The J'Babes - were they wanted?

[FriendlyFundie]

There's a lot of pressure on these women to produce babies as quickly as possible. If they were truly QF as the belief states, there would be no pressure, no worry, no obsessive pregnancy test taking, just lots of sex and then a missed period. they are most likely doing some sort of NFP without calling it that. IIRC Gothard teaches a sort of NFP method but calls it something totally different.

[Jeff]

There's a lot of pressure on these women to produce babies as quickly as possible. If they were truly QF as the belief states, there would be no pressure, no worry, no obsessive pregnancy test taking, just lots of sex and then a missed period. they are most likely doing some sort of NFP without calling it that. IIRC Gothard teaches a sort of NFP method but calls it something totally different.

She's been symptomatically pregnant 19 times at least, producing 19 kids with only two sets of twins. I suppose it can happen by chance or divine providence, but the odds of pulling that off only by randomly doing it proximate to ovulation can't be very good. A lot of the fertility awareness methods out there work wonders in terms of both conception and contraception depending on which days you choose to use. Jchelle is probably at least using the rhythm method, if not something more sophisticated like Billings/Creighton (cervical mucus), Marquette (ClearBlue ovulation monitor), or sympto-thermal (cervical mucus combined with other signs like basal body temperature charting, which can also work on its own for some people). There simply isn't an egg there most of the month, so either they are shooting for it directly or they're just really horny.

[Deleted07]

I vote their just really horny... or at least Jim-Bob is...

If you read through their reading list, namely 'intended for pleasure' which actually states that the woman should give it up to her husband whenever he wants it and to, quote "depend on the Lord to give us strength and ability to be warm and responsive as our husband desires, no matter how tired we are. As we commit this in prayer, trusting the Lord to give us strength to meet our husbands needs.....The heart of the matter is attitude."...... It goes on to say "Look pretty, keep smiling, don't complain and receive your husband with open arms."

:shock:

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=fkc ... &q&f=false

[1004srs]

WHen we were actively trying to have our dd, I only did a pg test once a month. FOr me, pregnancy symptoms are similar to the day before my period starts.

I was slightly disappointed when I wasn't preggers, but not a biggie. For me and the kids Dad, it just meant more practice time. :oops:

[tkr322]

I always forget that they were married for 4 years before they got pregnant with Josh. I bet she's pissed now because missed out on some prime baby making time there, she could have at least 4 more kids :lol:

[formergothardite]

Newborn babies were wanted by Michelle. Children with personalities was not. That is why she is only their buddy when they are tiny, she doesn't like them when they start showing a hint of individuality.

[galaxygirl]

I only used one pregnancy test when we started trying to get pregnant and that was the one when it turned out that I was indeed pregnant. I didn't bother to test the other two months because both times my period was on time and the only reason I took the test that month was because I was late and having early symptoms. I wasn't too disappointed the first two months because I was fully aware that it could take a while and no need to panic until at least a year of trying.

Newborn babies were wanted by Michelle. Children with personalities was not. That is why she is only their buddy when they are tiny, she doesn't like them when they start showing a hint of individuality.

I love my little girl to death and can't wait to find out what her personality is going to be like when she gets older. Michelle has a problem imo and it's so sad for all the kids. It just breaks my heart to see sweet little girls like Jennifer and Jordyn getting completely lost in the shuffle.

[genericJname]

I think I was just more surprised that she had already told TLC and was actively talking about her pregnancy to the camera. I'm a bit superstitious and think it's best to hold off on telling people who aren't immediate family news like that until the ground is more solid, if you know what I mean. Either way, QF women must certainly have God on speed dial when wondering about their next blessing.

Oh I agree with you. A bit of a set-up. She either had already tested or was eagerly awaiting her blessing and knew there was a high probability it would be a plus sign for the cameras!

[Daenerys]

I don't want to seem judgemental or mean, but from the little I've seen on TV the eldest Bates guys look a bit on the "sweet but dumb" side. And aside from Lawson none of them works at a job it seems.

Maybe the Bates and the Duggars see each other a bit like an extended family, like cousins, so it would make a marriage seem weird?? Add that ongoing baby competition between Kelly and Michelle that we know is below the surface...

To be fair the exact same thing could be said of JD and Joe... they are on a par in that respect.

Jill did say early on in the show that they all thought a Bates-Duggar match would end up happening at some point, so I do think it is a possibility... Jessa-Lawson anyone? :lol:

[alba]

I'm intrigued by the double beds; they don't seem very efficient for single girls. I wonder if maybe younger buddies were meant to share them originally, or if the girls were meant to get married and the beds could be used by two little girls.

At any rate, I do suspect that the youngest kids weren't really wanted and were had because Jichelle and Jim Boob decided they 'needed' them.

[fakepigtails73]

To be fair the exact same thing could be said of JD and Joe... they are on a par in that respect.

Jill did say early on in the show that they all thought a Bates-Duggar match would end up happening at some point, so I do think it is a possibility... Jessa-Lawson anyone? :lol:

Oh I absolutely agree with you on the JD and Joe thing.

Jessa and Lawson?? Not sure, not sure. Out of the 4 eldest girls Jessa is the one that I don't see getting married.

[congusto]

I honestly don't think any of the kids were wanted after Josh. He was apparently intentional, then there was an accidental pregnancy that ended in miscarriage and Michelle started popping them out to make up for her perceived sin. If there had been the accidental pregnancy but no miscarriage, they probably would have stopped after the second kid. If the second pregnancy just never happened, they probably would have intentionally had one more a few years later.

I mostly agree with you here, but think there's a bit more to it. I always get a very strong competitiveness and attention-seeking vibe from Michelle, which has to play havoc with the "keeping sweet" schtick. Hyper-procreation is the one way these QF women can be acceptably prideful, and MD is in it to win it! Whenever I hear her voice, I'm reminded of this quote: "Pride perceiving humility honorable, often borrows her cloak. "

[slickcat79]

I always forget that they were married for 4 years before they got pregnant with Josh. I bet she's pissed now because missed out on some prime baby making time there, she could have at least 4 more kids :lol:

Oh yeah, I think that's probably one of the biggest regrets she has in her marriage. I think it's the smartest choice they've ever made. If they hadn't had at least a few years to just live bare bones and (both!) work really hard to save money, I don't think they could have held out long enough for TLC to take over.

Of course, maybe the whole Duggar life is a scheme, cooked up by JB and Mary when he was a teen, and they never really wanted any of the kids (only props). They decide they need an angle to spread their message and become a household name. Maybe they become mesmerized by the idea of having huge numbers of descendents to outbreed the competition and take over the country. They just need the right woman to make the plan happen. She would have to be:

1-Pretty. If JB didn't find her attractive, the babymaking would be a lot more difficult.

2-Happy/positive/good attitude. She'd have to be an appropriate politician's wife and present the right face to the public.

3-Malleable. She'd have to be the kind of person you could convince that she'd broken up a neighbor's marriage by wearing shorts and that she killed her own baby by taking birth control pills.

And they found Michelle. She was taken in by JB's lame evangelism and she made him happy in his pants, so she was perfect. Marry her while she's still underage and going through a worldview-shift, chip away at her freedoms and her individuality but provide her with love and financial support so she can't complain too much. It's a patriarchy love story. And it would explain how they lived so successfully during the early years of their marriage with no higher education or quality job training; JB's parents were giving them money the whole time.

/Idle Speculation Bus :lol: