Joy-Anna Duggar shares a heartbreaking photo holding her stillborn baby after 20-week miscarriage
Two days after announcing her miscarriage, Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth and her husband, Austin Forsyth, are saying goodbye to their stillborn baby. On July 3, the ‘Counting On’ star revealed that the couple found out they lost their unborn baby during their 20-week ultrasound and gender reveal.
Duggar thanked fans for their support and shared a solemn tribute to her unborn daughter in a heartbreaking post on the couple’s joint Instagram account.
“We only had her for 20 weeks, Life is fragile and precious,” Duggar wrote, with a photo of the couple cradling their stillborn daughter. “So thankful the Lord gave her to us for that short time! She will be in our hearts forever!💝😇”
“Thank you all for your love and support! We can feel the prayers!💕,” she added before giving special thanks to Carlin Bates, her best friend and star of ‘Bringing Up Bates’. “Thank you, @carlinbates98 for coming to town to be here for me and for doing my hair and makeup for pictures with our little girl!💖”
The couple already have a 1-year-old son, Gideon. They revealed the tragic news of the miscarriage in a black and white Instagram photo posted on July 3.
The couple also revealed that they already had a name picked out: Annabell Elise.
“Annabell means ‘God has favored me,’ and Elise means ‘God satisfies,’” the 21-year-old reality star wrote. “What a precious thing to know that when our daughter opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the face of Jesus.”
News of the pregnancy was announced on the family website in May. The impending arrival of the baby brought great excitement to the entire Duggar family.
“We have loved watching Austin and Joy build their lives together as a married couple and as parents. Their love for God, each other, Gideon, and others is genuine and inspiring,” Joy-Anna’s parents Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar had reportedly said. “We could not be more thankful as we watch their lives unfold day by day. A new baby will bring even more joy and blessings to their lives and ours. We are on cloud nine that another grandbaby will make a debut in 2019!”
The miscarriage is just the latest tragedy to strike the Duggar family, after grandma Mary Duggar’s death at the age of 78 less than a month before.
Washington County Coroner, Roger W. Morris, told People that the ‘Counting On’ family matriarch drowned in a swimming pool on June 9.
Though the traumatic loss has taken its toll, Joy-Anna said she and her family are doing better than they expected.
“Although we don’t understand why, God has given us unexplainable peace and comfort during this very difficult time,” she said. “Yes, it still hurts and we have cried countless tears, but we know that we can trust the Lord.”