OutDaughtered took over TLC last season with its unique look at the chaos, laughter, and love that is all part of raising a family of six kids. But these aren’t just any six kids, these are the Busby quintuplets and their older sister Blayke, all under the watchful care of their mom and dad, Danielle and Adam Busby. So who is the supermom that spends her time marshaling this small army? Surprisingly enough, she’s a down-to-earth woman just like you or I. Here are just a few surprising facts about Danielle Busby, the woman who seems like she could — OK, definitely — run the world.
1. She Met Her Husband At Target
The Busbys have been married since 2006 after they met at a Target store where they both worked, as she shared in a blog post. It really is the perfect store! Danielle tells the hilarious story of their romance on the family’s blog, It’s a Buzz World, starting with the first words Adam ever said to her, “Hey beautiful.”
He didn’t do much better from there; asking her out but then bailing at the last minute to hang out with his friends. On their first real date, he took her on a family outing for his sister’s birthday dinner. As you can see today, it all worked out and they’re deeply in love.
2. The Couple Struggled With Infertility
Though this may not be a surprise to anyone who watches the show, if you’ve never seen it then it’s an important part of the couple’s story. Because Adam and Danielle both love kids, they never imagined that they would struggle with infertility, but after they got married, they found that they both had issues with fertility, Danielle wrote on their blog.
For their first baby, Blayke, they were both put on Clomid and then they went through intra-uterine insemination, a procedure where the sperm is injected through the cervix but still has to naturally meet up with the egg. Because it worked, they did the procedure when they wanted to get pregnant again but tried the drug Femara this time, as she shared on their blog. And, yup, it worked to conceive the quints.
3. She’s A Committed Christian
Danielle regularly writes on her family’s blog about how her faith impacts her daily life. Recently, she wrote about the incredible pace she has to maintain in order to stay ahead of her family.
“After reading my devotional this morning, it spoke to me. It’s HARD sometimes, really heard sometimes… to stop…take a breath… and se see Gods beauty he has placed in front of me,” she wrote.
She also talked about how the 2018 Busby goal was to focus on real joy.
4. She Once Ate 4,500 Calories A Day
And not just one day — but for her entire pregnancy with the quints. While that may sound glorious, staying on top of that kind of calorie goal would be draining.
As she wrote on a blog for TLC, she had to “forget everything I knew about eating clean and healthy foods. I had to literally eat my dessert before I could eat the salad on my plate.”
5. She’s A Fitness Buff
But Danielle’s commitment to fitness helped her get back into the kind of shape she needs to chase after six young kids. She chronicled her workout routine for TLC, saying that she does pushups and situps every day, also utilizing the staircase in their home for workouts. She also takes the quints out in their stroller for a walk or jog nearly every day. When she can get away she likes to head to a gym class like booty barre or yoga, or go for a run, as she shared with TLC.
6. Her Mother Lost Her Home During Hurricane Harvey
The Busbys live in Houston and although they were personally lucky enough to escape the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, their extended family was not.
Danielle’s mother lost her home, according to Country Living. Adam posted to Instagram showing himself and a few others taking his mother-in-law back to her home in a boat to try and salvage a few things.
7. She Supports Her Husband’s Mental Health
Adam got real with viewers when he revealed that he was battling postpartum depression, according to People. In a Season 2 episode, she urged her husband to find somebody to talk to: “I got to thinking that maybe it doesn’t need to be me — it just needs to be somebody.”
When Adam said he felt find sometimes, according to People, she countered: “I just don’t want you to get worse. I feel like you’re going to put a wedge in us because something is bothering you.”
It was a brave and important thing for the family to show.
8. She’s Dedicated To Schedules
Ever since they had Blayke, Danielle realized the important of a strict schedule to make parenting work. As she explained on the family blog, they used the book Baby Wise to help Blayke get on to a schedule of sleeping through the night at just 10 weeks old.
She also spoke to USA Today about how important schedules are to maintaining their marriage, saying:
Most Fridays or Saturdays, one of them is date night for us and one of them is family night. We found that we need to be out of the house to catch up and not get distracted. We enjoy each other and love each other and want to hang out together, it’s just that we have to plan it.
9. She Was A Full-Time Career Woman
They don’t discuss either of the couples’ work situations on the show, but a quick LinkedIn search shows that Danielle worked as a Project Coordinator Team Lead in a role that supported BP Oil and Gas’ training conferences. She's still listed in the role, saying she started in 2008, so there’s a chance that she has some kind of work arrangement that still allows her to take care of her busy family and star on OutDaughtered.
10. You’ll See More Of Her In Season 4
Good news! OutDaughtered has been renewed for a fourth season on TLC! The network hasn't revealed exactly when the newest season will air, but you might be able to look out for it sometime in July of 2019. Be sure to keep an eye out for more details on when you can see everyone’s favorite family to return to TV.
After a very frustrating first birth experience, this Deaf mother wanted a change. Will the help of two Deaf doulas give the quality communication and birth experience this mom wants and deserves? Watch Episode Four of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below, and visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes.
