Joy-Anna Duggar is recognizing a difficult family milestone. On July 1, the former Counting On star took to Instagram to share photos in honor of her stillborn daughter, Annabell, who would have turned 6 years old this week. A lot has changed in the lives of Joy and her husband, Austin Forsyth, since then, but she’s still keeping baby Annabell close to her heart.
Joy memorialized Annabell with a sweet post.
“Happy heavenly 6th birthday Annabell Elise Forsyth,” Joy wrote in her caption, before warning her followers that some of the photos she included in her post “may be disturbing to some.”
Joy shared a black and white picture of her daughter’s tiny feet, followed by bump photos, a video of her ultrasound, and finally, heartbreaking pictures of Joy, Austin, and Annabell in the hospital when Joy gave birth.
Her comments were filled with supportive messages.
Joy’s sister, Jill, commented on the post, writing, “Love you so much sis,” while longtime BFF Carlin Bates commented, “Love you sm!!!”
Many fans also extended their support to Joy in the comments or to share that they’ve experienced a similar loss.
“It’s really beautiful that you have these pictures to treasure. Fellow loss mothers get it,” one person commented. “Of course you should share these photos if you want to and be proud of your baby.”
Joy announced her loss in July 2019.
In her caption, Joy shared that when she and Austin went in for their 20-week ultrasound and gender reveal, they learned that their baby no longer had a heartbeat and wasn’t moving.
“We named her Annabell Elise,” she wrote. “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.”
In 2023, she shared Annabell’s birth story.
Joy and Austin sat down to tell the story of Annabell’s birth in July 2023 in a video they shared on their family’s YouTube channel.
“It was a really hard time because you’re going through all of this and your body thinks that you’re having a baby but, um, at the end of the day, you’re gonna go home and your arms are going to be empty and you’re not gonna have that baby to hold,” she said at the time.
