Speechless!! Words fail....

[NastyCat4]

Mom delivers 16th child, thinking of more

Wednesday, October 12, 2005; Posted: 5:12 p.m. EDT (21:12 GMT)

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their children pose with the 16th addition to the family.
Image:



THE OTHER 15
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's children include two sets of twins. Each child's name begins with the letter "J":

Joshua, 17; John David, 15; Janna, 15; Jill, 14; Jessa, 12; Jinger, 11; Joseph, 10; Josiah, 9; Joy-Anna, 8; Jeremiah, 6; Jedidiah, 6; Jason, 5; James, 4; Justin, 2; Jackson Levi, 1

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LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- Michelle Duggar just delivered her 16th child, and she's already thinking about doing it again.

Johannah Faith Duggar was born at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and weighed 7 pounds, 6.5 ounces.

The baby's father, Jim Bob Duggar, a former state representative, said Wednesday that mother and child were doing well.

He said Johannah's birth was especially exciting because it was the first time in eight years the family has had a girl.

Jim Bob Duggar, 40, said he and Michelle, 39, want more children.

"We both just love children and we consider each a blessing from the Lord. I have asked Michelle if she wants more and she said yes, if the Lord wants to give us some she will accept them," he said.

The Discovery Health Channel filmed Johannah's birth and plans to air a show about the family of 18 next May.

The Learning Channel is doing another show about the family's construction project, a 7,000-square foot house that should be finished before Christmas. The home, which the family has been building for two years, will have nine bathrooms, dormitory-style bedrooms for the girls and boys, a commercial kitchen, four washing machines and four dryers.

Jim Bob Duggar, who sells real estate, previously lost his bid for the U.S. Senate. He said he expects to run for the state Senate next year but isn't ready to make a formal announcement.

Michelle Duggar had her first child at age 21, four years after the couple married.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or

[Miss Mary]

Wait until those college tuition bills start adding up!!!

I'm kinda speechless too. We stopped at 2 and contemplated a third. Both of us liked an even number and each of us could watch one of two while out in public. Can't even imagine going past 4! 16? I'd have to see this family in action to make my mind up. You have to wonder if that household runs like a boot camp.

The dad must have a really good job!

Mary

PS - wait a minute, just noticed the mother got married at age 17. Had her first baby at 21. Wow, her entire adult life has been either being a wife and/or mother. Guess she loves it, I'd need some serious quiet time, personally.

[arkess7]

OH MY GOD!!! and they want more children... that women must be tired..

i can barley handle the 1 i have sometimes

[Amanzi]

I want lots of kids.. I have two now, and when we settle down back in South Africa, Hubby has also said we will try for another one. In all reality though, in this day and age it costs to much to have a football team for a family... If I could afford it though I would have many many more.

[DaylilyDawn]

When my first son was born, he weighed only 3lbs 71/2 oz and was not a Preemie baby . He was a week from his due date when born, fully mature except for his weight. He was also born with two birth defects that required surgery to repair early in his life.He was also born with kidney disease although at that time we didn't know it. When he was 16 months old , I had my daughter born weighing 6lbs 11ozs and nothing wrong with her . Raising two at the time , people thought they were twins after she reached 6 months. They were about the same size because his growth rate was stunted due to the kidney disease. When she was 2 I found out I was pregnant with our third child. My hubby and I discussed having my tubes tied after the baby was delivered. Doctor kept questioning me as to was I sure I wanted to have them tied during the entire 9 months. My oldest son had to have a kidney transplant in Sept 2000 and his brother was going to donate until he was in a car wreck that compromised his own immune system. Doctors would not let him donate after his spleen had been removed. Now I would not have thought about having more than the three I had because medical costs for more than 3 would have bankrupted uss.

[truballer#1]

she most have lots of Dough

[O Town]

Wow, that is a little over the top for me. I have one set of twins and a singleton and stay busy. I can not imagine life with 16 children, maybe 4 at the most for me. I feel like I want to do the pregnacy thing one more time, I always wanted 3 kids, which I have. But I got 2 with one try. I think if we had the money we would go for 1 or 2 more. You really have to be a certain kind of person to do what this woman has done, and doing. I would be so stressed all the time I would probably run away.LOL. The mother and father must have a great realationship, almost perfect I would say, to handle the stresses of having 16 children.

[weathermom]

JUST SAY NO!!!


I guess she wasn't listening.........

[streetsoldier]

Well, at least one can't say that the parents aren't physically fit...

[HurricaneBill]

No offense, but wouldn't having 16 children one after the other take a huge physical toll on the mother's body?

Here's an even more frightening fact: I think the most children had by one mother was 67. However, this woman had a few sets of twins, triplets, and quadruplets.

