[all] Under, under, front, back.
[kids] Previously on Doubling down with the Derricos.
I actually saw a girl that I liked.
You got a girlfriend from step class?
These boys are girl-crazy.
-[Karen gasps] Oh! -A lot.
-What? -Yeah!
I'm going to go snow skiing,
and I want all of you guys to come with me.
[all] Yay!
-Black people don't ski. -Mmm-mmm.
-[kids shrieking] -Oh, [bleep]! Oh, [bleeping]!
How long have you been experiencing dizziness?
At least a couple of weeks.
A friend of mine, she was going through some things like this,
and ended up with a malignant tumor in the head.
That scares the bejesus out of me, for real.
-Mommy Tommy? -Mother?
[crashing]
She's hurt.
Karen, what happened?
-[Deon] I think she's hot. -[kid] She needs water.
[Deon] Karen, what's wrong?
-[Karen speaks softly] -[Deon] Your heart?
[man speaks]
[Deon] Hey, Karen?
She's hurt.
-[GG] What? -[Deon] What happened?
-[GG] What's the matter? -[man] Let's not everybody crowd around.
-[Deon] What happened to her? -[man] Giver her space, guys.
[Deon] Karen, what's wrong?
-[Karen speaks] -[Deon] Your heart?
[man speaks]
[Karen speaks]
[man] Karen, do you feel overheated?
[Deon] Yeah, she's hot.
[man 1] Come here, De'Aren. Come here, Dawsyn.
Get Dior and Diez.
-[man 2] Try and sit up. -[Deon] Come on.
She's so lethargic.
Here, drink some, baby.
Do you think you need to sit up in the car?
Let's go.
Open up the car door.
-Karen, you gotta talk to me, baby. -[Karen speaking]
[Deon] Did she tell somebody she was light-headed?
[Deon] You just saw her pass out?
[producer] Yeah, she just, um...
[Deon] All the thoughts that I'm having,
"Did she have a heart attack? Did she have a stroke?
Maybe she was dehydrated. Maybe it's the high elevation."
I don't know what the hell it is.
[GG] First thing I start thinking about is the kids
because they don't need to be without their mother,
not even for a day.
[Deon] Okay. Have all the babies over here.
[Deon] Whatever the problem is,
I don't want any of our children to see her like this.
You need to drink some of this right here,
'cause I wanna give you some strength.
Yeah, come on. Drink some.
[GG speaks]
[Deon] Yeah, just let me get her to the bathroom.
[ambulance siren ringing]
I didn't hear nothing. I didn't see nothing.
[GG] Yeah, none of us did.
I'm actually scared. I'm panicking.
It looked like she went paralyzed.
But as much as I wanna be with Mommy right now,
I know that the best thing for me to do is to be with the babies
because they need to see someone who's strong,
and who's gonna take their mind off of what Mommy's going through right now?
-[paramedic speaks] -[Deon] No, she's in the restroom.
She was totally lethargic at first,
-when we first called you. -[paramedic] Okay.
A little bit? She's gonna be okay.
The doctors are here to help her, okay?
The paramedics.
[Deon] Mmm-hmm.
[machine beeping]
I'm starting 'em. Mmm-hmm.
[medic speaking]
[Deon] Seeing Karen hooked up to all these machines like this,
it has my mind going into all kinds of places.
I don't know what I would do if something happened to Karen.
At this point, I don't want nothing more
than for her to get better.
[medic] I'm gonna have you stand up and see how you feel.
[Deon] What is the EKG saying?
You have great oxygen, 99%.
Your heart, it hasn't changed any.
It looks good.
So if she was dehydrated, how would... You wouldn't know that.
-You wouldn't... -[Matthew] So, that's what I was just kind of checking
right now. If you're up in the higher elevations
and you're not really used to being up here,
exerting yourself could be one of those things, right?
-Right. -[Matthew] What I see here,
everything looks within normal limits for me.
Okay? Heart doesn't show anything that's showing a heart attack.
Nothing with her blood pressure shows
that there's anything life-threatening right now.
-You are feeling better? -[Karen] Mmm-hmm.
-I really am. -[Matthew] And that's all gone now?
-Yes, it is. -[Matthew] Okay.
And if it ever changes, you're welcome to call us back, okay?
-Thank you, I really appreciate it. -You're very welcome.
