Laura Munck is pregnant with twins

[singsingsing]

42 and twins makes me think fertility drugs right off the bat. But maybe she's just super fertile and super blessed.

It's not like twins are amazingly rare. Your odds of having twins go up as you get older, so it's not surprising at all that she's 42 and has conceived twins, especially given that she doesn't use birth control. I have never heard of any fundie using or approving of fertility drugs.

[Jana814]

42 and twins makes me think fertility drugs right off the bat. But maybe she's just super fertile and super blessed.

I think she is super fertile!

[Idolatry]

It's not like twins are amazingly rare. Your odds of having twins go up as you get older, so it's not surprising at all that she's 42 and has conceived twins, especially given that she doesn't use birth control. I have never heard of any fundie using or approving of fertility drugs.

Getting pregnant at all in your 40s is like 5% odds, 1% when you hit 45. So, yes, I immediately think fertility drugs with 42 and twins. And yes, I would call that amazingly rare. Obviously, I should give the glory to God, I guess because she is clearly superfertile and anything can happen. Sarah, Bible, pregnant, God opens the womb, I know.

I've never heard a fundie opposition to fertility drugs. IVF, maybe. Michelle Duggar punted this exact question in an interview last year saying she had no opinion. Whatever you say, Jchelle. Plenty of fundies adopt those poor abandoned embryos, which requires hardcore fertility intervention. With the way these women idolize pregnancy and babies babies babies, it wouldn't surprise me if some got some help along the way, especially when age kicks in. The pills aren't that expensive or hard to come by, thought they can be dangerous.

[singsingsing]

Getting pregnant at all in your 40s is like 5% odds, 1% when you hit 45. So, yes, I immediately think fertility drugs with 42 and twins. And yes, I would call that amazingly rare.

Women have been bearing children into their early-mid 40s forever. It can't be amazingly rare, because it happens regularly, and the older you are, the more likely you are to conceive twins. One of my great-great-grandmothers had her last child at the age of 45. That was in 1924 so I'm going to go ahead and assume she wasn't using fertility drugs. Another ancestor was 46 when she had her last in 1886. Yet another was 44, in 1848. It took me 30 seconds of scanning my family tree to find three of these supposed anomalies. Do you think Michelle Duggar used fertility drugs? Kelly Bates? They're ethically opposed to IVF, the vast majority of them can't afford fertility drugs or treatments, and it's a badge of honour for them to get pregnant naturally. Remember, it's God's will. God opens and closes the womb, not science.

[Idolatry]

Women have been bearing children into their early-mid 40s forever. It can't be amazingly rare, because it happens regularly, and the older you are, the more likely you are to conceive twins. One of my great-great-grandmothers had her last child at the age of 45. That was in 1924 so I'm going to go ahead and assume she wasn't using fertility drugs. Another ancestor was 46 when she had her last in 1886. Yet another was 44, in 1848. It took me 30 seconds of scanning my family tree to find three of these supposed anomalies. Do you think Michelle Duggar used fertility drugs? Kelly Bates? They're ethically opposed to IVF, the vast majority of them can't afford fertility drugs or treatments, and it's a badge of honour for them to get pregnant naturally. Remember, it's God's will. God opens and closes the womb, not science.

LOL, I guess you think all those Hollywood celebrities were magically blessed with twins in their 40s too for their godly lives. Obviously, it is possible to naturally have twins in your 40s, but not likely.

Michelle Duggar never answered the question about fertility drugs. I wish I could find it. I think it was even on TV when they went to visit some other church or something, and they took audience questions. I remember it because her answer was so vague and she pretty much said nothing, maybe something about praying on it. It was bizarre for someone who always has black and white answers to everything.

The drugs themselves cost next to nothing, just saying. Popping some Clomid is nowhere close to creating embryos for IVF, ethically, practically, or financially. Wouldn't surprise me at all if some of the fundies took an assist from science.

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

Getting pregnant at all in your 40s is like 5% odds, 1% when you hit 45. So, yes, I immediately think fertility drugs with 42 and twins. And yes, I would call that amazingly rare. Obviously, I should give the glory to God, I guess because she is clearly superfertile and anything can happen. Sarah, Bible, pregnant, God opens the womb, I know.

