The Duggars...

Tonight, The Duggar Family had a special episode on TLC of their reality show. It showed the birth of their 19th child, Josie. Josie was born at 25 weeks weighing 1 pound 6 ounces. Michelle Duggar had developed pre-eclampsia and had to have an emergency c-section. From her symptoms and the trigger words being said in the show, I think that she might have also developed HELLP syndrome, but I can't be sure.

1 pound 6 ounces....25 weeks

Robinson was 1 pound 7 ounces....26 weeks 2 days

It has been 18 months since Robinson's birth, but this television show made me feel like it was yesterday. Throughout our journey, I have been so positive and I feel like that has made a huge difference in Robinson's health and development. I saw that positvity in the Duggars tonight. They are a positive family to the heart and core, so this did not surprise me- yet, I know what feelings are underneath. I know the way your heart goes into your throat when that oxygen saturation or heartbeat alarm goes off. I know how anxious you are at the hand washing station; wanting so badly to see your child, but scared to death to hear what the nurse has to say. The rollercoaster of the NICU can have you so happy and positive one minute and yet so scared and frightened the next. I know what the Duggars are feeling because I have felt the same way.

When they showed Josie in the isolette and you could see her stomach going up and down from the pressure of the ventilator, my tears started flowing freely. I remember that bed side picture all too well. She even had a little hat that was like the hats Robinson's nurses gave to him. The pictures were all too real. The alarms were all too real. The look on Michelle's face was all too real. It was all too real and the tears kept flowing. So much so, that my wonderful husband asked me to turn to the channel and reminded me of the beautiful, healthy and spunky toddler that we had sleeping and dreaming about puppy dogs and cars in the next room.

I would not wish this journey on my worst enemy, however, the Duggars have the attention of the world. I hope that this unfortunate situation can bring awareness to prematurity, pre-eclampsia, HELLP and NICU's around the world. So many people have no idea what this journey entails, so hopefully not only will beautiful Josie be the fighter that my son and so many more preemies that I know were, but she will also show the world what it is like to experience a true miracle. Perhaps the more awareness that these conditions receive, will one day bring a miracle of cure so that, as the March of Dimes so eloquently states, one day all babies will be born healthy.

God Bless the Duggar family and baby Josie