Jessa, Ben and Their Brood: Making a (Diaper) Mountain out of a Mold House

[Natalie68]

On 10/25/2016 at 6:21 PM, Henri205 said:

Another English Lit major here.  And since Halloween is coming up, and I imagine the Duggars are afraid of the fun, I decided to weigh in.  BOO!!!  Satan is coming for you!!!

I live near Salem and know about Judge Hathorne and why Nathaniel Hawthorne changed his name. 

Young Goodman Brown, one of the creepiest stories ever. 

I have always wanted to go to Salem!  On my to do list.

[NewDigs]

The bar is pretty low if TLC was okey-dokey with a toilet birth.

Didn't a hospital once disallow filming?

[birkenstock]

29 minutes ago, NewDigs said:

The bar is pretty low if TLC was okey-dokey with a toilet birth.

Didn't a hospital once disallow filming?

IDK if the hospital banning filming was confirmed. Anna gave birth to Mackynzie at home because they said their ob wasn't available.  Jim Bob sounded surprised when Josh said they were going to have her at home, but it may have been planned all along.  There was talk on boards about whether she did so because they didn't want to deal with a doctor they didn't know or if the hospital didn't allow it.  It would be interesting to know which hospital they wanted to go to since TLC did film Michelle's various births and Jill's c-section.  Anna at least decided to go to a birth center to have Marcus after the toilet birth.  

The non-filming was more wishful thinking than anything.  TLC will film anything Duggar and lives for the drama.  

[Malvina]

[Vaysh]

Quote

BUY SOME FUCKING HEALTH INSURANCE.

I thought everyone had to have insurance under Obamacare? Or are there ways to get around it? Though why one would want to is a bit puzzling to me.

[ginger90]

He is a cutie..........hopefully he doesn't do this in a dresser drawer.

[louannems]

The filth runny down the dishwasher door, the floor, and even the cabinet front is disgusting.  All those stay at home adults!  Grab some Murphy's Oil Soap and clean those cabinets!  Take some Windex to that dishwasher!  Scrub that floor!

I would not mInd at all if a toddler plays with plastic items in a bottom drawer.  But, a 20 lb toddler sitting on the drawer can easily break the runners.  Cabinets are expensive!

But he is adorable!

12 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

He is a cutie..........hopefully he doesn't do this in a dresser drawer.

[Natalie68]

39 minutes ago, Vaysh said:

I thought everyone had to have insurance under Obamacare? Or are there ways to get around it? Though why one would want to is a bit puzzling to me.

If you don't there is a penalty that is tied to tax refunds.  If you don't get money back I am not sure what they can do to force you to pay it but if you DO get a refund  my understanding is they take it out of that.  Unless its changed.  

All it takes is one very expensive illness and they are screwed if they don't have insurance (or have a low enough income for assistance, the kids might if Boob doesn't pay them, so tax payers may be paying for future Duggar blessings).  I have MS and my meds retail for $6500/mo per the bill that comes monthly with it.  I am not sure who exactly pays that amount with programs they have to help but luckily I have a zero copay for that (love my insurance!).

Some people feel they will handle whatever comes their way and prefer to not spend (or cannot afford to spend) the money to get insurance.  I am not sure what the Duggars do.  The Bates apparently used the emergency room to handle all their needs.  Wonder how they paid THAT bill?  Or was it written off by the hospital?  

I am always amazed at how grimy the Duggars are and its pretty icky.  My guess is that stuff isn't covered in Wisdom Booklets and 10 year old sister moms may not have been the best at teaching those sorts of lessons.

[Sew Sumi]

9 hours ago, Saytura said:

Jessa has said she didn't have an ultrasound at 17 weeks and when they announced at 13-ish weeks she had not heard a heartbeat yet.  Both were throwaway comments during their respective episodes, so they are more likely to be true.  That screams no official prenatal care since routine care would include both.

Also with Spurgeon IIRC she was Jill's guinea pig while Jill was still stateside.  The only ultrasound Jessa had was one to determine gender at a glamour ultrasound practice, not a doctor's.