I've never heard a fundie opposition to fertility drugs. IVF, maybe. Michelle Duggar punted this exact question in an interview last year saying she had no opinion. Whatever you say, Jchelle. Plenty of fundies adopt those poor abandoned embryos, which requires hardcore fertility intervention. With the way these women idolize pregnancy and babies babies babies, it wouldn't surprise me if some got some help along the way, especially when age kicks in. The pills aren't that expensive or hard to come by, thought they can be dangerous.

Your stastistics are based on women WITH fertility problems. And 300 year old statistics. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24128176

As a child health nurse I can assure you every week we have women in their 40s bringing in their newborns and very few of these women have had IVF (yes we ask!) or fertility problems. You are also more likely to have twins as you get older. So I am not sure why your mind jumped to fertility drugs.

[singsingsing]

LOL, I guess you think all those Hollywood celebrities were magically blessed with twins in their 40s too for their godly lives. Obviously, it is possible to naturally have twins in your 40s, but not likely.

Michelle Duggar never answered the question about fertility drugs. I wish I could find it. I think it was even on TV when they went to visit some other church or something, and they took audience questions. I remember it because her answer was so vague and she pretty much said nothing, maybe something about praying on it. It was bizarre for someone who always has black and white answers to everything.

The drugs themselves cost next to nothing, just saying. Popping some Clomid is nowhere close to creating embryos for IVF, ethically, practically, or financially. Wouldn't surprise me at all if some of the fundies took an assist from science.

That's your response? Seriously? No, I don't think all those celebrities who got pregnant with twins in their 40s (whoever they are) did so naturally, I think most of them probably used fertility drugs or IVF. But do you get what I'm saying - that it's still very possible to conceive naturally, and that as you get older your chance of having twins continues to go up, and that is why it's not shocking that a 42-year-old woman would conceive twins? In other words, at the age of 38 your fertility drops, but your chance of having twins increases. Ditto for 42, 44, etc. At 46 it may be almost impossible for most women to get pregnant naturally, but if they can their chances of having twins are much higher.

You didn't even bother to address my actual argument. You threw out some weird strawman about celebrities instead. Find me some actual statistics about the odds of pregnancy after 40 (especially for women who have already conceived multiple times). Find me an actual quote from a fundie saying that they approve of and take fertility drugs to get pregnant. Tell me you think that all those pre-20th century women who got pregnant multiple times after 40 were popping Clomid. Good luck.

[Idolatry]

That's your response? Seriously? No, I don't think all those celebrities who got pregnant with twins in their 40s (whoever they are) did so naturally, I think most of them probably used fertility drugs or IVF. But do you get what I'm saying - that it's still very possible to conceive naturally, and that as you get older your chance of having twins continues to go up, and that is why it's not shocking that a 42-year-old woman would conceive twins? In other words, at the age of 38 your fertility drops, but your chance of having twins increases. Ditto for 42, 44, etc. At 46 it may be almost impossible for most women to get pregnant naturally, but if they can their chances of having twins are much higher.

You didn't even bother to address my actual argument. You threw out some weird strawman about celebrities instead. Find me some actual statistics about the odds of pregnancy after 40 (especially for women who have already conceived multiple times). Find me an actual quote from a fundie saying that they approve of and take fertility drugs to get pregnant. Tell me you think that all those pre-20th century women who got pregnant multiple times after 40 were popping Clomid. Good luck.

Even your super-fertile relatives didn't have twins in their 40s. Obviously it is possible, but it isn't very likely. Maybe Laura is just that blessed because she has not been blessed with the gifts of grammar or spelling.

There is no fundie opposition to fertility drugs that I've ever heard. All I'm saying is that it is possible that some fundie women have gotten some help. And obviously they wouldn't go around telling everyone, just like most women who are visiting fertility doctors. I'm not in Jchelle's bedroom, thank god, but she definitely never said she was opposed to fertility drugs, and there's no Gothard position like that either.

[Idolatry]

Your stastistics are based on women WITH fertility problems. And 300 year old statistics. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24128176

As a child health nurse I can assure you every week we have women in their 40s bringing in their newborns and very few of these women have had IVF (yes we ask!) or fertility problems. You are also more likely to have twins as you get older. So I am not sure why your mind jumped to fertility drugs.

So based on that article, 82% of women under 40 can conceive. Cool story, bro.

[Melissa1977]

A pregnancy at 42 years old is perfectly normal. In my country a lot of woman have their first or second baby at 40 years old. It is considered medium/high risk pregnancy because they're over 40. Yes, it's more difficult to conceive at 40 that at 20, but you don't need fertility drugs at 40 years old. Or at least most women don't need it. Women at their forties who don't want babies have to use condoms or pills or whatever.

Remember that Kelly Bates didn't took fertility drugs to get pregnant, she just took drugs (progesterone) to avoid miscarriages. It's different.

Munck's mother is like a clock. She has a baby each two years. Her fertility is obvious.

I think Munck's mother is a little spoiled. She seems to enjoy the little girls, dressing them up, taking pictures, etc. But she doesn't seem bonded to the boys. I can see her as a sergeant giving orders to the children. They are working in the family business, plus they seem to have a clean house, clean&ironed clothes... these children are doing a lot of chores for sure and I have the vibe that the mother is like a queen, just doing what she likes: being pregnant, looking after babies and playing dolls with the little girls.

One thing that bother me is that they seem to have money and celebrate nice parties and go on holidays, etc, but their daugther's wedding was poor. And the grandbaby announcement has been done with no energy, as it wasn't an important announcement. It's like they don't care about Amanda.

[Violet]

A pregnancy at 42 years old is perfectly normal. In my country a lot of woman have their first or second baby at 40 years old. It is considered medium/high risk pregnancy because they're over 40. Yes, it's more difficult to conceive at 40 that at 20, but you don't need fertility drugs at 40 years old. Or at least most women don't need it. Women at their forties who don't want babies have to use condoms or pills or whatever.

Remember that Kelly Bates didn't took fertility drugs to get pregnant, she just took drugs (progesterone) to avoid miscarriages. It's different.

Munck's mother is like a clock. She has a baby each two years. Her fertility is obvious.

I think Munck's mother is a little spoiled. She seems to enjoy the little girls, dressing them up, taking pictures, etc. But she doesn't seem bonded to the boys. I can see her as a sergeant giving orders to the children. They are working in the family business, plus they seem to have a clean house, clean&ironed clothes... these children are doing a lot of chores for sure and I have the vibe that the mother is like a queen, just doing what she likes: being pregnant, looking after babies and playing dolls with the little girls.

One thing that bother me is that they seem to have money and celebrate nice parties and go on holidays, etc, but their daugther's wedding was poor. And the grandbaby announcement has been done with no energy, as it wasn't an important announcement. It's like they don't care about Amanda.

Or maybe they're respecting Amanda's privacy? A personal example: my brother decided to announce my degree marks to all of his fb friends without asking me if I wanted it broadcast over social media. I was very angry with him - not because I was ashamed of my marks (far from it) but because it wasn't his news to tell. It was my achievement and I didn't feel the need to brag to the world about it. Maybe Amanda doesn't want the details of her life splashed all over her mother's blog. We only get snippets of people's lives when they blog (see: the Maxwells.)

However I do agree with you that Laura seems to be a lot more interested in the little girls than the boys.

[Hane]

Fifty years ago, my mom and three of my friends' moms all had babies at 40+. I also know two women who had surprise babies at age 46: one had given up on the idea of ever having children, and the other had just sent her last kid away to college.

The older you get, the more likely you are to produce multiple eggs when you ovulate, so your chances of fraternal twins increases. Also, women who have had many pregnancies are more likely to wind up having fraternal twins. This article backs me up.

[silverspoons]

A pregnancy at 42 years old is perfectly normal. In my country a lot of woman have their first or second baby at 40 years old. It is considered medium/high risk pregnancy because they're over 40. Yes, it's more difficult to conceive at 40 that at 20, but you don't need fertility drugs at 40 years old. Or at least most women don't need it. Women at their forties who don't want babies have to use condoms or pills or whatever.

Remember that Kelly Bates didn't took fertility drugs to get pregnant, she just took drugs (progesterone) to avoid miscarriages. It's different.

Munck's mother is like a clock. She has a baby each two years. Her fertility is obvious.

I think Munck's mother is a little spoiled. She seems to enjoy the little girls, dressing them up, taking pictures, etc. But she doesn't seem bonded to the boys. I can see her as a sergeant giving orders to the children. They are working in the family business, plus they seem to have a clean house, clean&ironed clothes... these children are doing a lot of chores for sure and I have the vibe that the mother is like a queen, just doing what she likes: being pregnant, looking after babies and playing dolls with the little girls.

One thing that bother me is that they seem to have money and celebrate nice parties and go on holidays, etc, but their daugther's wedding was poor. And the grandbaby announcement has been done with no energy, as it wasn't an important announcement. It's like they don't care about Amanda.

Mom Munck is the one that started the family business. She is the one that went to technical college to get her certificate(or degree) in Dog grooming. She has trained the other family members. From reading her blog she is at the business just about everyday working and the kids are there as well homeschooling. She also was the sole provider during her husband cancer battle. While I don't doubt the kids help with the home and business, I don't think she is sitting in an easy chair playing with her 3 girls. While I think Elizabeth helps with Jonathan Mom Munck seems involved at least in his daily medical care. She seems to be involve in meal planning, coking (healthy) and she coupon clips and does the grocery shopping. I just do not think she leads the Queen bee life that Michelle Duggar does.

[Coco]

All these scary examples of women being fertile in their 40's. :shock:

[WonderingInWA]

LOL. Yep, never underestimate fertility! A friend of mine just had a baby in June. She's 49. Beautiful healthy baby girl and no fertility drugs. Surprise!

[Jana814]

LOL. Yep, never underestimate fertility! A friend of mine just had a baby in June. She's 49. Beautiful healthy baby girl and no fertility drugs. Surprise!

Wow!!

[WonderingInWA]

Wow!!

I know, right? And has not been a baby factory, either. Her only other child is a college sophomore. So, there ya go!

[Hane]

I have two friends who got pregnant despite being on BC for severe endometriosis. Each of them already had two kids and was hoping for a third, but was told by her ob-gyn that there was no way in hell she could get pregnant. Surprise!

ETA that we hear so much nowadays about fertility treatments, and see so many 40+-year-old celebrities magically having twins, that we start forgetting that "change-of-life" babies and multiples DO manage to happen on their own, without outside help.

[Jana814]

I know, right? And has not been a baby factory, either. Her only other child is a college sophomore. So, there ya go!

Wow again!! Do u know how the older one liked the idea of having a sibling?

[WonderingInWA]

Wow again!! Do u know how the older one liked the idea of having a sibling?

So far, so good. My friend was only married to her first daughter's father for 3 years, then raised her on her own (and she did a great job, her daughter is bright and lovely and has had a lot of great opportunities). So when my friend finally remarried a couple of years ago, she was happy for her mom. No one expected them to have a baby, but this is his first marriage so it was nice for him to be able to enjoy having a baby of his own. They are operating as a nuclear family, although the older daughter lives away at college during the school year.

[Quiverfullofit]

Ha, my mother was 46 when she had me. I was quite a surprise too! My second oldest sister was the only one who knew she was pregnant - the day before I was born.

I have 6 older siblings from my mom, the eldest is about 26/27 years my senior and youngest is 15 years older. My father also had a daughter who's 10 years older than me. All of us are pretty close and I really enjoyed growing up with them being older. The second oldest sister also had my nephew when I was a year and a half, haha.

[youthfulclearly]

She had the twins! Olivia Noel and Emma Joy. She was 34 weeks pregnant, gave birth on December 23rd.

walkingajourney.com

[16strong]

I love the names she picked! I do hope they are better and out of the hospital soon, though. Poor babies.

[DGayle]

Oh, precious babies, I'm so sorry you were born into a madhouse.

[Jana814]

Love the names also. Does anyone know how far along is was when she announced she was expecting twins.