This is the home birth story of our 6th baby, Daniel Teddy Paul. It is a positive natural birth story using the Miles Circuit and Bradley Method.
The name we chose for our 6th Baby
We are so excited to introduce you to our newest family member, Daniel Teddy Paul Bass. We named our 5th child, Micah Bobby Gene, after Luke’s grandpa Bobby Gene. We decided to keep the theme with this little one, using Luke’s other grandpa’s name.
Grandpa Teddy Paul passed away many years ago, but his lovely wife Clara is so happy the newest grand baby is named after her husband. Luke’s grandpa Bobby Gene passed away this August, but he knew Micah very well for nearly two years.
We waited three days to choose a name for Daniel, because we were being indecisive. With all four of our boys we waited a while before choosing a name.
Now that you know our sweet little one’s name, onto the positive home birth story of Daniel Teddy Paul.
Why it’s important to share positive birth stories
If you base pregnancy and birth strictly off popular culture, these vulnerable times in a woman’s life are a more a source of anxiety and fear than joy and excitement.
People will tell you birth is going to be the most excruciating pain you’ve ever experienced. Pregnancy is a time of severe discomfort. Women readily volunteer their birth horror stories, even to women who are clearly ready to give birth.
Much of the pain of birth is directly dependent on the fear you go into it with. It is important to fill your head with positive stories. Birth is NORMAL, and when it is left to progress normally it just goes differently.
I had my first daughter at the hospital. I did absolutely no research and no mental preparations. For my other five kids, I went in prepared. The difference is astounding.
The most important thing is a healthy mom and healthy baby, but I can tell you from experience fear and expectations really do make a difference!
Of course I still think there is some pain in childbirth, and the very real possibility for complications, but going in with a positive outlook really can help decrease these things!
Read all of my positive home birth stories
Our 5th child- Introducing Micah Bobby Gene- My Bradley Method Home Birth Story
Our 4th child- Jude Matthew was also born at home. I need to share his story!
3rd child- Baby In The Van Story- Eli’s Exciting Arrival!
The Positive home birth story of Daniel Teddy Paul
I was 40 weeks pregnant on October 15th. Since none of my kids came before the due date, I fully expected to make it to this point. Two of my kids were born exactly two days after, with little Daniel following suit and doing the exact same thing.
Around 1 AM on October 16th, I woke up with my first real contraction. I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for several weeks, but this one was real. It started in my lower back and radiated around to the front. In my experience, real contractions also come with low pressure from the baby’s descending head. All that night I continued to have these very real contractions, but pretty irregularly. Some were 30 minutes apart, some 15.
They were enough to wake me up, so I barely slept at all the entire night.
In the morning I told Luke what was going on and told him to expect a baby sometime that day.
Contractions Stop
As I got up and around to the chores of the day, making breakfast, shooting some videos for the blog and taking care of the kids, the contractions all but stopped. I would have one here and there, but then they would go away for an hour.
Contractions Pick Back up Again
By 2 pm, when I was scheduled to go in for my 40 week midwife appointment, they picked back up again. I was getting ready to walk out the door to make the one hour trek to her office, when Luke asked, “Hey, so are you going to bring a bag with you for when you get stuck in the city having a baby?” He clearly wasn’t in favor of me leaving the house while in labor. Since our third child came in the back of the van on the way to the birthing center, he has every right to not believe me when I say, “I’m fine.”
I took my shoes off and decided to take a nap instead of going to the appointment.
The contractions kept coming.
Luke loaded up the boys and brought Micah over to his parents house to spend the night. Since he is the toddler, we felt like we could handle labor with all the kids except him. At least all of the older ones could all watch a movie if things got serious. The 22 month old, not so much.
Am i really in labor?
You would think, as a mom of 6, I would have this whole thing completely down pat by now, but this labor was really confusing me. I knew the contractions were real, and I had to completely relax through them (ie they were strong) but they weren’t getting closer together.
How long is this labor going to drag on?! I had already been up the entire night before with contractions. The last thing I wanted was to repeat the exact same thing for another night.
The Miles Circuit
Around 4 in the afternoon, I texted the midwife to tell her my predicament. The contractions are continuing to come every 15 minutes. They are strong, but they aren’t getting any closer together.
She suggested I do the Miles Circuit, so I did. It basically involves three different positions/exercises, each for 30 minutes that are designed to get baby in the proper position and get things progressing!
Contractions All night long
I continued to have contractions all throughout that night. I started logging them in my phone and noticed they were coming every 12 minutes if I was lying down and every 5 minutes if I was standing up.
The midwife lives an hour away, so I decided to mostly stay lying down. I was worried that if I stood up much, labor would progress quickly and she wouldn’t make it in time.
I went back and forth between the couch and the stove, warming up the corn pack I was using for back labor. By 6 am, I decided it was time to call the midwife. The contractions weren’t any closer together, but I thought maybe she could do something to help speed things up.
The Midwives Arrive
The midwives arrived around 7:10 am. They checked my vitals, blood pressure, the baby’s heartbeat and dilation. They said I was a 6, almost a 7.
