Michelle Duggar announces baby no. 20

Michelle Duggar, and her entire family, appeared on The Today Show to announce that she is once again pregnant. This pregnancy will mark the 20^th child for the 45-year-old reality star of the TLC program, 19 Kids and Counting. Living in a home that they built themselves in Tontitown, Arkansas, the Duggar family’s 19 kids range in age from 23 months to 23 years, each having a name that starts with J. Even with an already very full house, the Duggars are pleased to be adding another to the mix.

Michelle and her husband, Jim Bob, have faced a lot of critical attention due to their overwhelming family size. Many claim that with a family of that size, the Dugger’s aren’t giving their children enough individual attention and are placing too much child-care responsibility on the older kids. The criticism is sure to double now that Michelle has announced that another child is on the way, especially due to the new pregnancy’s risks.

Michelle’s last pregnancy was a time of great stress and danger. She was having problems with her gall-bladder and was also diagnosed with preeclampsia, which is a rare and possible life-threatening condition during pregnancy that causes elevated blood pressure. In order to save Michelle’s life, it was decided to deliver her daughter, Josie, three and a half months prematurely. Weighing only one pound, six ounces, Josie went through a series of health emergencies, including a perforated bowel, but was eventually sent home with her family. Josie is now completely healthy and in December will be celebrating her second birthday.

Even with the added pregnancy risks, the Duggar family is thrilled to be welcoming another child into their family. Always choosing to forgo any type of birth control, Michelle and her husband consider the new pregnancy a gift from God. She told Today that she is through her first-trimester morning sickness and is feeling fantastic. Michelle has also been given a clean bill of health and the pregnancy is so far free of any complications.

With the excitement of discovering the gender in December, Jim Bob is thrilled, saying, “We didn’t want to stop on an odd number!”