While the chances of giving birth to twins increased 72 percent between 1980 and 2018, it’s still pretty rare. About 33 out of every 1,000 births are twins.
And what are the chances of identical twins? Approximately every three or four births out of every 1,000 are identical twins. So again, relatively rare.
When 23-year-old Savannah Combs found out she was pregnant with twins, she was thrilled. And then she learned another rarity, they both had Down syndrome.
Of course, it was emotional news. Savannah and her husband, Justin Ackerman, knew that some people would judge her and her babies because of their condition.
But to Savannah, that’s what makes them incredibly precious.
“It’s very rare what they have, but they’ve been my little gems,” she told News4JAX.
Savannah, who is from Middleburg, Florida, shared her post-pregnancy journey with her daughters Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman, on TikTok where they quickly gained a following.
In one of her videos, Savannah said she was told to abort her babies because they would not make it.
She decided to keep them and give them a fighting chance.
”Every [prenatal] appointment they were alive was a blessing to me,” Savannah explained.
When she learned they both had Down syndrome, her husband was away at boot camp.
Savannah was 29 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to the hospital, and delivered her daughters. The identical twin girls, Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman, were born on May 12, 2021.
The twins arrived two months before their due date, so they had to spend several weeks in the NICU before they came home.
“They’re called mono di twins, meaning that they had their own sacs, but they shared the same placenta, meaning that they were going to be identical,” she said.
Despite their rare condition, Savannah said they are just like any other child.
“They have feelings. They have a beating heart. They know how to talk. They know how to do things you do. They will get there,” she said.
“Like I said, it may be a step behind but they’re going to do it. I’ve learned these kids are feisty little things and happy little things.”
As each child continues to meet their milestones, Savannah shares their adorable updates on TikTok.
“I’m going to let them know that they’re just like us and they’re going to get there as long as they put their minds to it.”
Still, some people feel the need to criticize Savannah and her family. As a result, the young mom has had to answer some real insensitive users on social media.
”I wouldn’t want those babies; if mine came out like that, they would be straight up for adoption,” one person wrote to the mother.
But Savannah had the perfect answer, which she shared on Facebook.
“I said, good thing they weren’t born to you and were born to me. God knew what he was doing by giving these babies to the right parents who would love them regardless.”
