Our family doubled in five minutes!

DAILY MAIL REPORTER 

Evonne and Deon Derrico: parents of quints

A family of six nearly doubled in size in less than five minutes, after ushering in a set of quintuplets.

Evonne and Deon Derrico from Las Vegas, initially thought they would be having quadruplets but later discovered a fifth baby in the womb. After doing all they could to prepare, they welcomed three girls and two boys last fall at the Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona.

"We are all doing great," Mr Derrico told the Las Vegas Sun today "Excited is an understatement."

Mrs Derrico, 33, carried the babies for 32 weeks and two days, a month longer than the national average for quintuplets. They were born on September 6, 2013. Deniko, Dariz, Deonee, Daician and Daiten each weigh less than three pounds and were being cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit. (In keeping with family tradition, the babies' names all start with the letter 'D.')

They're joining an already-full house that includes the Derrico's seven-year-old daughter, Darian, a three-year-old son, Derrick, and two-year-old twin boys, Dallas and Denver.

The family of 11 will have to make some adjustments.

Births of quintuplets bless and humble Las Vegas family

Daddy Deon Derrico at press conference

By Jackie Valley
Las Vegas Sun

The Derrico family, of North Las Vegas, welcomed quintuplets last fall. Evonne Derrico, 33, gave birth to three girls and two boys at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Ariz. “We are all doing great,” the proud father said. “Excited is an understatement.”

However, Deon Derrico, the quintuplets’ father and husband of the babies’ mother, Evonne Derrico, has a lot of work to do starting now.
“We have a vehicle for the family right now, but we don't have a vehicle for the five others,” said Deon Derrico, who works as a field property manager. “There’s just so much to figure out.”

Vegas family expands from 4 to 9 kids

The five new additions!

The Derrico team got a whole lot bigger last fall as the Vegas family added three girls and two boys – all under 3 pounds and all healthy –  bringing the Derrico kid roster to 9, what their parents call "Derricos Divine 9.".

By Terry Tang, Associated Press

A Las Vegas mother is resting after delivering a healthy set of quintuplets in a suburban Phoenix hospital, bringing five new additions to her family's already full house. The babies, born September 6th, join the Derrico's 7-year-old daughter, Darian, 3-year-old son, Derrick, and 1-year-old twin boys, Dallas and Denver.

Family almost doubles with birth of quintuplets

Yes! Mommie's having five more!

Evonne and Deon Derrico thought they were having twins. 

The Las Vegas-based couple has a history with sets of multiples (their family has a long lineage of twins and triplets) so the news wasn't that surprising. They already have a set of their own: 1-year-old twin boys, who are brothers to their 7-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son.

“We always wanted a big family, so when we were told we were having identical twin girls, we were thrilled,” remembers Deon. The thought of adding two more kids to their family of six was something they felt they could handle.

But more than two? That didn't even cross their minds.

Family of 6 welcomes quintuplets (Today Show)

Evonne and Deon Derrico had always wanted a big family – and they got one a lot sooner than anyone could have expected.

In September 2013, Evonne delivered quintuplets to add to their brood of four. Perhaps even more amazing than the arrival of five healthy babies was the fact that it was all natural—no fertility drugs involved.

“We did not expect this,” Deon Derrico told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie.
As he spoke from the couple’s home in Nevada, three of the newborns rocked peacefully in their pods. The other two babies will be coming home over the next two weeks.

To watch the video, click on this link.

How Were The Derrico Quintuplets Formed?

When quintuplets are not all the same gender, they could be fraternal quintuplets or a mixture of identical and fraternal. 
Fraternal quintuplets are conceived when five separate eggs are released by the mother and each egg is fertilized by a different sperm. But having quintuplets this way naturally is extremely rare.