The Real Reason Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar Didn’t Have 20 Children
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s family rose to fame on the popular TLC show 19 Kids and Counting. The family is one of the largest in the country, but some have always wondered: Why didn’t the couple have 20 children? As it turns out, there’s a true reason why Michelle and Jim Bob never had a 20th child.
Michelle and Jim Bob currently have 19 children
The Duggars are a household name these days, mostly thanks to the size of their massive family. The family had a show on TLC for several years called 19 Kids and Counting. But when news of son Josh Duggar’s sexual abuse scandal from the early 2000s broke, the network pulled the plug on the show. Shortly after it was canceled, though, a new TLC show starring the children of the family premiered: Counting On. Since then, it’s been a TLC success. Michelle and Jim Bob, who are devout Christians, raised their children in an extremely strict, religious household. The show highlights the lives of the children now that some of them are married with children of their own.
The couple always said they would take as many kids as God wanted to give them
When Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar first married, Michelle began taking birth control because the two weren’t ready for children just yet. However, Michelle got pregnant while on birth control, and the couple lost the baby. After that, Michelle and Jim Bob agreed that children were sacred and you should never try to prevent them. Since then, they’ve always said that they’ll take however many children God has in store for them. Fast forward a few decades later, and they now have 19 kids.
Michelle actually got pregnant with a 20th child but miscarried
Some may wonder why Michelle and Jim Bob didn’t try to have an even 20 children, but the reason is rather heart breaking. The couple actually did get pregnant with a 20th child in 2011, but Michelle had a heartbreaking miscarriage during her second trimester. Despite losing the baby before birth, the couple knew they were having a girl, so they named her Jubilee and had a funeral service for her. Since then, Michelle has occasionally posted on social media in remembrance of the little girl they lost. The couple never had any more children of their own after they lost Jubilee.
The couple then gained custody of their great-nephew, so they do now have 20 children
In 2016, some family issues lead to Michelle and Jim Bob gaining custody of the son of Michelle’s niece. The boy’s mother was deemed unfit to take care of her son, so Michelle and Jim Bob took him in. Although the boy isn’t their biological child, he is still a member of their family. And today, the Duggars do have 20 children. Plus, they’re also the grandparents of a dozen youngsters, so the family is definitely continuing to grow. In most recent news, Michelle and Jim Bob’s daughter Jessa is preparing to welcome her third child with husband Ben Seewald.
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