[Karen] Thank God, everything they've ran on me looks great.
And I even feel a lot better.
-[Deon] Thank you, and God bless you. -[medic] You're very welcome.
[Karen] I know it scared me,
but I can't even imagine what it was like
for the children, to even have seen me like that.
So, I really think it's necessary
for me to have a conversation with them.
I was scared, Mommy, I almost cried.
Aw, baby, well Mommy...
I didn't wanna scare you, but just the altitude is just too much for me.
Yeah, Mom, we're glad that you were okay
because I started praying, and then we went to the car.
-[crying] We... -[Karen] Aw.
-Look at them, look at them... Yeah. -[Karen] Aw.
I hate that you crying.
See, Daician, your prayers work.
[Karen] It did.
I'm just glad we were able to reassure our children.
Everything's okay, and I think we need to get you
back to the hotel to get you some rest.
Yeah.
[Deon] All right, let's go.
[upbeat song playing]
♪ Yeah♪
♪ You know that I got you on my mind♪
♪ I just really want to get to know you♪
♪ Think about you all the time♪
-All right. -[indistinct]
Derrico took such good care of me when we got back.
I got hours of sleep.
I am drinking lots of water.
You look beautiful.
And I feel a thousand times better.
Just what the doctor ordered.
Ugh, today has been a day, baby.
-It has been a day. -It has been.
So, I figured I'd bring you here.
Wow!
[Deon] Isn't this nice?
I reserved the entire room just for us.
[Karen] Aw! Speechless.
-Thank you, baby. -Very rare for you to be speechless.
-You're never ever speech... Other than earlier today. -Don't... [indistinct]
We're sneaking away for that dinner I promised Karen.
And Lord knows we need it.
I want the pan-seared salmon, please.
I'll take a water. [chuckles]
-[server] Water? -[Karen] Yes.
So I aksed GG, Simone, and Darian
if they would be willing to watch the younger children
-while we go on this little date. -That's right.
They said yes, of course.
I didn't see us being here right now.
That's how severe it was.
[crying] Yeah.
It was just a lot.
In the moment while I was lying there,
I just had no idea what was going on.
But reading everyone else's faces just got me extremely worried.
It was like I really and truly,
I need to be okay for my children.
My thing is, baby, you think about how today went,
none of this other crap matters.
You know, the stress over the house,
painting, the flooring, you wanting Darian to go to college.
None of that mattered
while you were on that ground today.
-You're definitely right. -[Deon] We just need our family and our health.
You know, when we go back home,
you know, we're going back to the house
that has all these challenges and issues.
-Mmm-hmm, yeah. -[Deon] But it's like, our reality is
no matter what, we can get through it.
I cannot do this without you.
I don't wanna do it without you.
Let's toast to reflection.
Great health, love, family...
And more than anything, Mount Charleston. [laughing]
-[Deon] And Mount Charleston. -Mount Charleston.
-Drink your water. Drink your water. -[laughing]
[upbeat song playing]
♪ Sun ups and downs with you♪
[Eric] How you want that, Deniko?
-Medium-well, please. -All right, a medium-well marshmallow s'more coming up.
Ooh, what is the boys doing out here?
They're eating?
[Deon] So, it's our last day here, and we have braved the cold
-and skiing. -[Karen laughs]
[Deon] And so I think it's time for us to head back on home.
Dawsyn, how you want your marshmallow?
-Extra crispy? -Crispy.
-I want crispy. -Who want crispy marshmallow?
-[all] Me! -[Eric] Okay.
[Darian] Dawsyn, you look so messy.
[thudding]
What was that?
You know, I think that may have been aliens we just heard.
-[kid] Boy, bye. -[kids laughing]
[laughs] You look so cute with those glasses.
What about my hat?
-[laughing] -I have enjoyed my time here
-with the family, with you. -[Simone] Mmm-hmm.
-With just the whole scenery. -I know.
All this is just...
-[Simone] Amazing. -Yeah, it is.
[Simone] So, how you feeling?
[GG] You know, I am ups and downs.
-Of course, I didn't wanna say that to Derrick. -[Simone] Right, right.
Yeah, I get it. Especially with
-what happened with Karen. -Yeah.
Are you still thinking about going to get checked,
getting the MRI just to make sure that everything's clear?
