Anna Duggar - Merge

[calimojo]

I don't much care for Anna, at least on the show. I find her annoying, though I will say she seems to be a much more hands on mom than Michelle.

However, my heart goes out to her and to her children. Anna was raised in a similarly sheltered environment and likely didn't fully understand what Josh did, even if it was explained to her. Now she is in this situation and she likely feels that she has few options.

She wasn't raised to think independently nor was she raised to think she would ever leave a marriage. She may eventually decide that is her best option, but I think right now, she is an woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy, taking primary care of 3 small children. Her husband is probably not doing very well right now and she may be very concerned for his well being. Their income is mostly lost, unless they are still getting something from the show. I just hope that she can get through the delivery of her next child safely and then have some time to heal and recover from all of this.

I can't imagine finding this out about my husband, plus being 8 mos pregnant at the same time. That is a very vulnerable time to have to deal with really hard news.

I do think that Josh will get a job. Someone from their crazy ass religion will hire him. It won't be for much money, but he will get something. Of course, if he were smart, he would take this time to take some online classes, and get some counseling. He could perhaps work in an office setting, away from cameras and such.

I don't really care too much what happens to Josh, other than how it could affect his children. If Josh had learned from his own frailties to not be judgmental and spread hate as he has done for the past 2 years, I would be more willing to have some empathy towards him, but instead, he has willingly been the face of a hate group, spreading intolerance and lies about Gays for years. So any empathy that I might have had for a confused and disturbed young man raised in a supremely dysfunctional setting has gone out the window. 14 year old Josh, I feel some sadness for, but 27 year old Josh, the same Josh who smugly gave a ginormous teddy bear as a gift for a home for Unwed mothers, the same Josh who has buddied up to Cruz, Akin, etc is someone I can't feel empathy for.

[lilith]

Did Michelle have a male OB for any of her emergency deliveries or C Sections?

I don't understand why a male OB is bad in fundieland.

There is nothing sexy about childbirth unless some sicko fundy chooses to sexualize it, IMO.

Yes, Michelle has delivered with male doctors, including the obstetrician who delivered baby Israel.

[MalteseBaby]

Yes, Michelle has delivered with male doctors, including the obstetrician who delivered baby Israel.

Jill had quite the cutie pie doctor. Too bad he would have a bad personal reputation.

Anna's just off in the head for not going to a hospital, getting pain relief, getting whatever else she needs to birth these huge- head Duggar babies because " a man might deliver her and see her genitals". MAYBE, since Jill had a male OB, Anna will feel freer to as well. IDK. I just think she is not built for laboring at home with no pain relief for many hours to birth a large headed baby- and we all know that MOST of the blood Duggars have heads on the large size.

[singsingsing]

Jill had quite the cutie pie doctor. Too bad he would have a bad personal reputation.

Anna's just off in the head for not going to a hospital, getting pain relief, getting whatever else she needs to birth these huge- head Duggar babies because " a man might deliver her and see her genitals". MAYBE, since Jill had a male OB, Anna will feel freer to as well. IDK. I just think she is not built for laboring at home with no pain relief for many hours to birth a large headed baby- and we all know that MOST of the blood Duggars have heads on the large size.

I'm not sure why you would say that, given that she's successfully laboured and delivered three babies at home (or in the case of Marcus, someone else's home) already. Absolutely she should have adequate and professional medical care, not these "midwives" who seem to have an appalling lack of training and expertise. I'm kind of on the fence about homebirth in general, but I think it's wrong to suggest that Anna is somehow incapable of giving birth without pain relief. She should get pain relief if she wants it, but plenty of women deliver without it, and she's done it three times.

[twinmama]

Jill had quite the cutie pie doctor. Too bad he would have a bad personal reputation.

Anna's just off in the head for not going to a hospital, getting pain relief, getting whatever else she needs to birth these huge- head Duggar babies because " a man might deliver her and see her genitals". MAYBE, since Jill had a male OB, Anna will feel freer to as well. IDK. I just think she is not built for laboring at home with no pain relief for many hours to birth a large headed baby- and we all know that MOST of the blood Duggars have heads on the large size.

