Joe and Kendra 14: Who's Addison? They're all Becoming a Giant Blur to Me.

[SassyPants]

46 minutes ago, bal maiden said:

I am no expert, beyond a close friend of mine having her baby at 24 weeks gestation. But I think if you look at the range of potential outcomes for a baby born at 24 weeks, Josie is definitely doing well, even if she has delays or health issues that the Duggars are keeping on the down low. She's alive, first of all (survival rate for 24 weeks gestation is around 50% iirc), and she can walk, talk, eat, see, hear, doesn't appear to have seizures any more (you just know it would have been a plot point if she still did).... I think that probably puts her in the better range of outcomes: she could be a lot, lot sicker, or dead. I'll leave @SassyPants to speak with the more knowledgeable voice, but this is my understanding of Josie doing 'well'. 

Exactly this. She could have a trach, require mechanical ventilation or Oxygen, have Cerebral Palsy requiring braces or a wheelchair, or even significant intellectual deficits with no hope of improvement. From what we can see, Josie has none of those afflictions. She might be physically and emotionally immature, but she doesn’t present as being significantly impaired or an individual who will require care for the rest of her life. The Duggars are extremely blessed when it comes to Josie.

ETA- blindness due to Oxyegen requirements and deafness as a side effect of medications given, particularly life saving antibiotics, are also extremely high in this group. Again, they are very fortunate with her outcome.

Edited October 16, 2020 by SassyPants

[Tangy Bee]

Dang, I didn't even know Lauren got engaged at the beach. Another shocker....I think.

[AnnaRuk09]

I remember seeing Titus with the Duggar family early last year. I guess he met them  either before or at some political event in Washington DC, around the time the Duggars posted pics of visiting Philadelphia. The Duggars were even invited to his house. He made good friends with them because he was invited and travelled to the Discipleship Summit Jed held July 2019 at Fort Rock. I assume that was when he might have caught sight of Lauren. 

[SassyPants]

Where does Titus live? Will this gal need to relocate across the country? That will make the trifecta of maternity photos harder to capture.

[candygirl200413]

@SassyPants He lives in Leigh Valley, PA which is about an hour drive outside of Philly. 

[OHFL2009]

22 minutes ago, candygirl200413 said:

@SassyPants He lives in Leigh Valley, PA which is about an hour drive outside of Philly. 

Oooh, I've never been so fundie-adjacent before! My mom is from the Lehigh Valley and most of her family still lives there. My aunt and uncle live in the next town over from him. I don't have any mutual Facebook friends with Titus but I do with some of his friends. But most of my family wouldn't run in the same circles as him, as they are all evil Catholics, and most of them haven't set foot in a church of any kind for anything other than a wedding or a funeral in years. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

I’m glad Lauren isn’t marrying a Duggar. Some families intermarry way too much. It keeps the fundies more insular that way. And they can keep hold on the adult children better that way. 

[GutenbergGirl]

3 hours ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

She was born at 25 weeks, a quick google search shows all different information one site says 24 weekers have up to a 66% chance of survival another says they only have a 39% chance, a 25 week baby only has a 50% chance on one site and up to 80% on another. It mostly depends on where they happen to be born, if they are born near a top level NICU they have a better chance than if they are born a long distance away from one.   

Among preemies, girls tend to do better than boys.  No statistics on me at the moment, but that's what my 32 weeker daughter's neonatologist said. 

Edited October 16, 2020 by GutenbergGirl
clarifying phrase

[Jana814]

12 minutes ago, GutenbergGirl said:

Among preemies, girls tend to do better than boys.  

I’m heard that also. My friend has b/g twins who were born at 29 weeks. Her daughter is fine & her son is disabled. 

[viii]

Dang. I really thought this would be the chance for "sister wives". 

[medimus]

22 minutes ago, GutenbergGirl said:

Among preemies, girls tend to do better than boys.  No statistics on me at the moment, but that's what my 32 weeker daughter's neonatologist said. 

Girls outsurvive boys at every age from embryo to elderly, nobody is entirely sure why, though there are numerous ideas. 

[SassyPants]

So I’m back to trying to make some sense with fundie logic and belief systems. Maybe someone here can help. Based on what we know or have seen from this group of people, the following is true:

since reproduction is rampant, kids are forced to shoulder adult responsibilities from a very young age.

while responsibilities grow with age, freedoms do not. as an example, Jana was trusted (with GMM backup) to care for a fragile Josie while her parents went to MX, yet Jana (now many years older)is not allowed to travel, unaccompanied, to Vegas with friends.

teen girls are treated as young children, while they are simultaneously promoted and shopped as potential wives and mothers.

teen girls go from kid,dependent status to breeding frau overnight.

very young women’s bodies are used and abused in the quest for producing more soldiers for the cult and the end result, equals 20 somethings aging unhealthily before our eyes.

40 YOs attempt to hold on to their vitality by continuing to procreate, right along with their 20 YO daughters.

55 YOs *cough* Michelle, hit up the gym and tanning salon, which is fine, but here’s my biggest question. 
 

How come these folks always seem to be out of step with the developmental stage or season or life that they chronologically happen to be in?

why are roles so strictly controlled that 20 YO Kendra is forced to be aged so quickly, while older Michelle is free to do the things more common to most 20 YOs. And further, doesn't this just breed resentment and discontent?

 

Also black females are the strongest of all preemies.

Caucasian males fare the worst.

Edited October 16, 2020 by SassyPants

[clueliss]

Wait, didn’t the Caldwells early on in covid go to Philly?

[metheglyn]

13 minutes ago, clueliss said:

Wait, didn’t the Caldwells early on in covid go to Philly?