Yeah, because I still feel that I need to know why.
Do you think that you're still gonna have
a conversation with Derrick about the full extent
of how you're really feeling just to keep him in the loop?
-Absolutely. -Okay.
I know I can't continue to keep this from Derrick.
He'll be upset, especially if he knows
that I'm keeping him in the dark,
and I need to figure it out.
But I'm afraid it could be some bad news.
Denver, who taught you that?
I don't know. Why you like it?
[Eric] Yeah, that's a good job right there.
Aw, I'm looking at them having fun.
Uncle Lee came through.
-This was awesome. This was so much fun. -[Deon] It was.
We needed this. This right here grounds us for a moment.
-[Deon] Yeah, I agree. -[Karen] Yeah.
Now I'mma get grounded and go clean some faces over here.
Come on, Dior, let's find Uncle Lee a marshmallow.
[Lee] Well, I'm proud of you, man. I thought you did a great job on the slopes.
And then, now you got this.
-Kind of a tradition for us, you know? -[Deon] Oh, my...
-What is this? -[Lee] Did it for camping, and now we do it for skiing.
-And you made the comment, and... -[Deon] Oh, my God, Lee.
-[Lee] There you go, bud. -Look what Uncle Lee got for me.
Black people can ski, except for you, Poppy.
-[laughing] -Really? Really?
What's next? What are we gonna do next?
The dude ranch.
What the hell is a dude ranch?
Go ride some horses, be some cowboys.
I've never heard of a dude ranch.
And I thought of something else
-when you said, "dude ranch." -Nope.
-[Deon] We need to get back to the mother ship. -[all laughing]
[Denver speaking]
What do we call 'em, Poppy?
-Hangouts. -Yeah, hangouts. Correct.
Your boy said he wanna go out on a hangout.
Lord, give us strength.
[giggles]
[Deon] And how are you feeling?
Well actually, I've got some kind of dizziness or something.
-Oh, my God. -There's the weakness in my legs.
I need to find out what's going on
because this terrifies me.
[upbeat song playing]
-[Karen] I am excited! -[Deon] You are excited
for this good Paul Bunyan meal?
-[Karen laughs] -Whoo!
We can't get in here quick enough.
[Karen] After my major health scare, I went to the doctor
and made sure everything was okay and nothing major.
I got a clean bill of health.
-It's gonna be 18 us. -Okay, yeah.
We have the whole room reserved for you guys, okay?
-Let me grab some menus... -Oh, perfect.
I thought it was a great idea to take Karen out for breakfast,
just to give us a moment to unwind a bit.
You guys are big D.
When you're going out with a family of 18,
you need to have your routine down to a science.
We have already looked at the menu.
-Okay. -We looked at them last night.
-I know it makes the jobs easier. -[server] Okay.
-All right, so we want seven fried chicken sandwiches. -I want this. I want this.
-Okay. -[Karen] We need to already have their food selected.
And although it sounds like it's little stuff,
you'd be amazed at a server standing at your table for 10 minutes
just because you're trying to debate with your child
on what beverage they're gonna drink.
That's ridiculous.
Two scrambled egg, grilled French toast.
And then the bacon, bacon, bacon.
Otherwise, it's just chaotic
and we would starve, like, completely starve.
[all clamoring]
-[Karen] Blueberry... -Blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage.
-Nobody blueberry? -Pay attention. Pay attention.
Blueberry pancakes?
No one can ever remember what they order or they don't pay attention.
-You can just set it right here. -[server] Okay.
[Karen] I really feel for the servers,
especially being a former server myself.
-Fried chicken sandwich. Fried chicken sandwich. -Fried chicken sandwiches.
-Pay attention. -Raise your hands.
-Fried chicken sandwiches. -Fried chicken sandwich, pay attention.
-Pancakes! -Waffles.
I want the waffles.
-You should have waffles! -[both giggling]
Thumbs up if you're good.
Good, good, good.
[Deon] So listen up, Mommy, I thought it was a good idea
if we honor you by everyone basically saying
what's the one thing that you love about Mommy?
Darian?
One thing that I like the most about Mommy is that
if she knows we like something or we're good at something,
she's gonna do anything she can to get us
to where we need to be to be successful.
Yes, she will!
Aw!
She's good at everything.
Aw.
[chants] Long live the queen.
-[Karen] Aw. -Long live the queen.
[all] Long live the queen!
It really makes me feel truly, truly special.
After my recent medical emergency,
going through something like that,
it definitely jolts you, like, it just made me say,
"Karen, you need to focus on yourself.
What is it that Karen wants?"
[Deon] So, how you feel?
I'm so grateful,
but for me, it's a time of reflection.
I'm just looking for, like, "Karen, the woman," you know?
Well, that's a question only you can answer.
I think everyone had that something that gives them a spark.
What is yours?
I love talking to, you know,
other mothers and talking about my journey.
I think a lot of people, when they hear that I have
-four sets of multiples, 14 children all together... -[Deon] Mmm-hmm.
-They're like, it's like... -[Deon] Right.
...roll out the questions, and I like answering them.
[Deon] Let's take it a day at a time, what you decide you wanna do,
but we're gonna continue to move forward.
I appreciate that.
There's more that I want to do.
I just have to figure out the right path in order to
get to where I want to be and go,
and I don't put everybody else first in my life.
It's time for me to do me.
-[laughs] -Oh, my God!
They kissed! [indistinct]
Dior, how do you think you got here?
[Deon laughing]
[upbeat song playing]
♪ Wherever you wanna go♪
-[indistinct chatter] -Bop, bop, bop.
-You don't "bop, bop!" you say, everyone. -[kids laughing]
[Karen] Who you texting? The contractors again
just try to get this stuff together?
I'm trying to negotiate some better prices. It's just so much.
It's just the fact that there's a lot of stuff we gotta get done.
Oh, yeah.
So, he look like he's trying to work with us.
There's just so many things to get done at this house, you know?
Getting in the house, we're up to code, the plumbing.
And I have to get all this work done
before we can all move in.
But after Karen's incident in the mountains the other day,
we both agreed, "Look, let's just take it easy
and let's not stress over this.
Life still goes on, we're gonna be okay."
[kids giggling]
-[Deon] Now, what are y'all up to? -[Karen] Yeah.
-All of y'all at the exact same time. -This don't feel good at all.
-[Deon] Wait, you... Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, hey... -[Karen] A date?
-[all clamoring] -[Karen] Who, what, date?
[kisses]
I don't know about this.
[Deon] He could have 28, he could have 100 girls.
-That's all they are, as a friend. -Yes.
-That's exactly what it is. -[laughs]
-So where do you come in at, Dallas? -[kids laughing]
Oh, and that's where Deniko like also, someone at the step?
-And Denver, and Denver. -Hey!
So it was Denver's idea to take 'em out for a date.
He loves her.
[Karen] So, let's first be clear.
Whatever this y'all are trying to do is not gonna be a date.
-What do we call 'em, Poppy? -[Deon] I agree.
-Hangouts. -[Deon] Yeah, hangouts. Correct.
Your boy said he wanna go out on a hangout.
So, you were like this when you were 12 and 13?
Of course.
My first kiss was on the school grounds.
And in my mind, I had scored big.
[Karen] They're still babies.
-I mean, it's a natural... It's their hormones. -Oh... [indistinct]
Their hormones are on fleek,
-whether we like it or not, it's their hormones. -Ah. Oh!
-So, what's a fun hangout spot that y'all can go to? -[indistinct chatter]
-What about skating? -[Deon] Oh, I like skating.
[all] Yes.
-Roller skating, yeah. I like, yeah. -I like skating.
Y'all in Poppy's neck of the woods now.
Maybe girls should go too, because we made friends too.
-Objection. Objection. -The girls go also
'cause y'all were a part of that dance class together.
All right, is that cool?
-[kid] Yes, yes. -Yes.
When they see Poppy and how smooth I bust my moves?
They're gonna think that y'all can do it too
'cause y'all have my DNA.
-Bam! -[all clamoring]
-[Deon] Bam! -[Karen] Smooth.
Y'all, say hi!
All your friends are here.
Daddy-o!
[Deon] Where is Denver?
-[Deon chuckles] You're nervous. -Yeah.
[grunts] Ah, Denver!
[upbeat song playing]
[Karen] So, I'm gonna grade y'all spelling tests right now.
Okay. I put the babies down for their nap.
Oh, thank you, baby.
-[grunts] -[Karen] So far, they all did pretty good.
