A Decade of Duggar Births Special

[bigskygirl]

 

Reliving a decade of Duggar deliveries, from Michelle's first televised birth to Anna's delivery with Marcus; experiencing the laughter, joy and tears of labor and delivery

 

[wanderwoman]

So far, this is a train wreck, regurgitation of footage. I really don't want to relive Michelle's bright red lipstick and prairie gown. Interestingly, Jim Bob has gained a lot of weight since 14knc. I also saw Michelle's pubic mound and stomach- I feel defrauded.

[BitterApple]

Yawn, wake me when it's over.

[NJRach]

Omg this is a perfect tutorial for any 19 Kids and Counting newbie. It has every goofy scene that we snark on - the toilet birth, the Jubilee funeral fiesta, Michelle's bitch face while on the ride to get Anna to the midwife. It's like the TLC people read this forum and decided to put the final nail in the Duggar coffin. Gotta clear the decks and make way for the Willis family!

Edited May 5, 2015 by NJRach

[MarysWetBar]

JB seems far more likable in the earlier episodes to me. He seems very involved and caring with the kids AND MEchelle. She seems a bit more normal as well. Not as bugeyed and screechy.

All this recap really did though was reinforce for me why i feel so bad for Jana and Jill.They were mothers from a long ways back to all those little ones.They are the nurturers..not Jessa or ole side-eye Jinger.

Poor Anna spreadeagle on the shitter with MEchelle right in there. ..god just shoot me.

[NJRach]

I was surprised at how much Michelle aged after Josie's birth. Between December 2009 after Josie was born and June 2011, around the time of Michael's birth, she developed some major crow's feet and a crease between her eyes. She looked about 10 years older.

[hlemommy]

I loved jingers face when Anna said that she is taking the letter M. That was to funny, I noticed a lot of eye rolling jinger with the letter M thing and the other that stuck out was when jessa was in the back seat on the way to the hospital with her mom to have Jennifer or josie she rolled her eyes twice? In the back seat.

I also kinda enjoyed some of their smart comments about having another baby I think it was one of the boys with Annas baby making the comment I enjoyed.

Anyway another rerun another day. 3 hours of my life gone tGf dvr

[wanderwoman]

Hand sex- I had only begun to forget.

[Mrsjumbo]

I was surprised at how much Michelle aged after Josie's birth. Between December 2009 after Josie was born and June 2011, around the time of Michael's birth, she developed some major crow's feet and a crease between her eyes. She looked about 10 years older.

[Wellfleet]

I was surprised at how much Michelle aged after Josie's birth. Between December 2009 after Josie was born and June 2011, around the time of Michael's birth, she developed some major crow's feet and a crease between her eyes. She looked about 10 years older.

 

Lack of pregnancy hormones?

[Mrsjumbo]

She looks very tan now & I don't think she used to look like that. Either she's spending time outdoors, or visiting the tanning booth (either one would contribute to the wrinkles).

She did have some traumas with Josie's birth & Jubilee. I imagine that ages you too. Much as she tries to put a "sweet" face on things.

[TaxNerd]

JB seems far more likable in the earlier episodes to me. He seems very involved and caring with the kids AND MEchelle. She seems a bit more normal as well. Not as bugeyed and screechy.

All this recap really did though was reinforce for me why i feel so bad for Jana and Jill.They were mothers from a long ways back to all those little ones.They are the nurturers..not Jessa or ole side-eye Jinger.

Poor Anna spreadeagle on the shitter with MEchelle right in there. ..god just shoot me.

I stopped watching regularly with the Jubalee season, so a lot of the footage was new to me. Anna really got the short end of the stick, and it seems like she has had so little choice in her births. It seemed like she was begging to get out of the pool with Marcus and was terrified he was going to die.

I watched the Jubalee scenes for the first time and was struck by how supportive Jim was. I loved that he got up and gave each kid a kiss. I also loved their reaction to the news of no heartbeat. For all their ridiculous religious nonsense they spew, it was refreshing to see how they immediately turned to God for comfort and strength. Any goodwill was then immediately destroyed by their deciding to tell the kids live, on camera, then continuing to film a memorial service. Everyone can grieve in their own way, but let the kids decide how much they want to share on camera.

