Josie Duggar

Josie in August 2021

### Siblings

Josh Duggar, Jana Duggar, John Duggar, Jill Dillard, Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo, Joe Duggar, Josiah Duggar, Joy Forsyth, Jedidiah Duggar, Jeremiah Duggar, Jason Duggar, James Duggar, Justin Duggar, Jackson Duggar, Johannah Duggar, Jennifer Duggar, Jordyn Duggar

Josie Brooklyn Duggar is the nineteenth and youngest child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.

## Early Life

### Birth and Time in the NICU

Josie Duggar was born on December 10, 2009, to Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Ruark. Josie was born via an emergency C-section at 25 weeks at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and because of this she weighed only 1 pound and 6 ounces. She was the couple's nineteenth and final child.
On December 16, 2009, Josie was said to be stable. "Josie is holding her own," Josie's aunt, Freda Ruark, reported. "As long as she can get some of that breast milk, that will help build up her immune system.

On December 18, 2009, Josie's bowel preforated, and she was rushed from the hospital where she was born to Arkansas Children's Hospital. Her doctor reported that she responded well to the placement of an abdominal drain and antibiotics, and he expected her to continue doing well and be discharged weeks before her original due date, March 18.

On January 28, 2009, Jim Bob and Michelle spoke more of Josie's health, saying that she was taking breast milk through a tube and now weighed 2 pounds and 3 ounces.

On January 31, 2010, Josie's birth was aired on the *19 Kids and Counting* episode "Special Duggar Delivery". Much of the following seasons of 19KaC centered around Josie's development.

On February 15, 2010, the family reported that Josie had been off the ventilator for two weeks, and was growing stronger each day.

On April 6, 2010, Josie was released from the hospital. She weighed 4 pounds and 9 ounces, was able to breathe without oxygen, and was eating every three hours.

At 3 am on April 12, 2010, Josie's vital signs began to drop unexpectedly, and Josie was taken back to the hospital. The vital sign fluctuation was determined to be caused by constipation that happened as a result to the fortifiers added to the breast milk. She weighed 4 pounds and 12 1/2 ounces.

On May 5, 2010, the family reported that Josie was still living in the hospital, but was continuing to improve. She weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces. Doctors were unsure what was causing her digestive issues; she still needed enemas every six hours. "She loves to eat," Michelle said of her daughter. "When she feels good, she looks at you and smiles and talks. She's definitely a talker and has the sweetest personality."

On May 9, 2010, the family reported that Josie had reached the 6 pound mark.

On June 3, 2010, Josie was released from the hospital. It was discovered that her digestive issues were being caused by lactose intolerance. She had grown to 7 pounds, 7 ounces. However, Josie was unable to return home to her family at that time, because many of her siblings caught the chicken pox. Instead, she and her mother lived in a rental house near the hospital while the rest of her family returned to their home in Springdale. AR. On June 28, 2010, Josie finally made the trip back to her family's home.

### Childhood

Josie has had a few health scares since being born, which have been documented on 19KaC. Despite this, Josie appears to be doing well today.

Josie has been homeschooled her entire life.

Like most children, Josie has chores, which the family calls "jurisdictions". It is unknown what jurisdictions Josie has been assigned.

Josie's family implemented a buddy system long before Josie's birth, where older buddies helped younger buddies with tasks such as dressing, bathing, and eating. It was intended that Josie would join the buddy group with older siblings Jana, Jason, and Jackson, it is unknown if Josie was truly integrated in this group as babies generally stayed their mother's buddy until the next child was born.

Josie is being raised as an active participant of Bill Gothard's Institute for Basic Life Principles.

Josie lives in Springdale, AR, where she shares a dormitory-style room with her older sisters.

Thanks to the reality show, which ended in 2015, Josie was able to take a number of vacations in her early years. Notable vacation locations include Scotland, Ireland, London, Israel, Japan, and China.

## Wedding Involvement

* flower girl: her sister Jill Duggar's wedding to Derick Dillard (6/21/14)

* flower girl: her cousin Amy Duggar's wedding to Dillon King (11/5/15)
* flower girl: her sister Jinger Duggar's wedding to Jeremy Vuolo (11/5/16)
* bridesmaid: her friend Hannah Reber's wedding to David Keller (11/19/21)

## References

1. ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Television/michelle-duggar-birth-19th-child-emergency-section/story?id=9311401
2. ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Television/baby-duggar-stable-michelle-face-risks/story?id=9350906
3. ↑ http://people.com/babies/baby-josie-duggars-amazing-recovery/
4. ↑ http://people.com/babies/exclusive-jim-bob-and-michelle-duggar-reveal-baby-josie/
5. ↑ http://people.com/archive/cover-story-our-hearts-havent-changed-vol-73-no-6/
6. ↑ http://people.com/celebrity/micropremie-josie-duggar-leaves-hospital/
7. ↑ http://people.com/celebrity/josie-duggar-back-in-hospital/
8. ↑ http://people.com/celebrity/josie-duggar-gaining-weight-but-remains-hospitalized/
9. ↑ http://people.com/babies/michelle-duggar-spends-mothers-day-in-the-hospital/
10. ↑ http://people.com/babies/baby-josie-duggar-goes-home-after-health-struggle/
11. ↑ http://people.com/celebrity/19th-duggar-baby-finally-at-home-with-family/
12. ↑ http://r.ddmcdn.com/w\_1008/s\_f/o\_1/cx\_0/cy\_0/cw\_1008/ch\_672/TLC/uploads/2014/10/19-kids-jill-derick-wedding\_0019.jpg
13. ↑ http://starcasm.net/archives/328406
14. ↑ http://www.jingerandjeremy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/20161105-Photography-By-Britton-TLC-017-1.jpg
15. ↑ https://imgur.com/a/XrE1y5U