What to Know
There aren’t many clips from the old episodes of 19 Kids and Counting that aren’t uncomfortable or inappropriate in some way, in hindsight. After multiple family scandals and even legal troubles over the years, the Duggars have fallen from grace in a big way. So when someone posted a clip from 19 Kids and Counting on TikTok where Michelle Duggar gets an ultrasound, it has a different sort of filter to it.
In the clip, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar visit the doctor to get an ultrasound of their new baby, who is either their last baby, Josie Duggar, or their second to last child, Jordyn-Grace Duggar. The girls were born almost exactly a year apart from one another, so it’s hard to say for sure. But, for reasons only known and understood by the former reality TV family, every single Duggar child also goes to the appointment. It’s stressful just to watch, so I can’t imagine how the office staff felt about the brood.
Literally all the kids went to the appointment with Jim Bob and Michelle.
@tlcgems Duggar family outings #tlcshow #19kidsandcounting #duggarfamily #michelleduggar #jimbob ♬ PRESSURE! – Nyck Caution
I get bringing your other child with you to an ultrasound appointment either out of fun for the older sibling or because you don’t have childcare. But, uh, I don’t think the Duggars were ever hurting for childcare since Michelle managed to have children so frequently that at some point, the older kids would take care of the younger children and be assigned to which younger kids would be their “buddies.”
In the 19 Kids and Counting clip, Michelle and Jim Bob apparently feel the need to bring literally all of their children so they can weigh in on the gender of the next baby. Again, the idea of that is OK. Involving the other kids? Totally normal. Bringing 17 or 18 children of various ages to a small doctor’s office? Yeah, no.
“I’m not even an ultrasound tech, but the way I’d be overstimulated in that room with all those kids,” one user commented on the TikTok clip.
Another person pointed out, “Ok but like I could only have two people for all mine.”
Usually, there is a limit to how many people are allowed to come along to an ultrasound appointment. For the Duggars, maybe they have special treatment because of the amount of children they managed to have before this. You know, like a two for one special because you’re a frequent customer at a restaurant.
“How on earth is that room big enough to fit all of y’all?” Someone else commented. Yeah, same.
Jill shares Michelle’s modesty concerns at the appointment.
In the clip, Michelle has the typical ultrasound that is performed by scanning the stomach. However, for Michelle, it’s important to cover up every part of her except the small part of her stomach for only the ultrasound technician to see.
“There’s no skin shown until the baby’s born, and then you see the baby’s skin, and that’s the only skin I want to be seen,” Michelle tells producers in the clip.
Elsewhere in the clip, Jill Duggar explains more about Michelle’s need for modesty in this particular setting, even if it seems like total overkill. Because it really does.
“Other ladies, a lot of times, they like to show off their pregnant belly or whatever,” Jill says. “My mom is different. She likes to keep covered as well as possible.”
We also see the older siblings talk about whether they think the baby is a boy or a girl. Joseph Duggar says, “I want a boy.” When the camera pans to Josh Duggar, his response is nothing more than, “Uhhh.” I guess producers spared us with the editing on that one.
People still question how Michelle had so many children.
In the early days of 19 Kids and Counting, people had a hard time wrapping their heads around the idea of Michelle giving birth to all of her kids. But she has, and it was always the mantra of the family to have as many kids as “the Lord allows.” On a Reddit post about the physical toll of having that many kids in such close proximity to one another, users speculated on how difficult it might have actually been for Michelle.
Someone commented, “Okay I just Googled ‘health problems from too many pregnancies’ and it LITERALLY had Michelle’s picture.” Ope.
Another user pointed out, “Varicose veins and feet problems are a certainty. She always wears support hose and the same kind of orthopedic shoes.” But it’s all worth it for those little miracles, people.
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