Counting On’s Joy-Anna Duggar Honors Late Daughter Annabell Elise 1 Year After Miscarriage

On the one year anniversary of her tragic miscarriage, Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar) is paying tribute to her late daughter, Annabell Elise. The Counting On star took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message about how she and husband Austin Forsyth have been coping. She also posted the “last bump photo” she snapped before hearing she lost the baby.

“It’s been a year since we found out that we lost Annabell,” Joy, 22, wrote. “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. It hurts to look back at these pictures and remember the pain and heartbreak, but, 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.” Speaking directly to her daughter, she added, “We love you, Annabell Elise!”

Joy and Austin, 26, are now expecting another little girl. The Duggar couple announced they’re expecting in March as they shared a new baby bump photo. At first, the mom was nothing but excited to discover Gideon was going to have a little sibling to play with — but when the parents discovered there might be health issues with the pregnancy, they were nervous about reliving their loss.

“Going through all of this again after going through it with Annabell … It’s been a very difficult few weeks,” Joy said after a doctor warned them they could be dealing with a “molar pregnancy,” meaning the fertilized egg wasn’t viable. “Hopefully, by 10 weeks, we’ll know whether or not this is a viable pregnancy.”

Soon enough, the couple found out that everything looked like it was progressing smoothly — and their bundle of joy was a little girl due August 19. “It’s such a relief,” Austin gushed. “The last, I don’t know, month? We’ve just been really unsure if it was going to be a viable pregnancy or not. It’s just like a huge load lifted off our shoulders knowing that the test came back good.”

As the couple raise Gideon and their new daughter, we know they’ll keep Annabell’s memory alive.