Duggar family expecting 19th child

Sep 02, 2009 5:35 PM by Sarah W. Caron

Posted in Parenting / Having a Baby

Duggar Family
Dynamic

The Duggar family is expecting their 19th child, leaving many wondering how they do it financially and emotionally -- not to mention the baby name dilemma! Having named all their previous children names starting with the letter "J" -- do they plan to continue the tradition with this child or have they ran out of baby names? We take a look at the Duggar family dynamic.

It seems that the Duggar family in Arkansas has taken the old adage that bigger is better to heart -- truly. The oversized family is growing again. Michelle Duggar, 42, is pregnant and due in March 2010. That means that the youngest Duggar sibling will be several months younger than his or her niece, the baby of oldest Duggar son Josh and his wife Anna, who are due in October with their first child.

What a family dynamic!

Expecting again

With 18 children, you'd think that Michelle would be pretty much done with having babies. She's spent the vast majority of the last two decades pregnant and/or nursing. That's a lot of stress on a woman's body. But Michelle and Jim Bob made a commitment early in their marriage to give their fertility to God. In other words, they use absolutely no birth control. So, that's why they are now expecting #19 when their youngest is just eight months old.

The family, who reportedly spend upwards of $1,500 on groceries each month, pride themselves on their commitment to God and their ability to raise their super-sized family debt-free. By shopping second-hand whenever possible and buying in bulk (they even have a soda fountain machine in their house!).

A new path

Since Michelle and Jim Bob will become grandparents next month, they are entering a new realm in their experience as parents. Not only will they be entering grandparenthood, but they also will have a child younger than their eldest grandchild.

The situation, although unusual, isn't unheard of. This is prone to happen in families where the oldest child is born when the parent is young. We asked families who've experienced this family dynamic to offer advice to the Duggars. Here's the top three tips:

Treat the grandchildren as grandchildren - Since Josh and Anna's baby will be in the same age bracket as some of the youngest Duggar siblings, it might be tempting to treat the baby as another Duggar sibling. Don't. This child has her own two parents and needs grandparents -- not an extra mom and dad. "My parents had, and still have, a much different relationship with my oldest son than they do with all of their younger grandchildren. Grandparents should also remember not to undermine their child's role as a parent and take over parenting their grandchild," says Elizabeth Parise, whose brother is six months younger than her oldest son.
Don't worry about labels - Technically, your dad's sister is your aunt. But in cases where the kids are close together, it is sometimes easier to just ignore these labels or let the kids self-dictate. "When we were younger we would tell people we were cousins, it was just easier. Since we are so close in age we spent a lot of time together as kids. I guess we did not understand the dynamic until we were older," says Andrea Dion Jacobs, whose aunt is a year younger than her.
Encourage Josh to be brotherly - It's going to be a challenge with a new baby to care for and a sibling who is just an infant as well. However, in order for Josh to have a sibling relationship with his newest sibling, he will have to place his dad instincts aside. "The real oddity for me was that I never had a traditional relationship with either of my brothers. We've never lived in the same place as adults so our adult relationship doesn't have that history of growing up together," says Patsy Terrell, who is more than 20 years younger than her brothers.

Finding the perfect name

By now, pretty much everyone knows that the Duggars have a penchant for names that begin with J. Their children are named Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, and Jordyn-Grace. After 18 kids, it's a safe certainty that they will continue the tradition with baby #19.

Picking from our list of thousands of "J" baby names, here are SheKnows picks for the top 10 boys and girls names for baby Duggar-to-be.

Boys

Jaden
Jacob
Julian
Jason
Jared
Joel
Jonah
Jax
Jaspar
Jock

Girls

Julia
Jade
Jayne
Josephine
Jia
Jazara
Joelle
Justine
Jina
Janine

Tell us: What do you think the Duggar's should name their 19th child? Comment below!

Comments

Comments on "Duggar family expecting 19th child"

I just watching an episode where the Duggars went to stay in a cabin- with grandma duggar and Amy and Josh and his wife, Ive rewinded many times and im sure Joshs wife calls one of the kids a little f&^%er! i hope im hearing things!