[farmgal4]

I haven't watched this show in a few years, but I backslid tonight:

WTH decides, WHILE they're in labor, that they're going to have a home birth?! Even DimBob was speechless for a minute when Josh told him during their phone call! And the dark-haired lady that delivered Makenzie, wasn't she just a doula? I'm pretty sure that's what she said.

Then during Anna's third L & D: This is her THIRD labor. From the time they showed her lying on her bed at home until they pulled into the midwife's driveway, she acted like delivery was imminent, like she was going to push that baby out in the car on the side of the road; however, when they got to the midwife's house she was only FOUR centimeters! Come on now, can't a woman tell the difference between four centimeters and "get ready to catch this baby"? And WTH labors and then delivers, in a bathtub no less, with their damn street clothes still on?!

These people are full-on looney tunes, and now I remember why I quit watching this stupid show to begin with.

[Darknight]

Boring. I'm actually shocked JB called a woman doctor smart, caring and quick to make decisions. Michelle's pregnancy was also high risk with jordyn??? Even the doctor said she's high risk. And what's with these people and covering their belly but it's okay to film your vagina giving birth.

[VioletNevermind]

Whew, that was about two hours too long.  An hour would have more than sufficed for a show that was nothing more than a series of cobbled together clips from old shows that we've already seen several times.  One thing I thought was strange was that the very (VERY) graphic birth shots were not blurred out at all.  Not much modesty there.

 

* I still hate Michelle.

* I still say Jana deserves a trophy for all of the crap she's put up with all these years.

* I still want to slap Josie's parents for neglecting her special needs even to this day. 

* I still think I'm crazy for continuing to watch this show, but at least I know I'm in good company.

Edited May 5, 2015 by SuzyLee

[TaxNerd]

I haven't watched this show in a few years, but I backslid tonight:

WTH decides, WHILE they're in labor, that they're going to have a home birth?! Even DimBob was speechless for a minute when Josh told him during their phone call! And the dark-haired lady that delivered Makenzie, wasn't she just a doula? I'm pretty sure that's what she said.

Then during Anna's third L & D: This is her THIRD labor. From the time they showed her lying on her bed at home until they pulled into the midwife's driveway, she acted like delivery was imminent, like she was going to push that baby out in the car on the side of the road; however, when they got to the midwife's house she was only FOUR centimeters! Come on now, can't a woman tell the difference between four centimeters and "get ready to catch this baby"? And WTH labors and then delivers, in a bathtub no less, with their damn street clothes still on?!

These people are full-on looney tunes, and now I remember why I quit watching this stupid show to begin with.

What was with that place? Did Anna have the baby, throw on some clothes then drive an hour home? It seemed like she gave birth and was back on the road immediately.

[NJRach]

 

What was with that place? Did Anna have the baby, throw on some clothes then drive an hour home? It seemed like she gave birth and was back on the road immediately.

 

I noticed that too. It was like a drive-thru delivery. It was still daytime - did she even get an hour's recovery? And nothing beats coming home with your post-birth twat afire, weak and weary, only to have an army of family members and cameramen waiting by the door.

Edited May 5, 2015 by NJRach

[Sew Sumi]

Yeah, the doula whose husband (an OB-GYN) had his license revoked for abuse of Rx drugs, was the primary for Anna's first two births. Quack-a-doodle-doo.

[NikSac]

Wow, I only made it through about 1/3 of that episode in between chores, but it was interesting to watch since I hadn't seen a lot of the earlier seasons, or I only saw them sporadically. Poor Anna, they showed way too much of her difficult deliveries. I know she signed up for it and all but I bet she didn't quite fully understand what she was getting into at the time.  In terms of Michelle's babies I must admit I cried a bit when the kids all met Josie for the first time. I can't believe the hospital let them ALL in at once like that. It was also kind of shocking to see how much more normal Michelle seemed earlier on - even when she was having Josie she seemed a lot more normal than she does now. I wonder if loss of fertility is impacting her more than we (or I anyway) thought?