I belong to a secret FB group in which one member is married to a cousin of Ben's. She met Jessa at a Seewald barbeque, and as a nurse, she chatted Jessa up w/r/t her pregnancy. During the course of the conversation, Jessa admitted that she had never heard if gestational diabetes. 

I think her prenatal care for both pregnancies has been sketchy at best.

[sometimesy]

Would it have been cheaper for Jessa to start her labour and delivery in the hospital rather than end up in the ambulance?

[JoanArc]

Quote

 During the course of the conversation, Jessa admitted that she had never heard if gestational diabetes. 

Holy shit.

 

Of course this also means Dr. Jill doesn't know about it, either. If these people keep breeding I don't think it'll be too long before RLC has some dead child drama to film (think if the ratings, Nance!)

[Bitter Betty]

7 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

During the course of the conversation, Jessa admitted that she had never heard if gestational diabetes. 

WHAT

[Churchhoney]

11 hours ago, Vaysh said:

I thought everyone had to have insurance under Obamacare? Or are there ways to get around it? Though why one would want to is a bit puzzling to me.

There's a tax penalty if you don't get it. But the insurance costs more than the tax penalty, so there are always going to be quite a few people, especially, young ones, who pass up insurance if not being insured looks cheaper. (so we end up with mainly older and sicker and less lucky people in the insurance pool, thus driving up the cost of the whole thing even further, but oh well....)

Anyway, we all know that sometimes people who pass on the insurance regret it a lot because they find out that a health event is a lot more expensive than insurance ever would have been. But if you're one of the lucky ones, you don't learn that. ... Or you're sort of lucky and don't get your health event until the next open enrollment period is at the doorstep. Up to now, Jessa's been lucky. ... And she spends the TLC money, which is going to stop someday, on a lot of Starbucks, too. So she's not exactly a prudent spender or a statistics and probability wizard ....

[Churchhoney]

10 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

My guess is that stuff isn't covered in Wisdom Booklets and 10 year old sister moms may not have been the best at teaching those sorts of lessons.

And soon there'll be a new generation probably being taught by a new bunch of aunt moms who were taught by 10-year-old sister moms. It's very hard to see how this family isn't going to get more and more ignorant as the years go on, unless the in-laws step in and start sending the new generation to school. ... I don't see how that's going to happen, though, since I don't see the Duggar kids allowing public school, and I don't see how any of them can afford a private school of any kind, at least if the TLC money stops arriving.

Just about every other family in the world really strives to have each generation get a little less ignorant than the last, if they can possibly manage it, seems to me. So it's kind of astonishing that they don't seem to care. Although I suppose they mainly don't care because they don't believe it. They still hold up their "education" as ideal, looks like.

[lookeyloo]

And remember miracle Josie and all those months in the NICU.  Who paid for that?  Did they qualify for Medicaid, a  federal/state program?  Did the hospital donate all that care?  

[Churchhoney]

6 hours ago, sometimesy said:

Would it have been cheaper for Jessa to start her labour and delivery in the hospital rather than end up in the ambulance?

Probably. Emergency ambulances are darned expensive. However, they're also much more dramatic for your TeeVee Show. So there's that.

1 minute ago, lookeyloo said:

And remember miracle Josie and all those months in the NICU.  Who paid for that?  Did they qualify for Medicaid, a  federal/state program?  Did the hospital donate all that care?  

I think very-low-birthweight babies all qualify for Medicaid as long as they're in the hospital. Because nobody wants the hospitals to have to eat those bills (and pass them along to the rest of their own customers).

[DangerousMinds]

16 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I can't believe Jessa would be so stupid as to forego professional care less than a year after she hemorrhaged during delivery and required an emergency transfer. Note to Bin: BUY SOME FUCKING HEALTH INSURANCE. If you can't cover it on your toilet scrubber salary, then note to Boob: BUY SOME FUCKING HEALTH INSURANCE, YOUR DAUGHTER COULD'VE DIED, YOU IDIOT. Sorry for the all-caps rant, my mind is just boggled that these girls continue to take unnecessary risks with both theirs and their baby's health.  

