Joy-Anna Duggar Defends Her Family and Carlin Bates’ Use of Pregnancy Photos: ‘Thankful for Memories’
She’s grateful for the experience. After days of Counting On fans slamming Carlin Bates and the Duggar family for sharing photos of Joy-Anna Duggar when she was pregnant with the daughter she miscarried about halfway through her pregnancy, Joy seemingly defended them. She shared a photo on social media from a maternity photo shoot she took with her sisters and a statement about how she’s excited to welcome so many new little ones to the family.
“So thankful to have these pictures from the photo shoot back in June with all the pregnant sisters,” Joy, 22, began the caption on a beautiful photo of herself with Kendra Caldwell, Jessa Duggar, Abbie Burnett, Anna Duggar and Lauren Swanson. “I couldn’t have known at the time what these memories would mean to me now. While we grieve over the loss of our baby girl who would’ve been due in just 8 days, we are grateful for the time we had with her.”
She continued, “We are thankful for memories like these. We are thankful for the precious hours we were able to hold her in our arms and say our goodbyes. We are thankful that God allowed us to be her parents, and we know that her life — though it was brief — has changed our lives forever.”
Joy and her husband, Austin Forsyth, expected to welcome their second child this fall. But sadly, the couple announced on July 3 that they had miscarried her sometime around their 20-week checkup.
“At the same time, we want others to know that the loss we feel does not negate the true joy and expectation we feel as we await the arrival of sisters’ and friends’ babies,” Joy added to her Instagram post. “There are lots of little nieces on the way, and we couldn’t be more excited! Kendra, Lauren and Anna are due this month, and Abbie is due in January! It’s a strange dichotomy. In the words of the Apostle Paul, we are “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor 6:10).”
“God has been good,” she concluded. “God is still good. We look forward to seeing Annabell again one day in heaven. Until then, we will get the joy and privilege of cuddling and loving on these sweet little nieces.”
Joy may have been defending her family and friend from backlash from fans after they shared photos of her to celebrate her birthday, and each one featured her during her second pregnancy. It sounds like she was OK with it, and that’s all that really matters. She may still be grieving her daughter but isn’t going to forget her or her pregnancy any time soon. Our hearts are still with Joy as she continues to heal from her loss.
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