Plenty of women give birth without pain relief and aren't "off in the head"!!!! I'm not convinced her sole reason for delivering at home is so a man doesn't see her junk.But as for pain meds, she's done it 3 times so far, I think she knows what she can handle and what she can't by now.

[socalrules]

I worry about Anna now. She went from being the wife of a man from a "famous" family with an "important job" hobnobbing with politicians to the wife of a child molester. No matter how badly the Duggars want to spin it, in the eyes of the world, Josh is a child molester and always will be. Anna was always smug about her position and now I would think she is devastated to know that they are now persona non grata in the world they previously inhabited. There is nothing Josh can do to get in back to where they just came from. I despise baby rapist Roman polaski but he at least had a talent he could use to try and regain his fame. Not to mention income. Josh has none of that. Money, fame and respect all gone. I cannot imagine what Anna is going through. She has to be scared for the future and she is completely stuck. What's sad is that because of her upbringing she is likely not afraid for the safety of her children living in the house with Josh.

[twinmama]

I worry about Anna now. She went from being the wife of a man from a "famous" family with an "important job" hobnobbing with politicians to the wife of a child molester. No matter how badly the Duggars want to spin it, in the eyes of the world, Josh is a child molester and always will be. Anna was always smug about her position and now I would think she is devastated to know that they are now persona non grata in the world they previously inhabited. There is nothing Josh can do to get in back to where they just came from. I despise baby rapist Roman polaski but he at least had a talent he could use to try and regain his fame. Not to mention income. Josh has none of that. Money, fame and respect all gone. I cannot imagine what Anna is going through. She has to be scared for the future and she is completely stuck. What's sad is that because of her upbringing she is likely not afraid for the safety of her children living in the house with Josh.

Also helps that Roman Polanski left the country and can never come back!

I'm curious what will happen with Josh and Anna now because so much of their community seems to be cool with what he did. Or at the very least, cool with forgiving and forgetting it. They are usually so isolated into their community that I wonder if he will have trouble finding work. It's not like he's going to get jobs working with kids, but I can see some dumbass local politician letting him work in a behind the scenes capacity. Or any kind of manual labor for a family owned business. I actually do hope he is able to get work because he does have a family to support and even former criminals deserve to be able to do that.

[Buzzard]

They will move to Illinois, next door to pecan and Priscilla. Joshua and pecan will carry the torch while Anna and Priscilla post stupid videos of the kids.

[MalteseBaby]

I'm not sure why you would say that, given that she's successfully laboured and delivered three babies at home (or in the case of Marcus, someone else's home) already. Absolutely she should have adequate and professional medical care, not these "midwives" who seem to have an appalling lack of training and expertise. I'm kind of on the fence about homebirth in general, but I think it's wrong to suggest that Anna is somehow incapable of giving birth without pain relief. She should get pain relief if she wants it, but plenty of women deliver without it, and she's done it three times.

It appeared to me from what was shown of Michelle's births and Anna's births leading up to the Jill birth special that Anna suffered long and hard, and in America, there's no reason for a woman to have to suffer through childbirth. I think they use the lay midwives because of the low cost factor. IMO.

Don't care what anyone else thinks, I think she should have access to pain relief with her long labors.

[Mama Mia]

It appeared to me from what was shown of Michelle's births and Anna's births leading up to the Jill birth special that Anna suffered long and hard, and in America, there's no reason for a woman to have to suffer through childbirth. I think they use the lay midwives because of the low cost factor. IMO.

Don't care what anyone else thinks, I think she should have access to pain relief with her long labors.

Anna seems to advocate for natural childbirth and wanted to show what that's like through her births. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If someone wants an epidural, that's fine, but it's hardly a requirement :roll:

[Sundaymorning]

They will move to Illinois, next door to pecan and Priscilla. Joshua and pecan will carry the torch while Anna and Priscilla post stupid videos of the kids.

