Doubling Down with the Derricos ' Karen and Deon Contemplate Getting a Nanny: 'We Have No Choice'
Doubling Down with the Derricos: Karen and Deon Contemplate Getting a Nanny
Doubling Down with the Derricos: Karen and Deon Contemplate Getting a Nanny
Karen and Deon Derrico are feeling the pressure of raising 14 children all on their own.
In PEOPLE's exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming episode of TLC's new series Doubling Down with the Derricos, the parents get emotional about handling the responsibilities of their growing family after the complicated birth of their triplets.
"My mother was here to help us with the children, but she had to go back home to Detriot," Deon says. "This is a lot. Especially when Mommy's role is split. We have to get help."
Along with raising their children, Karen is also going back and forth to be with one of the newborn triplets who had heart surgery and remains in the hospital.
While Karen is hesitant to bring in outside help, Deon stresses the urgency of the situation.
"We have no choice," he says. "I can't even go to the hospital with you right now."
Karen, a stay-at-home mother, and Deon, a real estate investor, share 14 children: two singletons, quintuplets, triplets and two sets of twins — all of whom were conceived naturally.
TLC
"I feel like me having a nanny is telling them, 'Mommy can't do this all by myself,' " Karen explains, admitting that she fears people will judge her for asking for help. "I think I'm projecting what I think others are saying to me, for me getting a nanny."
RELATED: Doubling Down with the Derricos: Mom Karen Spends '$3,500 a Month' to Feed 14 Children
As Karen prepares to go to the hospital by herself, she becomes emotional while thinking about what's on her plate.
"It's everything," she says, wiping her tears. "It's the going back and forth, it's the procedure that Dawson has to have. I just want them at home where they can nurse and I don't have to worry about this."
"As a mother, I'm just scared and nervous," she adds.
But Deon is there, ready to be her rock.
"We go through things so we can be brought closer together," he says. "I hate to see you [cry]. I love you."
The series, which has been in development and production for over a year, follows the couple as they await the arrival of their triplets. But when Karen is told she has to spend the rest of her pregnancy in the hospital at 24 weeks, Deon is left to manage the household and take care of 11 children, ranging from 2-14 years old, all on his own.
Doubling Down with the Derricos premieres Aug. 11 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