They got me back into the first Miles Circuit position, where I stayed for 30 minutes. This wasn’t my favorite part of this labor, because I was having some very intense contractions and I wasn’t allowed to move from the quite uncomfortable Miles Circuit position.
After the 30 minute timer went off, the midwives rolled me over for the second Miles Circuit position.
Within 5 minutes, I felt the urge to push.
He was born another 5 minutes later, only one hour from when the midwives arrived.
I would say the Miles Circuit worked to get the baby in position and get things moving!
He was 7 pounds 11 ounces, a full pound smaller than our previous baby Micah. He was 21″ long with a 14″ head circumference.
He cried right away, and looked perfect.
My first words were “Oh my goodness Luke, it’s another boy!”
I still can’t believe we’ve had four boys in a row!
Welcome to the world little man!
Related Posts
Daniel is wrapped in a swaddle blanket I made with this tutorial: How To Make Muslin Swaddle Blankets
I knitted Daniel’s hat with this pattern
Pin it for later
Carmen Navarro Palacios says
Congratulations, He is perfect!! Blessings to all!!
Tracey Godfrey says
Congratulations again & welcome darling little Daniel.
Wonderful birth story. Well done you.
Xx
Marian says
Hi!!! Congratulations!!! Amazing…experience, real story. Love this. He is a healthy, handsome little boy 👦. Blessings to the family 💜💜💜💜💜💜. I admire you a lot. I am almost 60 (just 58) and can’t stop thinking about your big family and how you manage so well.
Blessings again and looking forward to your next blog and videos (YT)
Donna says
Congratulations on your sweet and perfect baby!
Denise says
I be been following your pregnancy over the months and always amazed at how much energy you seemed to have being pregnant with 5 kids and a farm! One amazing woman! I’m a grandma now , but I never tire of hearing other women’s birth stories. I still remember mine as if they were yesterday. Congratulations to you and your family and do try to get some rest as you bond with your new son! God’s blessings on you and your family! 💙🤱🏻
Colette Lefebvre says
Simply magical…Congratulations to all!! Little Daniel is adorable and precious. Lisa, you rock! Hope everyone is doing well. 😊
Sylvia says
Congratulations Lisa. So very glad to meet your precious baby boy. I am so glad things went well for you. Hope to see lots more photos. Would love to see the other kids meeting little Daniel. Best wishes to your family.
Lisa says
Congratulations! An adorable healthy baby boy!
What a blessing! You look beautiful and healthy as well.
Nicole says
Congratulations to you all Lisa!!! Baby Daniel is beautiful!!! Great job once again-you are so amazing to me!!! Enjoy this special time!!
Many Blessings, Nicole♥️
leslie says
Thank you for sharing your POSITIVE birthing experience Lisa. I was AAHCC, Bradley Method certified about 30 years ago. Marj and Jay Hathaway were my teachers! My first birth experience was so traumatic that I had to figure out a better way. I went on to teach 100’s of couples how to give birth naturally – including myself with baby number two. With the current climate surrounding women and their bodies I find it surprising that many women don’t appear to research and learn about the birth process and giving birth naturally. So generous of you to share your personal stories. Congratulations on baby Daniel!
Donna says
Congratulations!!! God bless!!
Pamela says
Awww, congratulations!! He really is a beautiful boy. I’ve had ten children and I would have loved to have had known about that Miles Circuit. Once I was at a 9 for 12 hours! Enjoy this special newborn time; it’s the sweetest!
Lisa says
A 9 for 12 hours?! I think I would probably die!
Pamela says
Hahaha! I have a wonderful husband and midwife who helped me through it all and everything went smoothly. Natural births are the best (if your circumstances allow, of course).
Karolyn Love says
Congratulations on the birth of Daniel Teddy!! So happy for you and your family…all I am doing right now is smiling, smiling, smiling at how sweet he looks!! God Bless!!
Terry says
Lisa, Daniel Teddy Paul is perfect. Congratulations to you, your husband & Daniel’s siblings. I really enjoy your blog & continuously am amazed at all you accomplish as a family. Blessings to all of you!🙏🏻
Ramona Deppeler says
Congratulation! What a perfect little boy.
Ramona
Rebecca says
I would like to say congratulations to you and Luke… Daniel is just precious and I know you all are proud of him… I got on Instagram and saw you and the baby, my eyes filled with tears of joy for you… it is such a blessing for you to share the birth story and pics with us all… THANK YOU AGAIN…
Lynn says
Congratulations
Carolyn says
Loved reading your story of Daniel’s birth. Four boys in a row, wow!
Julie says
I am so happy for you and Luke, and the rest of the family! Beauuuuutiful little baby boy!
Suzanne G says
Congratulations and God bless you all with continued health and happiness!
Eileen says
Congratulations! I love your positive home birth stories. I read Micah’s before I had my first back in May at a birth center. Thanks to my sisters’ 100% positive stories, and yours, and Ina May Gaskin’s book, I went into my natural birth without ANY fear. How freeing! (You h It was 42 hours and parts of it were hard, but it was amazing and the coolest experience of my life.
