn’t necessarily stop there. So, do Michelle and Jim Bob actually have a 20th child?
The Duggars currently have 19 biological children
The Duggars rose to fame on the hit TLC show 19 Kids and Counting. Michelle and Jim Bob are very religious and don’t believe in using birth control; as a result, they have 19 children and are one of the largest families in the country. Although the show was a success, its run was cut short when news leaked about Josh Duggar’s sexual abuse scandal from the early 2000s. The show was cancelled, but the daughters began a spinoff of their own, known as Counting On. Today, the spinoff follows quite a few of the children’s lives and still sees a lot of success.
Their 19th child, Josie, had medical problems as a baby
When Michelle and Jim Bob learned Michelle was pregnant with baby No. 19, named Josie, they were ecstatic. However, the pregnancy wasn’t as easy as her past pregnancies. Josie was born at just over 25 weeks’ gestation, which meant she was severely premature. She only weighed a little more than a pound and spent a while in the hospital until she could be brought home as a healthy baby. However, as Josie ages, fans have wondered whether or not she has special needs — and whether she’s getting the proper education. Although she is a miracle baby and the Duggars are extremely happy to have her, things were not easy with the 19th child.
The Duggars got pregnant with baby No. 20, but Michelle had a second trimester miscarriage
Although the Duggars only have 19 biological kids, they were once pregnant with baby No. 20. Back in 2011, Michelle and Jim Bob learned they were expecting their 20th child. However, tragically, they lost the baby during Michelle’s second trimester. Since then, the couple hasn’t tried for any new children, but they do still remember their daughter, Jubilee. Back in 2017, the couple wrote a touching Facebook post about the daughter they lost on what would have been her sixth birthday. It seemed that after Josie’s medical problems and the tragic loss of Jubilee, the two were done trying to expand their family.
The couple gained custody of their 8-year-old great-nephew, so they now do have 20 kids
Although the two only have 19 biological children, they did expand their family one more time. Back in 2016, Michelle and Jim bob were granted custody of Michelle’s great-nephew. Michelle’s niece, who is the boy’s mother, was deemed unfit to take care of her son, so Michelle and Jim Bob took him in. Although the family is typically understood to have 19 children, their great-nephew brought the household total to a whopping 20. Michelle and Jim Bob have always been caring parents, so it makes sense that they’d want to take in a family member who needed a home.
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