Las Vegas Quintuplets Born, Derrico Babies Conceived Without Fertility Drugs
Last Friday, a Las Vegas family welcomed newborn quintuplets to their family of six. The babies were born in Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Ariz.
Parents Evonne Derrico, 33, and Deon Derrico, 42, have a lot of adjustments to make in order to accommodate the five latest additions to the family.
"We have a vehicle for the family right now, but we don't have a vehicle for the five others," Deon said in an interview with Las Vegas Sun. "There's just so much to figure out."
Still, Deon, who works as a field property manager for a real estate company, is happy to have the large bundle added to Derrico clan.
"We are all doing great," Deon told from Las Vegas Sun from the hospital. "Excited is an understatement."
Evonne was pregnant for 32 weeks and two days. The family originates from Las Vegas but moved to Arizona temporarily in preparation for the children's birth.
Evonne began giving birth at 11:17 a.m. Friday morning with the help of Dr. John Elliott, a perinatologist and multiple-birth specialist. The quintuplets follow the Derrico's tradition of children names beginning with the letter D.
At 11: 17 a.m., Deniko, a boy was born.
At 11:18 a.m., Dariz, a boy, was born.
At 11:19 a.m., baby girl Deonee arrived.
At 11:20 a.m., their sister, Daician came next.
Finally, Daiten, a girl, was born at 11:21 a.m.
"This has humbled me," Deon told Las Vegas Sun. "I feel very honored that God chose us."
The babies' weights range from one pound and 14 ounces to two pounds and 15 ounces. They are currently being watched at Cardon Children's Medical Center's neonatal intensive care unit. Meanwhile, Evonne is in good condition at Banner Desert Medical center.
Evonne conceived without the use of fertility drugs but was prescribed hormones to help her avoid a miscarriage, of which she has already had four.
"God is good," Deon said. "He gave us all those four back plus one on schedule."
Apparently, multiple-births run in the Derrico family. Evonne and Deon have twin boys who are one-year-old. They also have a 7-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son.
"To go from four for nine, that's a level of preparation that requires you be a billionaire, but whatever has to be done to take care of my children, I'm going to do it," Deon said in an interview with the Associated Press.
At first, doctors told the Derricos that they were having quadruplets. A follow-up appointment two days later, however, revealed that they were actually having five babies.
Once the babies and Evonne are discharged, the Derricos will return to their five-bedroom, 2,900 square-foot house in Las Vegas. They have a home theater room which will serve as a nursery. The babies will probably stay in the hospital for another month. Meanwhile, Deon will go back and forth between the hospital and Las Vegas to finish preparations.
"We've always talked about between 11 and 12 children," Deon said. "I want as many children as God will bless me with."
View a photo of the Derrico family here.