 I agree. The odds are higher than most that she may even die if she has another botched home birth.

10 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

If you don't there is a penalty that is tied to tax refunds.  If you don't get money back I am not sure what they can do to force you to pay it but if you DO get a refund  my understanding is they take it out of that.  Unless its changed.  

All it takes is one very expensive illness and they are screwed if they don't have insurance (or have a low enough income for assistance, the kids might if Boob doesn't pay them, so tax payers may be paying for future Duggar blessings).  I have MS and my meds retail for $6500/mo per the bill that comes monthly with it.  I am not sure who exactly pays that amount with programs they have to help but luckily I have a zero copay for that (love my insurance!).

Some people feel they will handle whatever comes their way and prefer to not spend (or cannot afford to spend) the money to get insurance.  I am not sure what the Duggars do.  The Bates apparently used the emergency room to handle all their needs.  Wonder how they paid THAT bill?  Or was it written off by the hospital?  

I am always amazed at how grimy the Duggars are and its pretty icky.  My guess is that stuff isn't covered in Wisdom Booklets and 10 year old sister moms may not have been the best at teaching those sorts of lessons.

Also, are they not taking Spurgeon for vaccinations and well-baby care? That is disturbing to me as well.

[Bitter Betty]

I find the Duggars very odd with their medical decisions.  They can afford medical care but choose not to get it for very basic things. This is a bit of a generalization, but most of the people I know who eschew modern medicine try to take care of themselves in other ways -- using traditional medical remedies, eating organic and as natural as possible, etc.  Duggars live an unhealthy lifestyle AND don't get medical care. That's going to blow up in their face at some point. 

[Oldernowiser]

Okay, this a weird anal peeve of mine...but SCRUB THAT GROUT IT'S DISGUSTING.

Whew. I feel better now.

Carry on.

[kokapetl]

The hardcore home birthing seems to have started with Anna. Not sure what Anna's motivation was, but Jill's was know-it-allness and goody-goody perfectionism, Jessa's was rivalry (with some attention seeking). 

[Arwen Evenstar]

14 minutes ago, Kokapetl said:

The hardcore home birthing seems to have started with Anna. Not sure what Anna's motivation was, but Jill's was know-it-allness and goody-goody perfectionism, Jessa's was rivalry (with some attention seeking). 

Anna gave birth on the shitter.

Jill nearly killed herself...and Jessa nearly bled to death.

There are some very good midwives out there who had proper medical training, but not Jilly Muffin by a long shot.

[fuzzylollipop]

I don't want to get to off topic, but this is regarding Obamacare. I was a full time college student working a part time job back in January when I applied for it. I made a whooping $300 a month (not my proudest) I qualified for insurance plans that ranged from $321 to $800 a month. There was no way I could afford that! So I am one of those youngins who had no choice but to forego insurance and so are a lot of my peers because it is not as affordable as it is portrayed. I then reapplied with a counselor at a hospital, before starting the process, I told him I had already applied but would rather pay my $600-$800 annual penalty fee around tax time rather than $3,800 a year I did not have. He said he was going to apply me anyways because if I didn't qualify he would give me an exemption code at the end of the application that would waive the penalty when tax time came around since I couldn't afford it. I think there's a lot of public misconceptions about Obamacare, I know there's a lot about it I still don't know. 

However, in regards to the Duggars, even if they do not go for Obamacare (because evul Democrats!) I am sure there are more coverage options for them to choose from. Plus that's a mighty big penalty fee they'll have to pay come tax time! I don't they can get exempted from it. I simply cannot fathom being pregnant and uninsured by choice, because they can clearly afford it. My boyfriend and I recently had a pregnancy scare and we joked that I would have to marry him to get on his insurance. Why would anyone take that risk? Especially considering the scary deliveries both Duggarlings have already had. 

[yogi2014L]

56 minutes ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

Anna gave birth on the shitter.

Jill nearly killed herself...and Jessa nearly bled to death.

There are some very good midwives out there who had proper medical training, but not Jilly Muffin by a long shot.