Wouldn't surprise me. The only place Josh can get a job after this fiasco, other than working for Boob, is at some shady organisation like IBLP/ATI. He doesn't have a proper education and his reputation is ruined. No regular company would hire him.

[GrandmaKathi]

(A bit late - first time poster)

My understanding was that Dr Sarver was gone when Anna went into labor; her objection was NOT that he was male, but he would not allow cameras in labor & delivery. Anna opted for the $$$'s

[Buzzard]

(A bit late - first time poster)

My understanding was that Dr Sarver was gone when Anna went into labor; her objection was NOT that he was male, but he would not allow cameras in labor & delivery. Anna opted for the $$$'s

Sarver is a woman. She was out of town when Mac was born, but I don't believe that was the sole reason she was born home.

[twinmama]

It appeared to me from what was shown of Michelle's births and Anna's births leading up to the Jill birth special that Anna suffered long and hard, and in America, there's no reason for a woman to have to suffer through childbirth. I think they use the lay midwives because of the low cost factor. IMO.

Don't care what anyone else thinks, I think she should have access to pain relief with her long labors.

Birth hurts most of the time, drugs, drug free, c-section. I had a spinal block and c-section, then a morphine pump and I'd still say I suffered some. Availability of drugs doesn't mean no suffering! And midwives can give some types of pain relief. But if she doesn't want it, more power to her. Before I was pregnant with twins, I wanted drug free labor and birth. Plans changed big time, but I still think it is an amazingly strong thing to be able to do. IF YOU WANT TO.

[catlady]

I think anyone whose had three children under five, like Anna, knows what hard work is.

I haven't finished the thread, so please forgive me if I'm the tenth person to reply.......yes, Anna works hard with three very young children, but she has been lucky in having the ability to stay home with them while not having to choose between buying groceries and paying the light bill; this was likely the gist of the OP. If TLC Cancels the show for good, they will have to survive on one car-lot-type salary, and maybe get some handouts from JB and j'chelle if their savings run out. That will be a new hardship that Anna hasn't had to deal with in seven years. (I don't mean to imply that her parents were destitute, because I don't know whether they were or not).

Regarding their "fitting in" in DC, I understand what that OP meant as well....Josh and Anna were accepted by many circles based on their fame, and this would have been a lot harder to do if they were genuine unknowns. A lot of DC social circles are very insular, and image/appearance/tastes matter a lot. Social blunders are overblown and not easily forgotten, and the established participants have frequently spent years figuring out such minutiae and/or learning from parents, peers, and yes, formal education. Josh and Anna missed out on a lot of the basics. Yes, they would have table manners, but given the amount of plastic tableware in the TTH, at what point did they learn which fork to use at a formal event? They both started out behind the majority of their DC peers and had a lot of catching up to do, but their fame likely made things easier for them.

[jqlgoblue]

It seems that despite Michelle having mostly hospital births, including a few c-sections, now it is a huge deal with this family to do it totally natural at home. Is this a Duggar specific thing, or is there now a connection between ATI/Gothardism and home birth?

(Sorry if this has been asked before, feel free to point me to prior posts, etc.)

[SassyPants]

It seems that despite Michelle having mostly hospital births, including a few c-sections, now it is a huge deal with this family to do it totally natural at home. Is this a Duggar specific thing, or is there now a connection between ATI/Gothardism and home birth?

(Sorry if this has been asked before, feel free to point me to prior posts, etc.)

I would think crappy health care insurance and an attempt to save money would be the driving factors.

I do think it's interesting that Michelle only had a couple of home births. JB, being the cheapskate that he is, I would think he'd be all over that, but then again, Michelle did try to skirt some of her hospital bills.

[MalteseBaby]

I would think crappy health care insurance and an attempt to save money would be the driving factors.