They posted Instagram pics of just their family in Philly on March 13th. Since Christina's wearing a lightweight dress with bare legs and a light cardigan, and everyone else is wearing long sleeves and somewhat heavy shirts but no jackets, it couldn't have been very cold in Philly when they visited, so I don't think the posting was especially delayed. Since many of the photos are from inside the National Park Service's Liberty Bell Center, which I assume closed shortly after, that suggests to me they went JUST before the national parks shutdown in mid to late March.  

On March 15 they posted another series of pics and videos wearing the same clothing from the March 13 pics that appear to have the Hall family in it, with one of the pictures and a video including someone who looks like Titus's sister's adopted daughter Cassidy or Fiona in it. They were *definitely* visiting the Halls in early March.

[Johannah]

6 hours ago, AussieKrissy said:

Wtf?? Is it a modesty thing that the strap can’t be tween her boobies ffs!  Modesty or car crash death????!!!! Phmmmm he looks like a creeper in this pic. Dunno. Totally judging a book by its cover. Creeper vibes. 

It looks like the seatbelt is completely below her armpit! So unsafe. I hope she only did that for the photo and then put it back on correctly. 

[purple_summer]

17 hours ago, LorEl said:

Another testimony has a title that goes sth like this: God gave me cancer to wake me up. Wtf? It's a strange God they are worshipping. 

I’ve heard people pray for God to break someone and make their lives horrific until they come back to the faith...

9 hours ago, SassyPants said:

Also black females are the strongest of all preemies.

 

I’m sure you don’t have any ill intentions in saying this but it isn’t something I’d promote. Black infant and maternal heath are a sham in this country and the idea that black women are stronger or more resilient is a huge driver of this. It extends to other areas of black women’s heath care as well. 

[SassyPants]

27 minutes ago, purple_summer said:

I’ve heard people pray for God to break someone and make their lives horrific until they come back to the faith...

I’m sure you don’t have any ill intentions in saying this but it isn’t something I’d promote. Black infant and maternal heath are a sham in this country and the idea that black women are stronger or more resilient is a huge driver of this. It extends to other areas of black women’s heath care as well. 

I am absolutely certain there is research based, documented data that substantiates this statement. Black, female preemies absolutely have better outcomes when compared to their similarly aged, Caucasian and male counter parts. Fetuses that undergo greater stress in uterus also do better, as do multiples. Stress In utero actually enhances lung development. The number 1 killer of preterm infants is respiratory related issues. 

[JinAndBonnets]

1 hour ago, purple_summer said:

I’ve heard people pray for God to break someone and make their lives horrific until they come back to the faith...

I’m sure you don’t have any ill intentions in saying this but it isn’t something I’d promote. Black infant and maternal heath are a sham in this country and the idea that black women are stronger or more resilient is a huge driver of this. It extends to other areas of black women’s heath care as well. 

Definitely important to present the NICU data in context. Black female infants matched to white male infants of the same gestational age do fare better on average. However black babies are several times more likely to die than white babies. They are more likely to be born preterm which is the leading cause of infant mortality and racism certainly play a role in adverse outcomes as well. 

Here is an article with more information - 

There is a NICU survival calculator that shows some of these statistics comparing babies and  it relies on gestational age, birth weight and sex without a race component. (This should not be used as medical advice, just for information) 

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/EPBO/use

[takers401]

34 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

I am absolutely certain there is research based, documented data that substantiates this statement. Black, female preemies absolutely have better outcomes when compared to their similarly aged, Caucasian and male counter parts. Fetuses that undergo greater stress in uterus also do better, as do multiples. Stress In utero actually enhances lung development. The number 1 killer of preterm infants is respiratory related issues. 

This falls in line with what I was told by my doctor and a few NICU nurses when my twins were born, as well as some corresponding research articles I read. Black baby girls had the best statistical chance of coming out of a preemie birth with minimal issues whereas caucasian baby boys had more issues than most. My NICU nurse even said that they were considered the wusses of the premiere world. 

[tabitha2]

Nurses think of premature babies as wusses? That’s Horrible  ... I guess empathy  is limited to the strong ? for these nurses. 

Edited October 17, 2020 by tabitha2

[nelliebelle1197]

2 hours ago, tabitha2 said:

Nurses think of premature babies as wusses? That’s Horrible  ... I guess empathy  is limited to the strong ? for these nurses. 

I had a 24 week premie. She is 100 percent developmentally on track with no disabilities except she is short and thin. We spent nearly 4 months in nicu. The nurses and doctors were fabulous, but yeah there is gallows humor. They called it wimpy white male syndrome in my nicu. It is gallows humor, @tabitha2. You have obviously never had a reason for it, or it would make sense to you.

[tabitha2]

Thank for not be condescending at all. Yes I know what dark humor is. I think saying premature babies are Wusses is not funny though.  

[nvmbr02]

3 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

I had a 24 week premie. She is 100 percent developmentally on track with no disabilities except she is short and thin. We spent nearly 4 months in nicu. The nurses and doctors were fabulous, but yeah there is gallows humor. They called it wimpy white male syndrome in my nicu. It is gallows humor, @tabitha2. You have obviously never had a reason for it, or it would make sense to you.

They called it wimpy white male syndrome in the nicu my nephew was in also.  Our "wimpy white male" was a 27 weeker. He is almost 18 now and healthy overall. He is very thin but so are my kids who were all born at 40 weeks and he is about the same height as his dad. He does have a few learning difficulties but overall he has done very well.  

[nelliebelle1197]

55 minutes ago, tabitha2 said:

Thank for not be condescending at all. Yes I know what dark humor is. I think saying premature babies are Wusses is not funny though.  

You did not have one in nicu for 4 months, did you?

Sometimes you just have to try to survive trauma the best way you can.

[tabitha2]

There a many kinds of trauma. I didn’t survive by making fun of others.