-[Deon] And how you feeling? What's going on with you? -[Karen] Oh, baby.
I got a call from a young lady, Kimberly Allers,
who operates a nonprofit, and her organization, IRTH app.
Their focus is on Black women.
You know, we're at a disadvantage
-when it comes to maternal health. -Mmm-hmm.
Mothers, women of color can go on and talk about their
experiences of doctor's appointments and stuff.
She reached out to me and asked if I would speak
at one of her events here.
Oh, that's good.
You know, she thinks it'll be good because
of just me being a mother of 14 children,
you know, to speak about me actually giving birth to 15 babies.
I love what her nonprofit organization stands for.
You know, especially in the Black community,
we have a lot of mothers that don't have the help that they need
when it comes to infant care.
That is extremely important to me.
I personally did not know that there was such a high rate
of Black moms dying after childbirth.
-Honest to God, I didn't know it. -And why is it?
Lack of care. Their needs and concerns are not being met.
The maternal mortality rate among Black women in 2021
was nearly 70 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Compared to 26.64 white mothers.
That's a huge issue.
We wanna know why.
But, you know, I just...
I don't know what my, like, emotions and telling a story, and...
-So, you think you'll get emotional telling your story? -[Karen] Yeah.
I guess because I'm looking at the fact that
they're looking at me for support.
How can the support be breaking down
if I'm talking about miscarriages?
You know, things like that.
Because I'm still struggling with my own grief in areas and stuff,
this just makes it a little bit more hard for me to have this conversation.
I don't mind crying or anything in front of others.
It's just that I don't want to get lost, and now I'm supposed to be helping them.
So I just want to make sure that my emotions don't take the best of me
and take over, and then kind of like my message is lost.
It's an... It's an opportunity for you to be to others what we didn't have.
We didn't have no one that could school us on what it's like
having multiple multiples.
So for those reasons, I think you should consider doing the event for her.
It will help them in so many different ways.
Okay.
When you're going through a journey,
especially, a journey of motherhood, you've got to have support.
And I want to be there for others.
Maybe this is just something I need to do to bring me out of my comfort zone.
-I appreciate it a lot. -Yeah.
[speaking in English]
-If you know what I mean. -Yeah.
-I've never done this before. -[Denver] Same.
-So, how you feel? -Good. Nervous, but good.
I don't wanna be too confident.
But I don't wanna be too cocky, you know.
It's all about... in the mind. You know what I'm saying?
[speaking in English]
Hopefully, I'll get a kiss on the cheek. Right there.
Did you guys hear that?
He said "hopefully."
I'm getting a kiss.
In your dreams.
Is that a face you wanna just give a kiss on the cheek? No.
Hold up.
No. Bro, you look cheesy.
[clicks tongue]
There we go.
Let's go get us some girls.
Let's go!
Okay. The first thing you're gonna do, give it a part.
You know, the better you part
the better the hairstyle looks.
I agreed to do the women's event, which is in a few days,
and the girls are going to join me.
So GG decided to come over and teach them a few things about hair techniques.
Each time I go in, I'm gonna grab here.
I'm a licensed cosmetologist, and I did hair for 38 years.
So you have to be careful getting that too tight
because that puts tension on the hair...
-Mmm-hmm. -...makes it irritating to the scalp.
I got my license at 28, and I love working with Black hair,
but it's a challenge.
So, it's all about trying to teach the girls
how to do a few things to their head so they can help their mom.
-Y'all looking, girls? -Yes.
GG imparting this knowledge to my babies is really special
because for me to correctly detangle,
shampoo, condition, blow dry and style.
I do one child per day.
And I kind of pull it so that it'll be tight.
Y'all see that? You don't want a loose loose braid,
-but you also don't want it-- -[GG] Tight tight. Yeah.
[Karen] 'Cause you don't want breakage.
GG will slay any hairstyle she's been doing hair for a long time,
so she kind of knows it.
She be, like, doing the best hairstyles.
Yeah, it takes hours, but it's worth it 'cause a lot of girls say they like it.
The same way you do the... your French braid.
You're adding the hair from here.
I used to love to fool with hair. Just make it pretty.
I did some sharp styles.
Just saying.
My cuts were so sharp and so different
that, "Who did your hair? Who cut your hair?"