I do think it's interesting that Michelle only had a couple of home births. JB, being the cheapskate that he is, I would think he'd be all over that, but then again, Michelle did try to skirt some of her hospital bills.

IF there's a way to measure such things based upon what is shown on their show, I think JB has always loved Michelle more than Josh loves Anna. I remember JB crying when Michelle was being wheeled into surgery with Josie's premature delivery. He wasn't faking his emotions. I think Anna was Josh's ticket to righteous sex.

Also, JB seems to really need Michelle at his side. People take care of who they cherish. JB takes care of Michelle and himself. Josh takes care of Josh. I think Josh pushes Anna away at times on the show, like she's a nuisance on trips and so forth, when she's carrying 2 kids and pulling a suitcase and he has one child by the hand and nothing else, and is walking 10-12 steps in front of Anna.

I think Josh has probably lost his employer's insurance, BUT may have the birth covered under COBRA. Knowing him, he won't continue to make the payments under COBRA though, because it's going to be a huge hunk of money for him, Anna and all those kids.

[sense and nonsense]

Just a reminder that it's pure speculation that Anna doesn't want a male OB. Michelle and Jill have had no problem.

Keep in mind that the OP was ridiculously speculating before you start Birth Wars 2 on this thread.

[GrandmaKathi]

Sarver is a woman. She was out of town when Mac was born, but I don't believe that was the sole reason she was born home.

(Sorry, I'm feeling my way...). What I meant was Dr Sarver's replacement was male, and it was he that wouldn't allow the cameras. Anna had not planned to have the baby at home

[2manyKidzzz]

I guess and hope that they have Cobra insurance coverage.

[lascuba]

(Sorry, I'm feeling my way...). What I meant was Dr Sarver's replacement was male, and it was he that wouldn't allow the cameras. Anna had not planned to have the baby at home

I've always wondered about that. It's so weird that when they were told that Ana's doctor was away, they just randomly decided on a homebirth. Even with the issue of cameras and whether TLC would be allowed in or not, that's a pretty big decision to make at literally the last minute.

I think the homebirth was always the plan. The apparent last minute decision was staged for drama. Whether Dr. Sarver was available or not, that baby was going to be born at home.

[singsingsing]

Never underestimate the power of 'God so ordained'. Consider Anna's possible line of reasoning:

-"I'm thinking about having a homebirth, but I'm not sure. I'm kind of nervous. Maybe I'll give birth in the hospital with Dr. Sarver."

-"Okay. It looks like I'm going to give birth in the hospital with Dr. Sarver."

-"Oh no! I'm in labour and Dr. Sarver is out of town!"

-"The doctor on schedule at the hospital won't allow us to film - what do I do?"

-"Wow! Clearly this is a sign from God. God so ordained that Dr. Sarver would be out of town and the doctor at the hospital would not co-operate with filming so that I would be led to choose a homebirth. Jesus is truly amazing."

[SassyPants]

IF there's a way to measure such things based upon what is shown on their show, I think JB has always loved Michelle more than Josh loves Anna. I remember JB crying when Michelle was being wheeled into surgery with Josie's premature delivery. He wasn't faking his emotions. I think Anna was Josh's ticket to righteous sex.

Also, JB seems to really need Michelle at his side. People take care of who they cherish. JB takes care of Michelle and himself. Josh takes care of Josh. I think Josh pushes Anna away at times on the show, like she's a nuisance on trips and so forth, when she's carrying 2 kids and pulling a suitcase and he has one child by the hand and nothing else, and is walking 10-12 steps in front of Anna.

I think Josh has probably lost his employer's insurance, BUT may have the birth covered under COBRA. Knowing him, he won't continue to make the payments under COBRA though, because it's going to be a huge hunk of money for him, Anna and all those kids.

Hard to put others first, when no one has ever put you first, particularly during your impressionable, key, developmental years.

[FloraKitty35]

Maybe Josh (as her headship) didn't want to be bothered with taking her to the hospital.