 

I know this was a total throwaway episode for long-time Duggar viewers since it was all rehashed footage, but I begrudgingly liked it as a sporadic Duggar viewer who has read about a lot of these moments but I hadn't seen them before. I do think the episode was way too long though.

[cmr2014]

Holy crap. In the segment about Marcus's birth, J'chelle looks about 20 years younger. The effect of all the "work" that she does to enhance her countenance is really counter-productive. She looked great after the People makeover, too.

 

They are just so set in their ways, and so unwilling to look at anything from any other perspective, that they really can't see something as obvious and concrete as that 80s mullet does J'chelle no favors.

[Micks Picks]

Actually Mechelle didn't seem to pick up that awful high voice until she started being around Anna.  I wonder if she picked it up from her. She sounded relatively normal until she'd had a couple of years of Anna's baby voice squealing at her.

 

MEchelle does pregnancy and labor much better than Anna, though Anna at this stage seems better at raising them.  After her horrible labors, I'm amazed Anna still gets baby fever so fast.

[Celia Rubenstein]

I knew I wasn't imagining that Michelle's voice had changed! Tonight confirmed it. She sounded fairly normal up until the point that Josie was born. That does coincide with Anna being around too, though.

I wonder what caused her to start talking that way. It was freaky listening to her voice change so drastically tonight. Weird.

I had a lot of sympathy for her and Jim Bob when they lost Jubilee. I had never seen that scene before. Then it was all wiped away when I saw Michelle holding court at Jubilee's funeral. There was just something about the way people were all swarming her that made me feel like she was enjoying the attention. I guess you are supposed to be surrounded and comforted by people at a time like that, so I ask myself "well what did you expect?" But there was still something about the way everyone was .... paying homage? to her that bothered me.

I guess I just think Michelle spits out kid after kid for the attention and in this case, even though Jubilee died, Michelle still managed to end up center stage, soaking it all it. It skeeves me out a little.

[farmgal4]

What was with that place? Did Anna have the baby, throw on some clothes then drive an hour home? It seemed like she gave birth and was back on the road immediately.

She delivered at the midwife's house, which had a room set up for deliveries. Once the midwife was confident that Anna and the baby were stable post-delivery, she kicked them out to go to their own home.

[CofCinci]

I was surprised at how much Michelle aged after Josie's birth. Between December 2009 after Josie was born and June 2011, around the time of Michael's birth, she developed some major crow's feet and a crease between her eyes. She looked about 10 years older.

It's the tanning bed.  Michelle, Jana and Jessa need to step away from the machine.

[Cherrio]

So far, this is a train wreck, regurgitation of footage. I really don't want to relive Michelle's bright red lipstick and prairie gown. Interestingly, Jim Bob has gained a lot of weight since 14knc. I also saw Michelle's pubic mound and stomach- I feel defrauded.

Gross !  NEW BALANCE!!!

[OhioMom]

I've often wondered about how tanned the girls are.  I thought they were using a tanning bed too, but then I wondered if that went against their religious beliefs (for not being humble or something).  

 

I wonder if many of the changes everyone has mentioned about Michelle -- her voice, her buggy eyes, her general b!tchiness, could all come down to fluctuating hormones due to her age and perimenopause?  Not that I'm giving her a pass -- just wondering. I know perimenopause can really do a number on you, sometimes...physically, mentally, etc.

 

 

[BitterApple]

Maybe Boob bought a tanning bed used and saved the difference?

[GEML]

I will say, as a woman about Michelle's age, I find the menopause argument less than satisfying to explain her in recent months oddness. Plenty of us -MOST of us - somehow manage to go through this "season of life" without becoming bug eyed baby talkers, and it's contributing to a stereotype that this is somehow about menopause instead of the fact Michelle herself is just odd.