They say I cut it.
Here they come.
You're gonna take it and comb it.
They bring you out of retirement, Ma?
[GG] Yeah, I guess.
[Deon] You're doing an inner braid.
Y'all don't even know y'all are getting your hair done by a professional.
Is this going up they mama?
Yes, Lord, it will.
I haven't seen my mother since our ski trip, and she and I have an agreement,
that she will keep me informed on her health situation.
And so this is my way of making sure I keep her on point.
So what's up, Mother?
Not a lot. What's going on with you?
I have not talked to you. I'm so busy between that house, Ma.
Anyway, I'm glad we had that vacation. We needed it.
-[GG] Oh, yeah. -I think we all needed it.
How are you feeling?
Well, actually, I've got some kind of dizziness
or something going on in my head and lightheadedness.
So you don't think it's attributed to the... to the altitude?
-No. -[Deon] Why not?
Because it was happening before I went up there.
-Oh, my God. -There's the weakness in my legs and my balance.
All that's been off.
I have a friend and he had similar things going on.
He got an MRI done.
Found out there was a tumor on the brain, which was malignant.
I can't help to think, "It happened to him.
What's to stop it from happening to me?"
So why you hadn't told me this?
Derrick, you got a house full of family here. Why would I tell you that?
Mom, I asked you. I said, "You promise me You'll let me know ASAP."
You said yes.
Count this as ASAP.
[Deon] I am not happy right now at all.
We had an agreement.
If anything happens with her health, she would tell me immediately.
These dizzy spells... This sounds like it's been happening for a while.
I have contacted the doctor for the MRI
and hopefully that will explain more.
This terrifies me.
I mean, like did the cancer come back and spread to my mother's brain?
I need to find out what's going on.
Maybe it's just old age, which, if it is, we're gonna have a little party.
-But, um... -I hope so, Ma.
That's why I called a doctor.
-Yeah. -Mmm-hmm.
[Karen] Thank you for being right here by side.
Girl, you got this.
-This is... -You got this, Mommy.
This new event that I'm a part of is like a business venture.
I'm excited to learn more.
I'm excited to be a part of it. It's a new adventure.
-[Kimberly] How are you feeling? -Nervous.
-[Kimberly laughs] -Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
[Kimberly] We are so excited to have you. This is gonna be incredible.
[Deonee] I'm so proud of Mama today
for speaking her heart and sharing her journey.
[Daician] I'm really excited to see Mommy talk,
and I'm gonna eat lots, lots, lots, lots of food.
Okay. Good afternoon, everyone. Hello, Las Vegas.
-[all] Hi! -Whoo!
My name is Kimberly Seals Allers.
I'm the founder of the Irth app.
Irth is the first of its kind nonprofit platform for Black and Brown moms
to leave reviews of their OBGYNs,
birthing hospitals and pediatricians.
So today we are here, to hear from the mom of 14, that we all know and love,
Karen Derrico.
[all cheering]
[Karen] Thank you. Hello, everybody.
Many people, they know my glory.
A lot of them do not know the story.
I have never done a speaking engagement. I am really nervous.
My concern is telling my story
in a room filled with eager moms, moms filled with anxiety,
moms filled with fear of the unknown.
We as Black mothers, we need a safe space,
and we need to be able to talk about our journeys.
Because I'm still figuring it out myself, and I know we all are.
However, it's not easy and for me,
you know, talking about my miscarriages,
you know, it's seven of them and you know,
and, you know, they all were my babies.
So, I grew up religious.
Everyone told me to just pray about it. God has his reasons.
I tried again. And guess what? The same thing happened again.
Oh, wow.
[inhales, then exhales sharply]
"Why did my baby pass away?"
or, "Why isn't my body capable
of doing something that's supposed to be 'natural'?"
There's so many women that feel ashamed about it
because they're busy blaming themselves. I know I did.
And it's... it's hard.
I remember being 28 weeks pregnant with triplets and going into premature labor.
And I remember them...
Um...
I remember them pulling my babies and looking at the NICU nurse
and the doctor and my baby had passed.
I saw him say, "We don't have a tone. We don't have a pulse."
They give you two birth certificates and a death certificate.
That is traumatic.
How do you you have triplets when you plan for triplets and you come home with twins?
I don't know how to handle this.