It will be very interesting to see how Jessa handles the next birth. I hope she shows an ounce of intelligence and goes to the hospital. Same goes for Jill but I hope she doesn't get pregnant anytime soon. 

[winsomeone]

My niece makes $8 an hour. She had bypass surgery at age 41,  bladder cancer at age 50, and glaucoma that  needed suregry at age 55. The cheapest Obama Care insurance she could get was $200 a month...it didn't include any of her three doctors, and there was a $5,000 yearly deductible, and that was the subsidized insurance. Now she gets the medicaid type of Obama Care, and is limited to working 15 1/2 hours per week. So, it encourages people who really need insurance to not work.

[bigskygirl]

Lets keep the conversation on Ben, Jessa, Spurge, and the baby. Take the Obamacare/insurance discussion somewhere else because political discussion can turn unpleasant quickly. If you want to discuss the ACA, please feel free to go to the Politics/Current Events forum. Thank you.

[Almost 3000]

16 hours ago, birkenstock said:

Anna at least decided to go to a birth center to have Marcus after the toilet birth.  

That birth center and that horrific and unnecessarily long car ride was like an episode of American Horror Story. Not an upgrade even from a toilet birth.

[BitterApple]

17 minutes ago, Almost 3000 said:

That birth center and that horrific and unnecessarily long car ride was like an episode of American Horror Story. Not an upgrade even from a toilet birth.

IIRC, that birth center was an hour away, correct? 

To clarify my earlier comment, I don't know one way or the other whether Bin and Jessa have insurance, but given that she never mentions any sort of prenatal care or check-ups, I'm assuming they don't. I think Jessa wants to have her F.U. Internet and One-Upping of Jill moments with another homebirth, even if it kills her. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Jill is acting as her midwife, they just can't come out and say so because she isn't licensed.

Edited October 28, 2016 by BitterApple

[riverblue22]

10 minutes ago, Almost 3000 said:

That birth center and that horrific and unnecessarily long car ride was like an episode of American Horror Story. Not an upgrade even from a toilet birth.

Anna did come up with a real, legit midwife for her D. C. birth but unfortunately didn't get to hang around D.C. to take advantage of her services.  I haven't heard how she ended up having Meredith (but she may still have been able to use the FRC insurance for the birth).

[Sew Sumi]

5 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

Didn't Michelle have some issues with diabetes during one of her pregnancies?

No, just pre-eclampsia and the gall bladder issue with Josie. 

I'd also edited my post to reflect that the conversation happened during the summer of the  Spurge pregnancy. Hopefully, she talked about GD to whatever practitioner she was seeing at the time (if she saw one at all). From what we've heard, soul a Teresa Fedosky attended the birth, but the only time Jessa might have seen her before then was if she took the birthing classes that we saw Mechelle and Anna take from her (remember to soften your cervix!).

[kokapetl]

Jessa managed to rend her loins in twain birthing the wee baby Spurgeon. She won round one with Jill. And she's beaten her to round two as well. 

[Arwen Evenstar]

18 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

No, just pre-eclampsia and the gall bladder issue with Josie. 

I'd also edited my post to reflect that the conversation happened during the summer of the  Spurge pregnancy. Hopefully, she talked about GD to whatever practitioner she was seeing at the time (if she saw one at all). From what we've heard, soul a Teresa Fedosky attended the birth, but the only time Jessa might have seen her before then was if she took the birthing classes that we saw Mechelle and Anna take from her (remember to soften your cervix!).

Yes, Jessa believed that scarfing a whole pineapple in one sitting would soften the cervix...I realize at that point with a 10 # baby, she was exquisitely uncomfortable, and would have followed any old wives tale for relief.  They're Duggar dumb...they believe in a 6,000 year old earth, so why not pineapple? 

[Ljohnson1987]

How could they not do testing to see if she was diabetic? 

[Sew Sumi]

Can a lay midwife draw blood? I don't think so, but I could be wrong. But they can certainly order blood tests, can't they? I would expect they could; but if the family doesn't have insurance, are they going to actually go and get the testing done?