I suggest to name girl "Jazmine or Jasmine" I suggest to name boy "Jayden or Jasen"

omg love you guy i hope you guys have fun with josie i was 23 weeks early iwas soupost to be born on march14 1998 but iwas born nov 26 1997

They Named Her "Josie-Brooklyn Duggar" Congratulations Rosemary

jaydey lea

jadyn for a girl and jadin for a boy. or since they are leaving the size of thier family to god JUST NAME IT JESUS

If it is a girl i would name her Jordana and if a boy you should name him jacob I love your show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girl: Jordanna Makaya or Janella Mikelynn Boy: Jayden Luke

well naming the baby is the last thing on my mind. i have mixed feelings about the duggars and all that they represent themselves to "be". i remember in the very begining when they first came out on TLC they were all conservative and strict and what not, now some 5 years later they are totally different as far as their beliefs go and i think that they are becoming products of their environment. don't get me wrong, many of their beliefs are good, christian beliefs, but they kinda sell themselves out. you know, by preaching one thing, then practicing the other. they seem kinda "too perfect" is you ask me. i bet behing closed doors they swear like sailors and smoke weed in their backyard, too. nobody is perfect and they try to portray that their family is all hunkey-dorey but i dont think that is the case-i think that it's just an act for the cameras so they keep good ratings, get more contracts and make more money. they get paid plus alot of perks for doing that show you all know, right. it's not because they liked it but because they needed the money. they really are just like you and me, the only difference is that they don't know how to use birth conrol.

I THINK JOSIE OR JOCELYN WOULD BE NICE. I LIKE JULIA AND I THINK JIM BOB DOES TOO. JULIA NOELLE WOULD BE NICE

I think combining both Jim Bob & Michelle for a girls name would be a great honor for your 19th child. The name would be Jimelle Serene Duggar. I chose Serene for the middle name because your children seem to have a pleasant and yes a serene nature about them (most times anyway kids will be kids at times). So this name would actually be named after everyone in the family. For a boy Jamison Michael Duggar. Also in a way named after Jim Bob & Michelle. If all the parents in the US would raise their kids the way you have we wouldn't have so many young kids in prison or on drugs because they would have been taught respect for others & themselves. May God continue to Bless your family.

if u have a boy jaden is really cute and for a girl jasmine is really pretty.

when I first started watching this show, it was called"14 kids and pregnant again" Michelle was having her ultrasound to find out the of the baby. It's a boy!! ok, his name was supposed to be "Juddah Benjamin", but just as he was being born, they changed the name to Jackson Levi. So, if baby #19 is a boy, he should be named JUDDAH BENJAMIN. If it's a girl, Jayleigh Alexis.

I always loved the name{s} jacolby or jacoby for a boy and jayda or jenae{sounds like renee,anna's middle name} for a girl.I think you have a most beautiful family Michelle and Jim Bob.Your kids are all extremely emotionally,mentally,physically and spiritually healthy and all love one another.I love the way they all pitch in are responsable at a early age...they are going to be wonderful productive adults.And who care's if the older ones take care of the littler ones,alot of kids these days just run amuck pretty much and are lazy and spoiled on material things, with very little guidance or morals...so there!!!

I definitely think Jacob for a boy and for a girl Julianna or Julie (Jim Bob wanted to name Jordyn Julie so he should get his way this time)

If it is a boy, Jacob. For a girl, how about Jasmine, a pretty name for a lovely girl. What has Josh and Anna pick out for their baby girl's name? Ignore what other people say, if you can raise happy, healthy, well-behave children and can financially, emotionally do it, then forget what other people say. Congratulations!

They already have a Jason, don't they? And naming your baby Jock? That's practically child abuse, lol.

Jaylynn if a girl. Johnathan if a boy.

I applaud the Duggers for being able to raise so many children. My only concern is for Mrs. Dugger. Does she really know the damage that is being done to her body and her health. As for the names, I have several. My family is stuck on the J names too. I have a son Jeffrey. One of my daughters has a son Justin and a daughter Jesiah. One of my other daughters has a son James and daughters Jaletha, Jemiah, Jamesha, and one due Oct. 16 who will be Jazlyn.

Smaller families who have financial trouble should take a lesson from this family. The Duggar kids are clean, well behaved and well adjusted. They are growing up without emphasis on appearances or pursuit of the latest trends. Anyone who watches the show knows that yes, they can afford this many children, and yes, they do give them all the attention they need.