[andromeda331]

Jordyn I forgot what a cute baby you were. Jennifer and Johannah were cute babies too. And cute toddlers. Okay so they were all cute babies and toddlers. It still brings me back to the same question. How can you just hand off your baby at six months and be done with them? I'll never understand how Michelle can do that. Why she never wants to go play with her kids and be around them.

[Ljohnson1987]

This was a snoozefest.

[auntieminem]

I am very late to watching this show so I liked this retrospective.  Interesting things for me; the fashion for the kids (and even Michelle) has vastly improved, I like JB and Michelle better before they started playing to the camera, JB does seem like he really loves and enjoys his kids (though he needs to let them go).  At first I didn't recognize Michelle during Marcus' birth, she looked really nice.  

[OhioMom]

I will say, as a woman about Michelle's age, I find the menopause argument less than satisfying to explain her in recent months oddness. Plenty of us -MOST of us - somehow manage to go through this "season of life" without becoming bug eyed baby talkers, and it's contributing to a stereotype that this is somehow about menopause instead of the fact Michelle herself is just odd.

Likewise, I've seen some women hit the "middle age" crazies who were in the midst of menopause.  It can be a very real thing and upsetting time.  While there are some women who fly through it with no problems (kind of like Princess Kate leaving the hospital 8 hours after giving birth and looking like a supermodel), some women have a hard time of it.  I find it equally awful to say to those women, "Buck up!  It's just a season of life!  It's no big deal!!!" 

 

I don't know that that is what Michelle's problem is.  Perhaps it's way more deep seated and has been around a lot longer.  I was just throwing it out there as a possibility.    I see her as a woman who has been brainwashed by this Gotthard movement (or her husband, or other women around her) thinking that her only worth in this world is as a child-bearer who gazes at her husband with starry eyed adoration, even after all these years.  I've known women like this.   If that is the case, I can absolutely see her going off the deep end once her child bearing usefullness has run it's course. She's obviously invested all of herself into "that" (having kids), so that now that "that" is gone, she's floundering around, with no clear purpose. Or maybe she's just suffering from no medication when she needs it, or the wrong medication, or too little medication.  Or maybe she's just a b*tch, I don't know.

 

I'm not a Michelle fan, don't get me wrong. Her syrupy sweet voice (or conversely, gravelly voice) grates on my nerves.  I'm not that kind of mom. I'm the kind of mom who can, when needed, stop my kids in their tracks with "the look".  I have been known to yell, lose my temper, and make mistakes.   In short, I am a normal mom. 

Edited May 5, 2015 by OhioMom

[VioletNevermind]

Poor Anna spreadeagle on the shitter with MEchelle right in there. ..god just shoot me.

 

That's almost word-for-word what I thought.  Anna has no hope for dignity as long as Michelle and the rest of the cavalry are in the vicinity.  At what point is it okay for a woman in the throes of labor to tell intrusive family members to eff off?  I still remember giving birth with my mother-in-law practically climbing in to get the baby herself.  

[3girlsforus]

What was with that place? Did Anna have the baby, throw on some clothes then drive an hour home? It seemed like she gave birth and was back on the road immediately.

 

I still haven't seen Anna's births. One of these days I'll get the strength. Maybe I'll watch M4 since I like Marsha. Anyway, I don't know how it is in this situation but I know my midwives whether it's a home or birth center birth stick around about 4 hours assuming no issues. So that could be all in the same day depending on what time she delivered.

[farmgal4]

That's almost word-for-word what I thought.  Anna has no hope for dignity as long as Michelle and the rest of the cavalry are in the vicinity.  At what point is it okay for a woman in the throes of labor to tell intrusive family members to eff off?  I still remember giving birth with my mother-in-law practically climbing in to get the baby herself.

AND intrusive film crew! You have to remember that the film crew members are men so there's no telling what they're seeing during the entire process, but the Duggars are oh-so-modest! NOT!

Jordyn I forgot what a cute baby you were. Jennifer and Johannah were cute babies too. And cute toddlers. Okay so they were all cute babies and toddlers. It still brings me back to the same question. How can you just hand off your baby at six months and be done with them? I'll never understand how Michelle can do that. Why she never wants to go play with her kids and be around them.