[azsnowman]

All I can say is........"WHY?" WHY would you subject yourself to this kind of TORTURE I mean, I LOVE my kids BUT.....2's nuff for ANYONE IMHO!

Dennis

[Miss Mary]

No offense, but wouldn't having 16 children one after the other take a huge physical toll on the mother's body?

Here's an even more frightening fact: I think the most children had by one mother was 67. However, this woman had a few sets of twins, triplets, and quadruplets.

Yes, you would think so. In our community we have two very large families, that I know of. First one is on #11 I think. The mom is in her mid 40s by now. Both her and her husband are wonderful, loving parents. They own an extended van, the size HS bands use for traveling. It's very old and rusted out. I see her driving around our township and think, now what if that van suddenly died. How in the world would they be able to afford another large van like that? Also this mother looks really, really tired. Heard she has a headset for her home phone. She puts it on the morning and does chores all day long. If the phone rings she just talks as she works. The mom looks 10 years older than the dad, and he's at least 3 years older than she is.

The other family has 9 children. The dad is a minister, yes I know it sounds like the 7th Heaven family, almost. Again, this is a very good family but one summer I saw the mother's legs. She's thin, size 5, very pretty but my gosh, her legs look terrible. She has varicose veins, that are look to be swollen, enlarged, something and they are all over, calves, thighs. Finally, her own mother helps out with the children. She's thin also, very pretty but it's obvious, she had a stroke and is partially paralyzed on one side. Walks with a cane and cannot lift one leg. I'm not a doctor but even I put the two together, if I were this mom of 9, and knowing my own mother had a stroke, I'd be VERY worried!

Heck, I've only had 2 kids and their pregnancies took a toll on my body.

I imagine this mom of 16 delivers in mere minutes too. They probably just pop out. With a slight sneeze, when it's time!

Mary

[Skywatch_NC]

The parents could always just go to PetSmart and adopt a four-legged "kid".

Also, the older a parent(s) get the MORE riskier to have kids.

Wonder if they'll want to try an Abraham and Sarah in the much latter years.

Eric

[GalvestonDuck]

Good thing you're speechless, NC4, because I doubt there's ever a moment of quiet in that family.

[Miss Mary]

Here's a funny sidenote no one's mentioned yet, all the kids names begin with letter J. I wonder how many names the parents say before they get a specific kid's name correct?

In HS, I babysat for a family with 5 children, all begining with the letter J also. It was confusing, to say the least....



Mary

[Skywatch_NC]

Joshua, 17; John David, 15; Janna, 15; Jill, 14; Jessa, 12; Jinger, 11; Joseph, 10; Josiah, 9; Joy-Anna, 8; Jeremiah, 6; Jedidiah, 6; Jason, 5; James, 4; Justin, 2; Jackson Levi, 1; Johannah,

Let's see...some other J names:

1) Jezebel
2) Jared or Jarrod
3) Janae
4)Jacob or Jake
5) Jasmine
6) Jazzlyn (I have a cousin named that)
7) Jordan
8) Janet
9) Jane
10)

[Miss Mary]

Joshua, 17; John David, 15; Janna, 15; Jill, 14; Jessa, 12; Jinger, 11; Joseph, 10; Josiah, 9; Joy-Anna, 8; Jeremiah, 6; Jedidiah, 6; Jason, 5; James, 4; Justin, 2; Jackson Levi, 1, Johannah,

Let's see...some other J names:

1) Jezebel
2) Jared or Jarrod
3) Janae
4)Jacob or Jake
5) Jasmine
6) Jazzlyn (I have a cousin named that)
7) Jordan
8) Janet
9) Jane
10)

You forgot 10!!!

How about:

January
June
July

Of course those are all girl names......we had a baby boom of sorts with grandchildren in Jim's family. Combined we have 4 God-children. His 3 all begin with the letter J: Justin, Jack and Julie. And his name is Jim. I always found that a funny coincidence. My God-child is Erin.

Mary

[Stellar Storm]

Hey, what is it with the J names? My Uncle Jerrold named his kids Jerry Jr., Janet, Jeffery and Joel. Then cousin Jerry carried on the tradition with Justin, Jillian, and Jade.

[DaylilyDawn]

My first name is Julia but I do not go by it, I use my middle name Dawn. My youngest son's first name is Jared. We didn't name him that with the intention of keeping the J name in the family, but because we liked the name. He goes by his middle name with family and school friends, which is Beau Most people tell me my childrens name make them think of Gone With The Wind, which is where I took them from with the exception of the name Jared. I have Rhett, Tara, and Jared , in the order of their birth.
Full names for each are Rhett Todd Mason, Tara Leilani Stidham(married name) and Jared Beau Mason.

[NastyCat4]

They could name an entire hurricane season after their family.