[mythoughtis]

They probably have one of those Christian share the cost plans, where they pool their money to pay for other Christians medical needs. It is considered acceptable under aca rules. The fundies like it because they don't have to contribute for birth control, tubal ligation, etc. Surely Ben and Jessa are smart enough to have at least this.

[Sew Sumi]

I hope so, otherwise they paid an episode's salary in hospital bills for Jessa's overnight stay and blood transfusion. 

[BunnyBlueBrown]

A midwife can order labs

[Sew Sumi]

That Jessa didn't know about GD makes me truly wonder if she even consulted with one. I know she comes off as cavalier and untouchable, because Jesus, but I wonder if she's really that stupid? She hadn't seen anyone at 14 weeks in this pregnancy, but I'm sure she got her strip mall ultrasound for gender reasons only by now. But a midwife? Who knows?

[saylubee]

Most pregnant women aren't going to be tested for gestational diabetes until 28 weeks.  If you have ultrasound markers, you can be tested a few weeks earlier but the results are less accurate.  28 weeks would have been the middle of August for Jessa and Spurgeon.  I don't think the ancedote gives any indicators of whether Jessa had prenatal care or not since she probably wouldn't have had that test yet.  All it shows is ignorance at best about pregnancy, which isn't surprising for the Duggar's.

The more telling aspects are the lack of ultrasounds and not listening to the heartbeat. I can't believe that Jessa wouldn't want some confirmation of pregnancy past a pee test.  Pee strips are not a definitive confirmation of pregnancy!

I don't think Jessa's approach to pregnancy is necessarily insurance-related.  She could be using Jill's midwife contacts to obtain better care.  Even if Jessa decided she didn't want all the blood testing and extra ultrasounds which can be seen as invasive in hippie midwifery (which is totally different from fundie midwifery anyways), she should have listened to the heartbeat.  You can't tell me there's absolutely no one in their group with a portable Doppler besides Jill.

[Sew Sumi]

They Query mother is actually a licensed lay midwife now. I saw her name when we checked for Jill's a few weeks back. The Query woman was part of Anna's birth team for Marcus, but she was still apprenticing then. 

[Sew Sumi]

Can someone who isn't BlessaBlocked check out her IG for Erika Felber's post to confirm that she said she "couldn't wait to meet [Spurge] next week!" 

BEFORE JESSA DELETES IT! She's feeding Spurge pickles at the TTH now (and the little girls got pedis), so something is definitely up. 

Edited October 29, 2016 by Sew Sumi

[ginger90]

I don't see a post by Erika

[Sew Sumi]

She probably tagged Jessa, who got right on it, as she's apt to do, especially when a paycheck may be jeopardized. It's now been a few hours since the posts were found. 

[saylubee]

It's still there for me.

[Sew Sumi]

Excellent! Jessa also posted that pic to her FB, and I scanned comments there just in case, but nada. Now we have proof that Jessa can't erase! HA! 

[Bean421]

We've also got the shot in the Duggalo thread!

[Rabbittron]

Why should she get good care after all she is a Duggar and nothing bad ever happens to them.

[Sew Sumi]

12 minutes ago, Bean421 said:

We've also got the shot in the Duggalo thread!

I reposted here, because I'm sure Jessa is getting Spurge one-year pics out of this visit as well. Why else would Erika post personally to her? At any rate, Erika let the cat out of the bag as to "when," even if she didn't say it in the posts she made to her professional account (posted on Duggalo thread). 

[awaken]

I had all of my kids at home with CPM's and CNM's and had the option to do ultrasounds, lab work, GD and GBS testing, listening to the heartbeat w both fetoscope and Doppler, and palpating position. 

[Sew Sumi]

I expect that of CNMs, but wasn't sure what CPMs were capable of doing/ordering since they're not affiliated with doctors/hospitals. 

[Rabbittron]

You can call me mean if you want to but if anything really really bad happened to her or the baby I would not feel one bit sorry.

Edited October 30, 2016 by Rabbittron
Not drunk enough.