Erin Bates' Parents Detail Changing Diagnoses That "Puzzled" Doctors
Erin Bates Paine's parents are speaking out amid her hospitalization.
Two weeks after the Bringing Up Bates alum was admitted to the ICU for complications relating to the birth of her and husband Chad Paine's seventh baby Henry, Gil Bates and Kelly Bates shared that their recent days "have been a blur."
"We've hesitated to share updates, since Erin's diagnosis has changed several times," they wrote on Instagram Stories Sept. 10. "She'd recover from one thing just to experience yet another complication. It's puzzled the doctors who've done a significant amount of testing, so without an exact diagnosis, & with her condition changing often, it's been harder to share."
Still, the parents of 19 kids said their entire family is "grateful for heartfelt messages sent during these uncertain days."
"We've had teary nights, late nights, happy nights & a whole array of emotions," Gil and Kelly added in their statement. "But through it all, we've felt a deep gratitude for the love that has constantly surrounded us!"
Indeed, it's been a roller coaster of emotions for the couple. Amid Erin's hospitalization, their younger daughter Carlin Bates gave birth to her third child—a baby girl—with husband Evan Stewart.
"A little bright spot in our world joined our family & put smiles on all of our faces!" Kelly shared on their Instagram Sept. 11, alongside photos of the family visiting the newborn in the hospital. "The joys of getting to hold our newest granddaughter is exactly what my heart needed!"
Calling the newborn a "tiny angel," the matriarch continued, "I’m so grateful to God for a safe delivery for Carlin & baby!"
And for Erin's husband Chad, the past few weeks have also been a chapter full of ups and downs.
"Recovery is not fast or easy, but we are deeply thankful for every small step forward," he wrote on Instagram Sept. 9. "It has completely broken my heart to watch my Erin walk through such pain, yet to see her lifting her voice in praise to the Lord in the midst of it has been nothing short of inspiring."
For a closer look at the Bates' expansive family tree, keep reading...
South Carolina state wrestling champ William Gilvin “Gil” Bates met lab assistant Kelly Bates (née Callaham) at South Carolina Christian liberal arts school Anderson University, when she was tasked with tutoring him in Chemistry. Proving they had plenty of it, he proposed in October 1987, while they were finishing up college at Tennessee’s Carson-Newman University. Marrying just two months later, the couple didn’t intend on having a large brood, but neither believed in birth control. “We both came to the conclusion that we just wanted to trust God with how many children we had,” Gil told Dateline in 2011, admitting they assumed they’d cap out at two or three.
Eldest son Zachary Bates was born a year after their wedding; their 19th child—son Jeb Bates—arrived in 2012. As for rattling off the names of their oversized brood, Kelly joked of Gil, who runs excavating company Bates Tree Service, "Oh, Daddy's good at that. His memory's better than mine."
Like his siblings, Zachary (born Dec. 30, 1988) was homeschooled and a dedicated student of Bill Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles. Though his courtship with Sarah Reith was captured on 19 Kids and Counting it was future wife Whitney Perkins who captured his heart while working as a Sonic carhop. He proposed two months after the two started a courtship in 2013, marrying that December. (John-David Duggar served as one of the groomsmen. The couple went on to welcome sons Bradley (in October 2014) and Jayden (in June 2021) and daughters Kaci (in June 2016), Khloé (in November 2019) and Lily Jo (in August 2023).
In addition to working for the family tree business, Zachary has served as a police officer, a county commissioner and a real estate agent.
Arriving 13 months after her older brother on Jan. 23, 1990, Michaela Bates Keilen learned to sew as a child, stitching together most of the family’s dresses and overseeing the laundry. With future husband Brandon Keilen unable to propose until he graduated from bible college, they courted for two years before their April 2015 engagement.
Settling in Chicago after their wedding that August, the pair struggled to build a family, with Michaela detailing her fertility struggles in blog posts and on YouTube. After suffering a miscarriage in 2021, they became foster parents for two young boys.
“Looking back on my childhood and the way that my parents raised me, I can’t think of anything that was negative,” Erin Bates Pain (who joined the fam on May 2, 1991) told People. "Everything, looking back, is really positive, and we made the best memories.”
While they didn’t have a television “we substituted that for playtime with dad,” she continued. “Or, you know, playing games as a family or making memories. So, I don’t feel like we missed out on anything and, actually, I think we were smarter because of it.”
Which meant that after she married Charles "Chad" Stephen Paine III in 2013, they were eager for a big brood of their own. A blood clotting disorder let to several miscarriages before they were able to welcome Carson in May 2015, Brooklyn in August 2016, Everly in May 2018, Holland in November 2019 and Finley in January 2022. And though she believed they wouldn’t be able to have more children, they went on to grow their family with William in October 2023 and Henry in August 2025. Revealing that Erin had gone into septic shock following Henry’s delivery, Chad wrote on Instagram. "We would so appreciate your prayers for Erin as she continues to recover from some complications.”
A young entrepreneur who opened his own lawn-cutting business Lawson’s Lawncare at 13, Lawson Bates (born July 27, 1992) was linked to Jana Duggar after commenting on a few of her Instagram posts. But he announced his engagement to Tiffany Espensen after he proposed during an October 2021 getaway to Italy. "Getting to know Tiffany—her heart, her passions, and her dreams— has been the greatest joy of my life,” the singer-songwriter told People at the time, “and we have been making so many wonderful memories together over the past year.”
