In a heartbreaking, bittersweet July 5 Instagram post, Joy-Anna Duggar and her husband, Austin Forsyth, 25, introduced their stillborn baby daughter to the world. Two days after they shared the tragic news that the 21-year-old had miscarried their second child five months into her pregnancy, the reality TV stars shared a series of pics of them, their family and friends, with the little girl they named Annabell Elise.
“We only had her for 20 weeks, Life is fragile and precious,” Joy-Anna and Austin captioned the post, which they uploaded onto their joint Instagram account. “So thankful the Lord gave her to us for that short time! She will be in our hearts forever!💝😇.” They added, “Thank you all for your love and support! We can feel the prayers!💕”
While Annabell’s face is not visible in the photos that you can see HERE, it’s clear that her parents carefully dressed the tiny child, who had a crocheted baby hat on her head. The little girl’s tiny body lay in the center of a small blanket while Joy-Anna and Austin peered at her in one photo. In another pic Joy-Anna’s sister Jill Duggar Dillard and mom, Michelle, looked on, as she wept. The final photo in the series of images illustrated Annabell’s size. She was so tiny that her footprints were barely the size of a quarter.
Joy-Anna’s sister-in-law Anna Duggar – who is currently pregnant with her sixth child – commented on the Instagram post, writing, “Such a precious little life! Annabell is so missed. We love you so much Joy and Austin!” Lauren Duggar, who is pregnant after miscarrying her child with Joy-Anna’s brother Josiah, wrote, “She is such a gift! Forever loved! ❤️.”
In their previous, painful Instagram post breaking the miscarriage news to their fans, Joy-Anna and Austin wrote, “Today marks one week since we heard these words… ‘So this is your baby’s heart (pointing to the ultrasound screen). I don’t hear a heartbeat or see any movement.’ We had gone in for our 20-week ultrasound and gender reveal. It was a baby girl.” They added, “Although we don’t understand why, God has given us unexplainable peace and comfort during this very difficult time. Yes, it still hurts and we have cried countless tears, but we know that we can trust the Lord.”
After quoting scripture and revealing that they had named their child Annabell Elise, which means “God has favored me,” they concluded their message with, “What a precious thing to know that when our daughter opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the face of Jesus. Please pray for continued healing, not only physically but for our hearts as well.” Joy-Anna and Austin are also parents to a son, Gideon, who is 16-months-old.