Between 1980 and 2018, the chances of having twins increased by 72 percent, though it’s still rare. About 33 out of every 1,000 births are twins, and the chance of identical twins is even rarer, occurring in about 3 to 4 out of every 1,000 births.
When 23-year-old Savannah Combs found out she was pregnant with twins, she was excited. However, she later learned that both her babies had Down syndrome, which was a rare and emotional surprise. Savannah and her husband, Justin Ackerman, knew people might judge them and their children because of their condition, but they saw it as what made their babies special.
“It’s very rare what they have, but they’ve been my little gems,” Savannah shared with News4JAX.
Savannah, from Middleburg, Florida, shared her pregnancy journey with her twin daughters, Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman, on TikTok, gaining a following. In one video, Savannah mentioned that some doctors had recommended she abort the babies, but she chose to give them a chance to live.
“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 gave birth to her daughters on May 12, 2021.
The twins were born prematurely, two months early, and had to spend weeks in the NICU. Savannah explained that they were mono di twins, meaning they had separate sacs but shared the same placenta, making them identical. She called their condition rare, estimating that it’s one in two million.
Despite their challenges, Savannah said they are just like any other child. “They have feelings. They have a beating heart. They know how to talk,” she said. As her daughters reach milestones, Savannah shares their progress on TikTok, encouraging them to keep going.
Though they’ve faced criticism, Savannah firmly believes her children were meant to be hers. When someone wrote that they wouldn’t want babies with Down syndrome, Savannah replied on Facebook, saying, “Good thing they weren’t born to you and were born to me.”