I didn't have time to grieve Carter, right then and there,
because I was busy getting into the NICU and
looking at my babies and feeling on them
so that I could have my milk come down
because I knew they need this breast milk. They are 28 weekers.
I've lost one. I don't want to lose another one.
But nobody prepares you for a death, period.
Nobody prepares you for that. Not anyone.
So just... it's just hard.
I just want us to maybe just hold space.
Can we say Carter's name and hold space for him?
-And I know you miss him. -Thank you.
I appreciate Kimberly giving that moment of silence for Carter
and just acknowledging he was a baby. He was a human.
You know, you never get over an infant loss.
Carter will always be missed. We got you, sis.
-We got you. -Thank you.
I think that sharing my story was so therapeutic.
Me talking about it is helping me still get through it.
We have learned a lot today. We are so grateful.
Let's give her a round of applause.
-[woman 1] Thank you. -[all applauding]
[Karen] Anyone going through anything traumatic,
you don't want to feel like you're alone.
And I hope that at least one woman out there
gets a much valued takeaway from my journey.
It actually meant a lot to hear.
-you did struggle with the loss... -Mmm-hmm.
...and the fact that people often said, like, "Oh, just pray about it,"
and every time that you mentioned that I was like,
"Oh, wow, that's so dismissive."
-Very. Very. I didn't know it then. -So... Yeah.
Then no one tells you how to grieve...
-No one ever-- -...and no one tells you that it...
that you can grieve forever. It doesn't end.
You were powerful.
-Thank you. -You were powerful.
But you were... It was just amazing.
And look how many women were responding to you.
-Yeah. -We could do so much more.
-We've got to take this' on the road. -Okay. Okay!
I am so glad that I did this.
It's like, "Thank you, Jesus. You gave me this... this story to tell."
Dude, come on, let's get a group picture.
And, hey, who knows what the future holds,
but I know I have a lot more to tell and I'm ready for it.
One, two, three.
"Birth with Irth."
[all cheering]
[Eric] Let's go, fellas.
So, I know our children are very excited to have their first opportunity
to hang out with their friends from step.
And of course, Mommy and I are excited.
-Y'all ready to have some fun? -[kids] Yes!
-All right, let's hit it. -Let's go.
[Deon] The fact that they go to home school,
they don't get the chance to socialize with other children as much.
So for us, this is like that opportunity for them
to be able to get that socialization and also have fun.
[Karen] Y'all say hi. All your friends are here!
Come on, let's go get some skates.
[kids cheer]
[indistinct]
I'm gonna take you first.
Karen and I are gonna take the little ones out to skate
and let the boys do their thing.
[Karen] That way, it doesn't seem like we're all in their business.
-But we really are. -While we're in their business?
-Yes. -Okay. Got it.
-[Karen] Whoo! [chuckles] -[Deon] Detective Gadget.
[Karen] I can do it, too.
You gotta bounce.
[Karen] This really brings back when we first met.
Just know, roller skating has always been my thing.
I mean, that's where Poppy learned all his moves when I was their age.
When I show them these OG moves...
Oh, "Go, Derrico. Go, Derrico."
Daddy, yeah!
[indistinct]
What's your name?
-[girl 1] Amani. -Amaai...
-Amani? -[Amani] Yeah.
[Deniko] My name's Deniko.
-[Karen] Look at Deniko. -[Deon] Look at Deniko!
I see you. I see you.
This is your first time skating?
-No. -Oh.
-When's your birthday? -[girl speaking]
Mine's September the sixth, 2013.
[Deniko speaking]
Yes. I get a lot of butterflies when I talk to a girl.
Oh, look at Dallas!
[girl 2] Get this way. Yeah, like that.
[Deniko speaking]
I'm not leaving without the digits.
I need seven digits in my hand.
[Deon speaking]
-Derrick. -[Karen] Derrick.
[Deon] Where is Denver?
I could have cut that lane.
[Deon] Oh, look at Denver.
[Denver speaking]
I can't believe that our boys are holding hands
and getting acquainted with these little girls.
For poor Denver, I mean, I feel so bad for Denver.
He's so nervous. He's making me nervous.
-Hey, Denver. -Yes?
So what's going on?
You haven't even said much to your friends.
-[Denver] I don't know. -[Deon] But you gotta... Denver.
