Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar had an announcement to make on The Today Show this morning, which is that Michelle was pregnant with their 20th baby. I found myself getting prickly on their behalf watching the response and somewhat annoying questions by Ann Curry…
What a witness this couple and family are. I just love them. See what I mean by the clip posted at People.
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“We are so excited,” says Michelle, 45, who is now about 3-1/2 months into her pregnancy and due in April. “I feel good. I am past the sickness stage now.”
The Tontitown, AR, couple, who are parents to children Joshua, 23 (who is married to Anna, 23 and has two children, Mackynzie, 2 and Michael, 4 months), twins Jana and John-David, 21; Jill, 20; Jessa, 19; Jinger, 17; Joseph, 16; Josiah, 15; Joy-Anna, 14; twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah, 12; Jason, 11; James, 10; Justin, 8; Jackson, 7; Johanna, 6; Jennifer, 4; and Jordyn, 3, weathered the medical emergency of their youngest daughter, Josie’s birth on Dec. 10, 2009.
She was born following Michelle’s preeclampsia diagnosis at a mere 25 weeks, weighing only 1lb., 6 oz….
Following Josie’s life-threatening arrival into the world, the Duggars understand that some might question their latest pregnancy.
“Michelle is probably in better health now than she was 10 years ago,” says Jim Bob, 46. “She has been getting on an elliptical for about an hour a day and is very careful of what she eats.”
Michelle, who is under the care of a high-risk pregnancy doctor, says she is being cautious, eating a lot of protein and green vegetables and abstaining from caffeine. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of women have preeclampsia – Michelle had it with her second pregnancy – and the condition can strike randomly. Women who have had it previously are at higher risk, however….
“If we had lived by fear after Michelle had preeclampsia after her second delivery, we would have missed out on all our wonderful blessings,” he says. “So many of her pregnancies have gone extremely well.”
Reprinted with permission from JillStanek.com