Arkansas Christian family marks birth of 15th child

May 25, 2004 / 22:00 pm

When Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar married almost 20 years ago, they used birth control pills. Four years into their marriage, they had their first child and decided on “giving this area of our life up to God,” said Jim Bob. Fifteen children later, they are glad they did.

Michelle Duggar gave birth to her 15^th child Sunday. Both mother and baby are doing well.

At birth, the baby boy, Jackson Levi, weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Father and former state legislator Jim Bob, 38, said he leaves the decision of having more children up to Michelle. He said Michelle, while still in hospital, has already expressed a desire to have more.

The real estate businessman said both he and his wife love children. He said they stopped using birth control pills once they learned that the pills could cause a woman to miscarry.

Michelle is resting for a few days in hospital before heading back to care for her brood. She home-schools her children and is helping to build the family's new home in Tontitown from the ground up. Her mother-in-law is helping with the other 14 children at this time, which include two sets of twins.

"I knew she was a mother of the year all along,” says Jim Bob about Michelle, “but she really deserves wife of the year."

Their 14 children include: Joshua, 16; Jana and John-David, 14; Jill, 13; Jessa, 11; Jinger, 10; Joseph, 9; Josiah, 7; Joy-Anna, 6; Jeremiah and Jedidiah, 5; Jason, 4; James, 2; and Justin, 1.