Mourning her miscarriage. Joy-Anna Duggar honored the first anniversary of her daughter’s loss in an emotional Instagram post.
“One year without her,” the Counting On star, 22, captioned a Friday, June 26, social media upload. “It’s been a year since we found out that we lost Annabell. I remember leaving our ultrasound appointment, sobbing and wondering how we were ever going to move forward, and so fearful of having to deliver her.”
While the reality star revealed “it hurts to look back at … the pain and heartbreak,” she went on to write, “When I do look back, I am so thankful for how far we’ve come, how God has given us more joy, peace and healing than I ever thought we would have again. We love you, Annabell Elise!”
The Arkansas native thanked her followers for the “prayers and love” they showed her and her husband, Austin Forsyth, following their pregnancy loss.
“You are so strong! I am so inspired by the way you have leaned on Jesus for your strength!” Bringing Up Bates’ Carlin Bates commented on the Instagram picture, while Anna Duggar wrote, “The way you have trusted Jesus through the pain is such an example to me! The love, joy and peace of Jesus radiates from your life. I miss Annabell so much and look forward to seeing her in heaven.”
Joy-Anna first opened up about her miscarriage in July 2019, writing via Instagram: “We named her Annabell Elise. Annabell means ‘God has favored me,’ and Elise means ‘God satisfies.’ What a precious thing to know that when our daughter opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the face of Jesus.”
Four months later, the 19 Kids and Counting alum exclusively told Us Weekly how she supported her sisters’ pregnancies in the wake of her own loss. “I was praying that the Lord would help me be excited for them,” she said at the time. “And I can honestly say that … I’m super excited for them. But I try and ask them a lot how they’re doing, how they’re feeling because this is an exciting time. They have little blessings that they’re adding to their family.”
Joy-Anna added at the time: “Meeting the babies, I feel like that may be hard. … You think, ‘What would my baby look like? What would she be like?’”
She and Forsyth, 26, wed in May 2017 and welcomed their son, Gideon, now 2, the following year. The couple are expecting baby No. 2.
