In comparison to her three kids, Joy-Anna Duggar has no idea how her mother, Michelle Duggar, had 19 children. Appearing on The Unplanned Podcast with her husband Austin Forsyth, the 26-year-old former 19 Kids and Counting star got real about the challenges of childbearing and the postpartum period. Speaking to hosts Matt and Abby Howard, she reflected not only on postpartum depression, but also her upbringing and her courtship with Austin.
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Joy-Anna has no idea how her mom did it.
Abby asked Joy how many pregnancies her mom had, and then assumed that with Joy experiencing pregnancy, birth, and nursing, she’s probably wondering how Michelle did it all.
“I’ve had three kids, how did my mom have 19 kids?” Joy questioned. “It’s insane … and that she didn’t go crazy, like she still is so active.”
Austin went on to describe Michelle as selfless, with his wife chiming in that she was “almost too selfless” at times. “She’s always looking for areas to serve others,” he said.
Fans responded to the clip.
“I love the respect she shows her mother ❤️,” one person wrote.
“I absolutely love that this girl is choosing to honor her mother,” another person commented. “Even if she wouldn’t choose the same for herself. 👏.”
Others assumed that Michelle was able to get by on having the older kids raise the younger ones, many claiming that she parentified her children. “She had her children take care of the younger ones. That’s how she did it,” one person commented. “Her girls raised them. Give them the credit.”
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Joy went on to talk about postpartum depression.
Elsewhere in the interview, Joy opened up about her experience with postpartum depression. “My third was the worst,” she said of the period after giving birth to her youngest, Gunner. “I didn’t know really with my first what was happening.”
She recalled feeling “in a fog” for about six months at that time. The couple had a stillbirth after their firstborn, Gideon. Then, after delivering their second child, Evelyn, Joy said she had “baby blues” for about six months as well.
She doesn't think she was taking good care of herself.
Joy admitted that she probably wasn’t taking the best care of herself during and after pregnancy.
“I wasn’t getting the right food, vitamins, or rest,” she said. “This was the worst that I had ever experienced,” she added of the postpartum experience she had after having her youngest.
Joy noted many moms experience PPD.
Joy would never want anyone to go through the PPD that she experienced. “I would wish that on no mom, but I know a lot of moms go through it.”
You can watch the full podcast episode in the video.
