Having twins is a rare event but sometimes, there are things that make it even more unusual. This includes what happened to Savanah Combs, a 23-year-old mother who was expecting twins, but she wasn’t expecting the outcome.
Twin pregnancies have increased in likelihood over the past few decades, and they occur about 33 times out of every 1000 births. Identical twins are about 10 times more rare. For Savanah, however, she had identical twins with Down syndrome, and the odds were off the charts.
When Savanah and Justin, her husband, first heard that they were having twins, they were thrilled with the news. After they learned that the children had Down syndrome, however, it did cast a shadow over the pregnancy.
They still wanted to have the babies, and there was never a doubt about that, but because of the illness and the condition of the children, there would be people who would judge them. In the end, however, Savanah feels that the rarity makes them even more beautiful.
She said: “It’s very rare what they have, but they’ve been my little gems.”
Savanah, who is from Florida, went on TikTok to share videos of her postpartum journey. It wasn’t long before the videos were viral sensations.
In one of the videos, she spoke about how she made the choice to keep the babies after she was advised to have an abortion. She was told, at the time, that the babies would not survive. That is why every appointment after they were born was a blessing to her.
When Savanah found out that her children both had Down syndrome, her husband was away at boot camp. She was 29 weeks along when she gave birth to Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman. They were born on May 12, 2021.
Before the girls were able to come home they had to spend a few weeks in the NICU because of being born prematurely.
The mother said: “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.
“Mo di twins as it is, it’s like very rare. And then you throw Down syndrome on top of it, it’s like one in 2 million.”
Savanah went on to describe the little girls, saying: “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.”
Although there are some people who are critical of her choice, the young mother has stood her ground. At times, she has had to defend herself against cruel comments on social media.
In the end, however, she has a beautiful family and she is proud of them.