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Wasn't their last baby born at 25 weeks? I hope this one isn't born premature as well...

I think they make it work somehow (even prior to the show, they were financially sound)... but, I definitely couldn't. Even if I had the financial means to do so, I don't know if I have the emotional wherewithal to provide for 20 children. I wouldn't want to neglect any child, let alone having to support 20 of them.

I did hear that their 19th child had problems, so I wish them all the best that their 20th doesn't run into similar complications.

HOW IS HER VAGINA STILL INTACT!?!

I honestly think its selfish and disgusting. It's not fair to the other kids who quite honestly can't know their parents well.

i think a big family is fine if the family is up for it. but 20 is a bit ridiculous. i really don't like the 23+ year gap between the first and the last child. that's way too much. i want my kids to have a sibling relationship, not a parental one.

Honestly - I think they are being completely irresponsible. After all of the issues with pregnancy #19, it feels like they are just asking for something to go even more majorly wrong.

Also, I really don't agree with their lifestyle. Yes - they can afford all of their kids (a TV show helps with that) but they don't have enough time to truely raise 19 kids individually. The older kids spend a lot of time raising their younger siblings and, IMO, that just isn't right.

I've actually been thinking about this a lot the past couple of days (before I even heard the pregnancy announcement) because I just finished reading their first book.

Just because they have the means doesn't mean the 'should' have more kids but just because they already have a large family doesn't mean they 'shouldn't' have more. I don't think we can apply shoulds here...I think this is a matter or personal choice. There are so many people who are pro-choice on the abortion matter but when it comes to a family that is functioning perfectly fine we think it's okay to all of the sudden impose our views on the size of their family? How this can me seen as anything other than hypocritical is beyond me.

Also, people are saying they shouldn't have any more babies because Josie was premature. So, to the couple who just had their first baby and that baby was premature should we call them up and say no more? Yes, they should exercise caution and talk things over with their doctors. However, Michelle has said she is in better health now than at any point in the past 10 years due to changes in her diet and exercise. Not only that but they firmly believe in the idea that God has a plan for them and their lives and if that means more children then it means more children. If that means a life without Michelle, then it means a life without Michelle. That is their choice and their believes.

The thing that disturbs me the most is the backlash they receive over such a personal choice. I understand that they open themselves to the criticism when they announce this on tv or to a magazine but even if they didn't, word would get out and people would talk. So, how people find out doesn't really matter much to me so much as the rude, hurtful, and just downright nasty comments people are making. Go read the people.com reader comments..they are downright sickening. It makes me thankful that these parents strictly monitor their children's internet access so they can't read the nasty things that are being said about their family.

I've also seen people talking about how the older ones are raising the younger ones and how they can't possibly be close to their children..to those people I would encourage them to read the Duggar's books. They spend a good deal of time talking about how they spend one on one time with each of their children regularly and how the kids actually enjoy helping out with their younger siblings. It also says that they routinely stay up late talking with their older children and having heart to hearts. In the end...none of the kids are alcoholics, drug addicts, criminals, etc. They are healthy, happy, functioning human beings who provide a great deal of love and charity to their community.

I think Michelle looks amazing for having 19 kids though. I feel like 1 wrecked my body. 3's my limit. Can't imagine having 18 more... :T

I agree with EEH that I don't really think the older children are responsible for "raising" the younger ones. I think its totally normal participation for a family. I think a bigger issue to discuss is why do so many children/teens have entitlement issues. I certainly don't think you'll see and of the Duggar children with that problem.

I'm really saddened to hear people criticizing them for having more children because of the complications they had with their last baby... should all moms with a complication during delivery stop after that baby!? To each their own...(although I do feel bad for that poor woman's pikachu!)

@Hola: They afford all these kids because they believe in having multiple streams of income and also have a philosophy of "buy used, save the difference". They don't live an extravagant lifestyle and wear thrifted clothing, drive used vehicles, cook frugal meals, etc. They pay cash for everything, including their house which they built themselves with the guidance of friends who are in the construction business.

They don't believe in conception..at one time Michelle was on the birth control pill but still became pregnant. This was after their first child, Josh was born. Michelle had a miscarriage which doctors believe was caused by the birth control pills. It was at that point that their views on contraception changed and they felt like the miscarriage was a result of their actions. They were no longer willing to "play God" and instead decided to leave the size of their family in His hands. They follow principles outlined in the old testament regarding abstaining from sex during certain times of a woman's cycle as well as for x number of days after the birth of a boy and x number of days after the birth of a girl.

Also, their kids all have J names because they named their first son Joshua and their next pregnancy (after the miscarriage) resulted in twins who were named Jana and John-David. They picked those names based on the fact that they liked them, it had nothing to do with the letter. From there they decided they needed to stick with J names because they never know if that baby will be there last and they don't want that child to feel like they aren't a part of the family because of having a name that doesn't fit in with their siblings names. I can completely understand where they are coming from. We know people who have had "theme" names like Presidents or Elvis related names but by the time they get to their 3rd or 4th child they run out of names in that theme that they like and the child ends up with a completely unrelated name.

I don't know anything about them but that seems like way too much wear and tear on one woman's body!

@eeh: I completely agree with what you said. I don't think that having children is a decision that I would make for myself and I'm also concerned about the possible health consequences that this could have for her and the baby but I do think that it's hypocritical for a lot of people to be judging this choice...especially if they are pro-choice. Following the same principal of her body, her choice people should just be leaving this decision up to her and her husband.

Really agree with EEH.

I agree! I dont think its fair to the older ones, and with 20 kids you dont have much time to get them each their own special time. With that many kids you HAVE to have the older ones responsible for things they should not have to be, and thats not fair to them IMO.
I have an older cousin who has this meantality, "God willing" and him and his wife just had their NINTH! I cant imagine. I think it should be a sign when you come to my wedding and then leave at the end of the night, drive off and then turn around later realizing you LEFT one of your children! Random side story there sorry but yeah...TOO MANY!

@Ski: There is actually research that women with larger families life longer. In their book, the Duggars point to a study where women with large families life an average or like 10 years longer or something like that.

A lot of the comments in this thread are hurtful to me - I'm the second-oldest of 14 kids, biological and adopted. And a lot of comments in this thread are simply conjecture, so I thought I'd share my perspective as someone whose family is NOTHING like the Duggars in terms of how we live (dresses and such) but is similar in size.

My parents have a strong relationship with each kid, as opposed to us being closer to our older siblings than to our parents, as some people say. They have one-on-one time with each kid, with each other, and with their friends. And my mother's uterus/vagina hasn't fallen out because having babies is a normal, natural thing to do, to answer some of the other comments. As the second-oldest, I appreciate people saying that it's not fair to the older kids, but trust me, I've never felt like having more people to love was unfair to me. I had a normal childhood - there were just more of us.

It's interesting how many mean comments people like to make just because we're different, and how many people love to assume that they know how things "must be" in a family different than theirs - Do I want to have as many kids? No. But that's a choice each family makes - and as many of us on this forum talk about honoring each family's choice, it's interesting that this choice has received no such tolerance on this thread.

@beka: well said. My dad was youngest of 9 (there were 11 children, 2 died young), he has a nephew who is older than him (my oldest aunt was pregnant, with him, at the same time as her mom, with my dad) and my grandma died at age 97, vibrant and full of spitfire til the end!