This is the... this is the moment you waited for.
Where is she? What does she have on?
[Denver] She's had on like a purple hoodie.
-I don't know where she's-- -A purple hoodie?
-Oh, right there. Light purple with the braids? -Yeah, that's her.
Well, go on and say, "Hey, you want to skate?"
-I'm... Yeah. -[Deon] You nervous?
It's okay. Listen, it's okay being nervous,
but I do want you to try to push yourself beyond being nervous.
Because once you do, you're gonna enjoy it.
You're gonna enjoy talking to her,
you'll enjoy if y'all hold hands skating...
So don't... You don't wanna mess up this opportunity.
It ain't your girlfriend or nothing. It's just a friend.
Do you want me to help you?
[speaking in English]
[Deon] A'ight, my guy. I'm out here.
[Denver] Poppy just gave me, like, some good advice how to talk to girls,
but now I gotta work up the courage.
Oh, gosh!
I'm nervous, like, I don't know what she's gonna do, but I sense I'm gonna do it
because I know it's either gonna be now or never.
[Denver speaking]
[exclaiming]
[Denver speaking]
[cribbing]
[speaking in English]
The hardest thing about approaching a girl is...
-If you like a girl-- -[Denver speaking]
Yes.
[Denver speaking]
You got this.
Let's see how this right here go.
[Halo] Come on. Come on.
[Denver speaking]
-Halo, do you wanna skate together? -[Halo] Sure.
-Hey, hey. -[chuckles] Okay.
-So do you like it here? -Um...
-Yeah, I like skating, so... -Yeah, me too.
Oh, look at Denver.
Which one is that?
Uh, that's De'Aren.
-[Halo] Oh. [chuckles] -She's four.
I won today, finally. Like finally, I finally, finally got her.
I worked at the courage to talk to my girl Halo. It was amazing.
-I can do a lot of back handspring. -[Denver speaking]
-What's that? -[Denver] Like,
-you just... -Where you go, like, you twist and then...
-[Denver] Yeah. -[Halo] Oh. I know what you're talking about.
Mission accomplished.
And it was really... it was a nice feeling when it... when it happened.
So it was... it was nice.
This is too much, I promise you, this is.
I am so proud that Denver overcame his fear and nervousness,
and he finally approached Halo.
I'm glad that he was able to get himself to that point.
We are entering a new phase with our boys
and their interest in girls, and so we have to adjust.
[indistinct]
[boys exclaiming]
You know, as a parent, it is such a bittersweet moment
to go from your little boys playing with action figures to now, girls.
It's just a bittersweet moment because they're still my babies,
and it's just a reminder as to how much has changed
and how much is changing.
What a blessing to be able to bring our babies here at the meet up after school.
[Karen] Who's gonna sleep good tonight?
-You or the children? -I know, I am.
-Or me? -I know I am.
-I think all of us. -All of us gonna sleep good tonight.
Three, two, one.
You know, it was a very, very good hangout.
It was. It was... It was nice.
-We got numbers. -Yeah.
We did... [vocalizing]
We're gonna do a few poses, okay.
[boys exclaiming]
Watch and learn.
Yeah, let's go.
[all] Go, Dallas. Go. Go. Oh!
[narrator] Next time on Doubling Down with the Derricos.
-Sorry for the noise. -Oh, no worries.
I wanted to say, welcome to the neighborhood.
-Are all these kids yours? -Yes.
-It's a total of 14. -Oh, my.
Moving into a new neighborhood with 14 children,
I know eyes are gonna roll, so I thought, maybe it's best if we have this barbecue.
Meet our neighbors.
We cook for 14. Yup. One, four.
-[speaking in English] -[chuckles]
Just a little tired, maybe.
[Karen] Let me carry you on my back. I'm ready.
Then we both will be broke out.
The dizzy spills keep coming back,
and it's starting to really become worse.
-I wanna go with you to get the results, Ma. -Why?
If the news is bad, I need to be able to process it
before I have to worry about other people's emotional reactions.
That is not gonna help me.
I got my decision letter from NYU.
What it say?
And I have to open it up and see.
When I think about it, I'm like, "Uh, I don't know what to do."
Like, what if I get in? What if I don't get in?
Drum roll, please.
-Okay. -Open it.
[Darian] I'm having technical difficulties.
The suspense.