Johannah and Jordyn could have been identical twins during the baby stage. I had a hard time telling them apart.

[VioletNevermind]

I just thought it was so strange that they go to such great lengths to hold up blankets during ultrasounds to block any view of Michelle's stomach, but it was all hanging out last night.  There wasn't anything modest about those birth scenes.  As for the film crew, I think the Duggars have more control over what's shown than most reality TV families. 

[barbedwire]

So true GEML.  Menopause Meshell is not like other menopausal women, me included.

 

I didn't watch so thanks for the recap everyone who took one for the team and watched this.  I will say I did peek at one point, when Marcus was being brought home and Michael is the cutest kid out of that group.  What a sweetie! And, again, I laughed at Marcus' initials: MAD.  Yep kid, that is your future.  Good luck.

Edited May 5, 2015 by barbedwire

[ShaNaeNae]

 I also saw Michelle's pubic mound and stomach- I feel defrauded.

 

Wait. How? Where? Did she really have a muffy mound that was blurred out?

 

I can't believe I just asked where Michelle Duggars bush is.

[barbedwire]

You guys are making me glad I didn't watch.  I missed Menopause Meshell's Muffin Mound.

[Jellybeans]

I had a lot of sympathy for her and Jim Bob when they lost Jubilee. I had never seen that scene before. Then it was all wiped away when I saw Michelle holding court at Jubilee's funeral. There was just something about the way people were all swarming her that made me feel like she was enjoying the attention. I guess you are supposed to be surrounded and comforted by people at a time like that, so I ask myself "well what did you expect?" But there was still something about the way everyone was .... paying homage? to her that bothered me.

It was strange for me to see that scene- I have never seen a mother who lost a child AT her child's funeral, so I do not know what is "normal".

But at my daughter's funeral, I was pretty much ignored... people did not know what to say or do. Perhaps it did not help that I wasn't able to talk or cry due to my severe shock.

Again, I do not know what is "normal". I think I would have preferred to have people come up to me and share their memories of my daughter.

[Micks Picks]

Nobody had any memories to share of that pre-born baby who died.

[SoSueMe]

Jellybeans I am so sorry for your loss.

[IndianPaintbrush]

I've never had a miscarriage and I'm sure every woman handles it differently, but that big funeral for Jubilee left a bad taste in my mouth.  When Michelle said she would "miss hearing her heartbeat," it seemed more like Michelle was mourning the fact that her baby-makin' days were likely over.  

[Wellfleet]

Jordyn I forgot what a cute baby you were. Jennifer and Johannah were cute babies too. And cute toddlers. Okay so they were all cute babies and toddlers. It still brings me back to the same question. How can you just hand off your baby at six months and be done with them? I'll never understand how Michelle can do that. Why she never wants to go play with her kids and be around them.

 

I wonder this too - it's just amazing to me. I have to come to the conclusion that God simply said "No" when Me-chelle prayed to be given "a heart for children..." 

[HumblePi]

I tried doing some research as to how it came about that TLC created this reality show for the Duggars. All I found was that the Duggers were featured in several health specials on TLC and the Discovery channel. TLC probably got a lot of inquiries about this bizarre and unusual family and had the idea it would make a good show for curiosity seekers, which it has. I'm still astonished at some of their traditions and beliefs.

 

In a recent episode rerun of Jessa's wedding, Grandma talked about her own marriage with Jim Bob's father. They were married almost 50 years but not quite before he died. She said "The secret of a happy marriage is sacrifice. You really have to sacrifice for the other person." I think what she really meant is that the women must sacrifice in all ways but not the men. I thought about that for a second or two, and said to myself 'bullshit'. Sacrifice is something a loving man would never expect or want from his wife if he could prevent it from happening. The men in this cult are selfish and self-serving. Their religion is based on Christian patriarchy which believes that the father is the head of the household and responsible for the conduct of his family. The woman was created as a helper to her husband, as the bearer of children, and as a “keeper at home”, the God-ordained and proper sphere of dominion for a wife is the household and that which is connected with the home. They believe that if a man rapes or sexually assaults a woman in any way that it's her own fault for being immodest in either dress or mannerisms.

