Over the past few weeks, the Duggar family has been in the full throes of a baby boom. Several couples announced they were expecting babies like Josiah and Lauren, Joe and Kendra, Josh and Anna, and of course Joy-Anna and Austin. After the initial announcements came flooding in, each of the couples started to share bump photos and reveal the sex of their baby... all except one. Austin and Joy-Anna became noticeably silent in recent weeks, and now fans know the heartbreaking reason behind their absence on social media. Joy-Anna Duggar opened up about her recent miscarriage at five months pregnant in an emotional Instagram post, and it's nearly impossible to imagine how difficult it must be for her.
Joy-Anna and Austin Forsyth shared the news that they were expecting their second child on May 1, posting a picture of their sonogram on Instagram with the caption, "Some of you have guessed, some of you had no clue... November, 2019 Baby Forsyth #2 is Due!! Cannot wait to meet this new little one! Gideon is going to be such a great big brother!!" The Counting On stars are parents to son Gideon, who was born in February 2018, and were clearly overjoyed to share their news. Sadly, things did not turn out as they hoped. On Wednesday the couple took to their shared Instagram to announce they had experienced a miscarriage the week before, when Joy-Anna was five months pregnant.
The young couple shared a black-and-white photo of themselves in a hospital room with the caption:
Today marks one week since we heard these words….“So this is your baby’s heart (pointing to the ultrasound screen). I don’t hear a heartbeat or see any movement.”
Joy-Anna went on to note that they had gone in to the doctor for her 20-week ultrasound and gender reveal. They found out at the same time that they were expecting a baby girl. The couple named their baby girl Annabell Elise and asked fans:
Please pray for continued healing, not only physically but for our hearts as well.
The rest of the Duggar family is obviously sharing in their heartbreak over losing a little one. Josiah Duggar, Joy-Anna's older brother, understands all too well how difficult it is to suffer a miscarriage. He and his wife Lauren experienced their own miscarriage last year, a boy they named Asa, and are still working through their grief even as Lauren is expecting a baby girl later this year. Josiah wrote on Joy-Anna's post, "Annabell will be forever loved and missed!❤️ I’m sure she and Asa are best buds. #angelbabies.’"
It must be incredibly difficult for Joy-Anna to cope with such a loss, perhaps especially as her sisters-in-law are continuing on with their own pregnancies. They were all pregnant together and now they're not and this cannot be easy for the young mother.
But the flip side of that tough coin is this; she has a massive family who all love and support her to help her get through. I hope they can find a way to help this couple heal and move forward. And I hope they understand it will take a lot of time.