Wed on a yacht off the coast of San Diego in May 2022, the couple suffered a miscarriage before welcoming son William in July 2024. Less than a year later, they revealed baby No. 2 was on the way.
Kenneth Nathaniel "Nathan" Bates joined the fam on Aug. 29, 1993. Though he featured his courtship with Ashley Salyer on Bringing Up Bates, he would later get engaged to Esther Keyes in May 2021. Married that October (sharing their first kiss at the altar like many of his siblings), they welcomed daughter Kenna a year later. Son Graham came along in October 2024. Wanting to be a preacher at a young age, he’s served by going on a number of mission trips and working as a first responder.
Born on Nov. 9, 1994, Alyssa Bates Webster was the family’s secretary and clothes shopper along with preparing many of their meals. Working on Florida Congressman Daniel Webster's campaign for the United States House of Representatives, she met his son John Webster. Engaged in January 2014 (they celebrated the betrothal at Orlando’s Ruth's Chris Steakhouse), they wed that May. The Florida-based pair welcomed daughter Alli in April 2015, Lexi in January 2017, Zoey in March 2018 and Maci in February 2021 and son Rhett in March 2023.
Arriving 12 months after her older sister on Dec. 20, 1995, Tori Bates Smith began courting Bobby Smith in 2016, their romance featured on the family’s reality series. Married months after their engagement, in December 2017, the Crown College of the Bible elementary education grad and Bobby welcomed son Robert IV in November 2018, followed by son Kolter in May 2020, daughter Charlotte in June 2021, daughter Cambree in August 2022 and son Weston in May 2024.
With a name meaning harvester of the white fields, Trace Bates arrived on Feb. 1, 1997. Following a televised courtship with Chaney Kahle, he was introduced to future wife Lydia Romeike through sister Josie Bates Balka. They shared their March 2022 engagement on YouTube (“I just know that Lydia is my best friend, and she's the most positive thing in my life,” he detailed) and wed in front of 350 guests (including Jason Duggar, who served as an usher) that October. Son Ryker joined the family in October 2023. In June 2025, they welcomed their rainbow baby, daughter Kaia.
Born on April 11, 1998, Carlin Bates Stewart graduated from high school alongside brother Trace after taking dual enrollment at a local college. Sister Erin introduced her to Evan Stewart, the couple announcing their engagement in September 2018. Married the following May (with Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth as a bridesmaid), they welcomed daughter Layla in January 2020, with the birth featured on Bringing Up Bates. Son Zade arrived in March 2022 and the pair announced the birth of their third child in September 2025.
Gil and Kelly’s 10th child arrived on Aug. 4, 1999. She befriended future husband Kelton Balka after they met at a 2014 piano recital, but the two didn’t begin courting until 2017. Engaged in June 2018 in a proposal featured on-camera, they married that October, again, as cameras rolled. Daughter Willow arrived in July 2019, with daughter Hazel following in June 2021. Son Miles joined the group in February 2024 and the pair announced they were expecting again in April 2025.
Arriving on Oct. 5, 2000, Katie Bates Clark was bestowed with a name meaning pure grace. Announcing her romance with Travis Clark in a 2019 Facebook Live, she revealed their oceanside engagement in April 2021. Married that December, they began growing their family with the February 2023 arrival of daughter Hailey and the September 2024 arrival of son Harvey. Graduating from The Crown College with a cosmetology license, she’s worked as a stylist for her sister Josie's company, Effortless Beauty and a model for Bates Sisters Boutique.
One of the so-called three musketeers alongside Warden Bates and Isaiah Bates, Jackson Bates made his arrival on Feb. 17, 2002. He met future wife Emerson Wells at a rodeo in Florida, announcing their engagement in March 2023. Married that October (Jason Duggar was a groomsman), they welcomed son David in July 2025.
Nicknamed “Tigger” due to his bouncy nature, Warden (born May 19, 2003) loves sports and singing. He’s juggled work with both his dad’s excavating business and brother-in-law Chad’s Paine Construction business.
The third of the musketeers arrived on Oct. 16, 2004. Working for both his dad and brother-in-law Chad, The Crown College grad (he received his one-year Bible Certificate for Foundation of Christian Life in 2023) opened his own lawn care business in 2022.
Spending time in the NICU after her Feb. 17, 2006 birth, Addalee Bates struggled with breathing complications due to her premature birth and wears hearing aids. Her parents added several extra letters to her name to remind her of her second chance at life. She completed her one-year bible program in 2025.
With a name meaning strong light, Ellie Bates joined the crew on April 28, 2007. She often poses in photo shoots for Bates Sisters Boutique.
The youngest of Gil and Kelly’s daughters, Callie-Anna Bates was born on Aug. 2, 2009. The “most animated” of their crew, as Kelly put it on Instagram in August 2020, “People are drawn to you like a magnet!"
Since Jud Bates’ Sept. 15, 2010 arrival, he’s “grown in the blink of an eye,” Kelly wrote in a December 2020 Instagram post. Though he has had a few setbacks, breaking his right collarbone twice—once playing football and another riding his e-bike.
Completing the family, Jeb Bates was born on Feb. 1, 2012 and spent some time in the NICU. “You would think with your 19th child, you wouldn’t get excited and nervous,” Gil told People at the time. “But I was as nervous with this baby as I was with our first.”
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