 

Anna, Jill and Jessa will follow those beliefs and will submit to their husbands under any circumstance. They will not be expected to want an education or career. They will believe that the more children they have means the more blessings they will have from God. They believe that pain through labor is a blessing and not only endure it but thank God for it. They believe their goal in life is to be an obedient wife, bear all the children they can, and live in their husband's shadow. I can't help but wonder about Jessa since she seems to be the one Duggar with a rebellious side that is suffocated of course. But what happens after six or eight babies and she's tired of the life that her parents have chosen and religion has dictated? I wonder if any of those 3 women will ever have an original thought or feeling that they will be honest enough to reveal. Deep down, buried inside these women lies an individual, with her own thoughts, her own needs. How happy can a life be when it's lived day to day stifling free will and opinions?

I've never had a miscarriage and I'm sure every woman handles it differently, but that big funeral for Jubilee left a bad taste in my mouth.  When Michelle said she would "miss hearing her heartbeat," it seemed more like Michelle was mourning the fact that her baby-makin' days were likely over.  

I think that menopause has to be the greatest fear ever facing Michelle. The fact that she 'did her duty' by having all the babies that she could possibly have is suddenly halted. So, what purpose does she have if she can't have "God's blessings" and more babies? I mean what good is she to Jim Bob now?  The value of a woman in their cult is how many babies she can bear for her husband. If Michelle can no longer bear children then what is her value.

Edited May 5, 2015 by HumblePi

[flyingdi]

I really think they do believe in a patriarchy but I don't recall Michelle ever stifling her opinion. Maybe she sometimes gets it out there in a roundabout way ie "That's a good idea, Jim Bob, but..." She does get it out there though and things usually end up going her way. I'm recalling the Jim Bob wants to start a farm episode.

I really don't see Jessa being that good at stifling her opinion, her own brother Josh says she isn't. I've often wondered if that's why they found Jessa a younger man.

[HumblePi]

I really think they do believe in a patriarchy but I don't recall Michelle ever stifling her opinion. Maybe she sometimes gets it out there in a roundabout way ie "That's a good idea, Jim Bob, but..." She does get it out there though and things usually end up going her way. I'm recalling the Jim Bob wants to start a farm episode.

I really don't see Jessa being that good at stifling her opinion, her own brother Josh says she isn't. I've often wondered if that's why they found Jessa a younger man.

Yes, but will Jessa tell Ben, who plans to enter the ministry, "no Ben, I'm worn out, no sex tonight" or "no Ben, five little children under the age of 8 are enough for me, no more".

[3girlsforus]

Well Anna seems to be telling Josh that they will be having as many babies as they can. 

[Wellfleet]

I really think they do believe in a patriarchy but I don't recall Michelle ever stifling her opinion. Maybe she sometimes gets it out there in a roundabout way ie "That's a good idea, Jim Bob, but..." She does get it out there though and things usually end up going her way. I'm recalling the Jim Bob wants to start a farm episode.

I really don't see Jessa being that good at stifling her opinion, her own brother Josh says she isn't. I've often wondered if that's why they found Jessa a younger man.

 

Yes, this has been very clear. Unless I'm mistaken, Me-chelle did not grow up in a world where women were expected to obey their men and worship every syllable out of their mouths. Nor was she told to stifle her own opinions at all times. In this regard, she has not been the ideal Gothard woman.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Wellfleet

[flyingdi]

Yes, but will Jessa tell Ben, who plans to enter the ministry, "no Ben, I'm worn out, no sex tonight" or "no Ben, five little children under the age of 8 are enough for me, no more".

Honestly, I don't know if Jessa would tell him straight out, but I do think Jesse would just not have more than five if she didn't want them. By whatever means are necessary. "Oh, Ben, I'm not sure why the baby train has stopped. It can't be my new vitamins."