Michelle Duggar Pregnant Again: Mom on TLC's '19 and Counting' Expecting 20th Child
Michelle Duggar and husband Jim Bob of the reality TV show "19 Kids and Counting" are expecting their 20th child. The parents of the super-sized family revealed the news Tuesday on the "Today" show.
"I was not thinking that God would give us another one, and we are just so grateful," Michelle said on "Today."
The Duggar mom was surprised about her 20th baby. However, she expressed major enthusiasm about the new addition. "We are so excited," the unsuspecting mom said.
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When the Duggars appeared on the "Today" show last June, it was the longest Michelle had gone without being pregnant in 20 years. She confided in "Today" host Meredith Viera backstage that her two-decade long baby-making period might be coming to a close.
The Duggars do not use birth control and have left their family planning up to God.
Michelle's pregnancy with her latest child was a dangerous one. She suffered from gallbladder problems as well as pre-eclampsia. Doctors delivered daughter Josie three and a half months prematurely. Baby Josie weighed only one pound and six ounces at birth and endured a series of health emergencies including a perforated bowel.
Now, the 19th Duggar child is a healthy toddler who turns 2 this December. Michelle is healthy as well. She reportedly has been working out five or six days a week.
"I'm really in better shape than I've been in 20 years," she said.
"The precious life that we see here is not a coincidence," Michelle Duggar told "Today" last summer. "I just know that it is a miracle. I don't take that for granted. I know that God is the one who gives life, and I'm just so grateful and thankful. We would welcome another if He saw fit, but we'll wait and see."
The dad broke the news by lining the huge family up on the home's staircase for a photo. He said, "Smile – Mom's going to have another baby!"
The Duggars' 19 children consist of nine girls and ten boys. Ranging in age from 23 years to 23 months, they are: Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace, Josie.
The family lives in Tontitown, Ark., and "19 and Counting" airs on TLC.
