Joy Anna Duggar Forsyth only shared the exciting news of her pregnancy with the world two months ago. But after posting joyous photos of her scans and poses with her baby bump, yesterday the 21-year-old shared the heartbreaking news that their unborn baby had passed away.
The 10th Duggar child explained that she and her husband went in for a 20-week scan, which would determine the sex of their baby, but the doctor couldn’t detect a heartbeat.
In a devastating Instagram post, she revealed the pair would have been welcoming a baby girl in just a few short months. A few of Joy Anna’s sisters and sisters-in-law have recently had, or are expecting, girls, which makes Joy’s heartbreak even more magnified.
She shared a message to her followers, detailing the child’s name and how the couple are seeking comfort in the difficult days ahead:
“Although we don’t understand why, God has given us unexplainable peace and comfort during this very difficult time. Yes, it still hurts and we have cried countless tears, but we know that we can trust the Lord. In the words of King David after the loss of his baby, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Sam 12:23). We don’t grieve as those who have no hope because we trust that we will see this little one again.
We named her Annabell Elise. Annabell means “God has favored me”, and Elise means “God satisfies”. What a precious thing to know that when our daughter opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the face of Jesus.”
The pair are already parents to a little boy named Gideon, but were excited to continue to expand their family. Joy Anna has previously revealed that she and her husband would like to have as many children as God blesses them with, akin to her own mother and father.