Michele Meacham says
Congrats & God bless you & your family.
Teri Jo says
Congratulations to all of you Lisa, Daniel is a wonderful name and the meaning behind it is so sweet.
God Bless!
Rachel says
First, congratulations!! He is beautiful and I’m so happy the birth went well. 🙂
I also wanted to thank you for sharing your positive birth experiences. I followed along with you as you had your son Micah (sp?) and it was your recommendations of the books you shared along with another a friend that gave me the confidence I needed to have a positive birth experience with my second child. My first birth was a bit traumatizing and I was quite literally terrified of tearing and giving birth again, but after watching your video and reading those books, I knew I could do it and I did! I did it unmedicated, no tearing, and I say it was the most magical experience of my life. I told my nurse and husband about two hours after the birth, “That was fun! Like, I could do that again tomorrow!” Stark contrast to my first. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Watching your video this time around makes me so excited for when we add another. 😀 You are such a beautiful person inside and out! Thank you for sharing your light and joy with the world, we need it!
Hannah says
Congrats Lisa + family!!
I loved hearing your birth story. I’m due in February and this time around I’m studying as many natural birth stories as I can. So thanks for sharing.
Misty says
Congratulations! There is nothing more special than a sweet baby!
Monica says
Congratulations! You have a beautiful family! I love watching your videos and following along on Instagram!
Wanda says
Congratulations !! Glad Momma & Baby are doing well. God Bless you, your family & your latest addition !!
Kim says
Congratulations! Now, if you have 10 more (13 boys and 3 girls) you will catch up to my inlaws! My husband is number 14 of 16. You have a beautiful family. Thanks so much for sharing all your great knowledge, and ideas with us! God bless you.
Lisa says
Oh my word! We won’t be catching them. They can have that title! My dad is number 10 of 14. I really just can’t imagine how my grandma did it! I wish I could go back in time and ask her.
Ann says
God bless, he’s beautiful!!
Sandi says
Congratulations on your beautiful son! May his life be blessed!
Brittney Weeks says
Congrats! So happy you are both healthy & recovering. Hes an absolute doll! You are such an inspiration ❤
Pam Wick says
Congratulations!!
Jill Maclean says
Dear Lisa,
I just hope you know how wonderful you are and should be so proud of so many accomplishments, but birthing 6 babies is the most amazing accomplishment♥️♥️
Thanks for sharing your beautiful story with all of us.
God bless you and your family.
Enjoy that Sweet Daniel Teddy Paul 💙
Michele M. says
God bless your sweet little Daniel.
Best wishes to the entire family, Lisa. What a sweet wonderful miracle he is. ♥
ps
You made blogging videos while in labor? You are such a goofus.
Lisa says
Haha I knew it wouldn’t want to after having the baby for a quite a while. Plus, I like to stay distracted! 😉
Emily says
Congratulations on your handsome baby boy! What a wonderful birth story! Thank you for sharing ❤️
LAUREN SAKUMA says
Congratulations, Lisa and family! Amazing birth story! Blessings! ❤🙂
Debra Heschl says
I am so incredibly happy for y’all! What a beautiful family you have. Many blessings to y’all! 💙
Sandy says
Congratulations to the Bass Family! What a beautiful blessing from God. Enjoy this bundle of joy. Thank you for sharing the birthing experience.
christie says
Congratulations Lisa!! I’ve been checking back to see when that little bundle would get here. Many blessings.
Mandy @ Making Home Simple says
He is so beautiful, Lisa! Congratulations! I’m so glad you had a good birth and that you are both healthy and doing well. Babies are such a precious blessing! And another sweet little boy how wonderful!
Karen says
Congratulations to you & Luke on the birth of your precious newborn boy…He is beautiful! Thank you for making time for us with all that you have going on in your life. You are an amazing woman, Lisa! All the best to you & your beautiful family!
Eileen says
Congratulations! Sounds like your birth was very similar to my first–hand by the face, two days of on and off contractions that were doing something, and finally new positions getting the baby to drop into the correct position. Physically I got really far with no pain, just discomfort, but mentally it was like “IS THIS BABY EVER COMING??” hahaha. Pros and cons to a slow labor I guess!
Denise says
Congratulations Lisa and family!! Your baby boy is precious!!!
You are what we call in Labor and Delivery a “Rock Star!!” Thank you for sharing your story. I gave birth to 2 of my babies at home with midwives. It was an amazing experience. I truly love and enjoy your lifestyle, so much like mine was 30 years ago, except we didn’t have social media like this! I will enjoy watching your Daniel(my Daniel is my 3rd of 4 boys, also born at home) grow along with his Siblings with your videos you post!! Take care and God bless!!
Katelyn says
Thank you so much for sharing. Your home birth stories encouraged me in my first home birth two weeks ago. Thanks to your story, I discovered the Bradley Method which was incredibly valuable to my husband and I.
Patty says
What a beautiful birth story! You’re right – we need to share the positive birth stories. I had 3 great home births and am so grateful for that option, and the kind and wise care of my midwives during pregnancy and delivery.