Lauren and Josiah Duggar Tried to Get Pregnant for ‘Quite a While’ After Their Miscarriage

Lauren and Josiah Duggar weren’t sure if becoming parents was in their future after a 2018 miscarriage completely devastated the Counting On stars. On Tuesday’s episode of the TLC reality show, which aired just days after the couple welcomed daughter Bella on Nov. 8, the Duggars admitted it wasn’t as easy to get pregnant the second time around.

“We had been trying for quite a while after the miscarriage, and when we found out we were expecting, literally we were shocked,” Lauren admitted to the camera. “I couldn’t believe it and just cried. We were scared, but life is very precious and we are so thankful for this. We may be a little nervous at times, but we’re just going to be grateful.”

Revealing the big news on a family camping trip, pregnant sister-in-law Kendra Duggar was so grateful to have another family member along for the journey.

“Finding out that Lauren was expecting … [and] her due date was only a week and a half after mine was super exciting,” Kendra said. “Also, she had just had a miscarriage so it was kind of hard to be excited about me expecting when I know they’re really hoping for a baby. So to find out they were pregnant too just really made me feel better.”

Tuesday, Lauren and Josiah announced they had welcomed their little girl days prior: “After a long and difficult labor, our girl arrived,” the couple told Us Weekly. “When we finally got to see and hold our precious Bella Milagro all the pain instantly went away. We can’t believe she is ours — she is so perfect! She definitely has lived up to her name which means, ‘beautiful miracle.’ Today we are basking in God’s goodness!”

Lauren’s miscarriage was certainly heartbreaking for the couple, but it allowed her to support sister-in-law Joy-Anna (Duggar) Forsyth after her own loss of pregnancy.

“I remember just when Jessa [(Duggar) Seewald] was expecting Ivy and I had lost our first one, Asa,” she told Us Weekly last month. “I just remember how sweet Jessa was. She’d write special notes and texts, just reminding me how much she loves me and that she was praying for me. That’s kind of one thing I do for Joy, sending her encouragement and sending her scripture. I know what it feels like when someone’s pregnant and you’re not. I know what you’re feeling and just knowing to be sensitive [to] different things.”

Counting On airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.

Photo credit: TLC