Doubling Down: Awesome Dawysn Derrico Needs a Helmet Before Heart Surgery

Isn’t everyone a fan of the brave baby Dawsyn? Doubling Down With the Derricos has been taking fans down an emotional route with newborn triplet Dawysn’s story. As Karen and Deon try their best to stay strong while Awesome Dawsyn battles with heart surgeries, they have a new problem to worry about. The Doubling Down With the Derricos family’s youngest member will now be required to wear a helmet.

Karen, 40, and Deon, 49, head the famous Las Vegas family with 14 children on TLC’s Doubling Down With the Derricos. The couple, who started off with 11 kids – two singles, twins, quintuplets, and twins – on the first episode of the reality show, recently welcomed triplets. Having lost a baby from their earlier set of triplets, Karen and Deon were worried about the new arrivals. Their worst fear came true when Karen went into premature labor induced by an earthquake and delivered Dawysn, De’Aren, and Dyver at just 28 weeks. Dawsyn was born with a birth condition known as ventricular septal defect or VSD, which means there is a hole in her heart. While the other little Derricos looked forward to seeing their sister, Dawysyn stayed at the hospital for over seven months to gain weight and undergo an operation. The newest episode of Doubling Down With the Derricos has “heart baby” Awesome Dawsyn going through another major procedure, but there’s also the scare of “positional plagiocephaly,” or flat head, that Karen and Deon have to tackle.

A clip by TLC shows Deon and Karen preparing themselves mentally for Dawsyn’s open-heart surgery, as she’ll be staying at the hospital for another two weeks. But the Derricos reveal that, because of the triplet baby being born in the NICU and lying on her back for so long, she developed a flat head. The parents take Dawsyn to certified orthotist Dr. Brittany Stryker for a helmet fitting. “So now we have to put the helmet on a certain way, take it off a certain way. We have to have it adjusted every so often,” says the real estate investor Deon.

Agreeing that Dawsyn has been totally different in all aspects from the other 13 Derrico kids, Deon shares that following up with the helmet has been difficult. Dr. Stryker explains that “Babies who have heart surgery lay on their back for long periods of time in the hospital when recovering.” She adds that due to this, conditions can worsen, “especially with such a fluid head at this point.” The baby’s helmet has her customized hashtag #AwesomeDawysn on it, which comes with “lots of love and lots of hearts.”

Doubling Down With the Derricos fans have been seeing cracks develop in Karen and Deon’s relationship over Dawsyn’s surgery. Deon first declares he doesn’t want to be present at the hospital, as he fears attachment, especially after losing baby Carter. But with his mother Gigi to guide them, the Derrico parents finally do what’s best for Dawsyn – that is, be there for her during her difficult time. TLC fans have been praying for Dawysn’s good health, and if Karen’s Instagram hints at anything, it’s at baby Dawysn being fit, fine, and back home safe after her surgery.

Doubling Down With the Derricos airs Tuesdays 10pm ET on TLC.

Source: TLC/Facebook, Karen Derrico

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Saylee Padwal
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Saylee Padwal is a Features and News Writer for Screen Rant where she covers Reality TV. Enjoys spending her spare time binging her favorite horror films, crime docs, and exploring local coffee shops.

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