The Duggar kids are no stranger to tragedy, suffering through the accidental death of
their grandmother earlier in 2019, as People reported.
However, they're also fortunate to have a large, close family to lean on during life's
most challenging times.
In February, Lauren and Josiah Duggar announced to their followers that in late 2018 they
miscarried their first baby.
The heartbreaking news was made even more complicated by the fact that their sister,
Jessa, was also pregnant, and, according to Us Weekly, had the same due date as Lauren.
Jessa explained,
"My heart aches for them.
I weep when I think of how difficult it must be for her to see me pregnant in the very
stages where she would've been, right up through the baby's due date."
It seems Lauren really appreciated Jessa's support, and is now paying it forward to sister-in-law
Joy-Anna, who announced her miscarriage on Instagram in July.
Lauren recently took to Instagram to post an encouraging message for October's Pregnancy
and Infant Loss Awareness Month.
She ended her sweet note by highlighting the importance of supporting other parents who
have suffered this kind of loss, writing,
"Remember that you are loved.
You are a warrior.
You are not alone.
You are not forgotten."
It's a message that hits close to home for Lauren, and having recently gone through it
herself, she's in a unique position to support Joy-Anna.
"I was hoping it was a bad nightmare and wishing that I was going to wake up."
Lauren described miscarriage as "hard to talk about" and admitted that there's shame associated
with it.
For her part, Lauren told Us Weekly that she attempts to ease her sister-in-law's suffering
by, quote, "sending her encouragement and sending her scripture."
She explained,
"I know what it feels like when someone's pregnant and you're not.
I know what you're feeling and just knowing to be sensitive [to] different things."
"It was the worst day of my life really."
Sometimes, that level of empathy is what it takes to really help someone through a difficult
time.
In the emotional post announcing their miscarriage, Joy-Anna and Austin revealed,
"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."
A few weeks later, a post showed fans that another of Joy-Anna's sisters-in-law knew
just how much that name meant to the grieving couple.
Austin's sister Meagan gifted Joy-Anna a gold necklace with "Annabell Elise" written in
a delicate script.
Talking about the sweet gift, Joy-Anna told Us Weekly she, quote, "hasn't taken it off."
In that same interview, Joy-Anna revealed the rest of Austin's family was "a huge blessing,"
and went on to say,
"They would help keep Gideon so we could have some alone time.
My parents and my siblings were there for me.
They would come and bring us meals and food and just give us encouraging words.
My mom would write down scripture for me and post it everywhere.
We had a lot of support."
Going through a miscarriage is never easy, but it must be especially difficult for Joy-Anna,
whose family seems to constantly be expanding; Today reported Joe Duggar and his wife welcomed
their second baby on November 2nd.
It seems Joy-Anna and Austin are doing whatever they need to heal, often taking time to simply
be with each other, and even skipping out on a family trip to Los Angeles in favor of
a Colorado road trip, according to In Touch.
Joy-Anna's best friend Carlin Bates and members of the Duggar family account posted sweet
notes to Joy-Anna for her birthday on October 28th.
According to In Touch, some fans were quick to point out that including photos of Joy-Anna
while she was pregnant with Annabell might be insensitive, but it's likely Joy-Anna appreciated
the gestures.
For her part, Joy-Anna even said so on Bates' post, writing,
"THANK YOU, CARLIN!!!!
I love you more than I can express!!"
Grieving is different for everyone, and this has no doubt been an incredibly difficult
time for Joy-Anna, but it seems she is surrounded by people whose support she can count on.
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