Of course it's their life, but I just can't understand-with all of the medical problems Josie has had and taking those kinds of risks possibly having another. Including Michelle's life-she would really take any sort of risk of leaving all of those kids without a mother?
"Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar have always been open about their willingness to have children. But when the devout Baptists and stars of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting faced the catastrophic aftereffects of their 19th child's premature birth, many assumed they might be done.
But now the couple – who only recently brought baby Josie home after being hospitalized for six months as she recovered from a perforated bowel and rare digestive problems – say they are ready to consider a 20th child.
"Our family is stronger than ever," Jim Bob, 45, tells PEOPLE in its new issue. "We made it through the storm."
That's not to say that everything has been easy with baby Josie. Born early after Michelle developed preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced high blood pressure), Josie was just 8 days old when a perforated bowel threatened her life.
"When she first came home, I couldn't sleep at all," says Michelle, 43. "That was the scariest part for me, having the full responsibility of her care on my shoulders ... It was intimidating."
Similarly daunting are the very real medical risks Michelle could face with another pregnancy – particularly a return of preeclampsia, which can lead to a stroke or prove fatal. But despite the risk – and intense criticism – the pair vow to stick to their beliefs.
"People think we are overpopulating the world," says Jim Bob. "We are following our convictions."