Despite a 72% increase between 1980 and 2018, twin pregnancies are still quite rare. About 33 out of 1,000 births result in twins. What are the chances of having identical twins? On average, three to four out of every 1,000 births are identical twins. Not very often here either. Savannah Combs, 23, was thrilled when she found out she was expecting twins. Then she discovers that they both have Down syndrome, which is also unusual. Of course, the information was worrying. Savannah and her husband Justin Ackerman were aware that some people would judge them because of their illness and the condition of their children. But Savannah finds exactly what makes her so beautiful. “What they have is very rare, but they are my little gems,” she said. Savannah, originally from Middleburg, Florida, posted videos of her postpartum journey with her children Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman on TikTok, and the videos immediately gained popularity. In one of her videos, Savannah said she was advised to abort her children because they wouldn’t survive. She decided to keep them and give them a chance.
“Every [prenatal] appointment during her lifetime was a blessing to me,” Savannah said. Her husband was at training camp when she found out they both had Down syndrome. When Savannah was 29 weeks pregnant, she was hospitalized and gave birth to twins. Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman, identical twins, were born on May 12, 2021.
The twins had to spend a few weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit before they could go home because they were born two months premature. “They are called mono-di twins, meaning they had their own amniotic sacs but shared the same placenta, meaning they would be identical,” she explained. “Mo-di twins are already very rare. And what’s more, Down syndrome affects one in two million people. According to Savannah, despite an unusual illness, they are just like any other child. “You have feelings. Your heart beats. They know how to speak. They know how to do the things they do. They will get there,” she said. “Like I said, it might be a step too late, but they will do it. I learned that these children are lively and happy little things.
Savannah posts wonderful updates on TikTok as each child continues to achieve their goals. “I’m going to let them know that they’re just like us and that they can do it as long as they put their minds to it.” Still, some people feel compelled to criticize Savannah and her family. The young mother had to respond to certain people due to very cruel comments on social networks. “I wouldn’t want these babies; If mine came out like this they would be put up for adoption immediately,” one person wrote to the mother. However, Savannah had the perfect answer, which she posted on Facebook. “I said, fortunately they were not born of you, but of me. God knew what He was doing when He gave these babies to good parents who would love them regardless.
