The likelihood of giving birth to twins has increased by 72 percent between 1980 and 2018, yet it remains relatively uncommon, with approximately 33 out of every 1,000 births being twins. Identical twins are even rarer, occurring in roughly three to four out of every 1,000 births.
When 23-year-old Savannah Combs discovered she was pregnant with twins, she was overjoyed. However, she soon learned something even more unusual: both babies had Down syndrome.
This news was emotional for Savannah and her husband, Justin Ackerman, as they anticipated that some people might judge their children because of their condition. To Savannah, however, this made them incredibly special.
“It’s very rare what they have, but they’ve been my little gems,” she told News4JAX.
Savannah, from Middleburg, Florida, shared her journey with her daughters, Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman, on TikTok, where they quickly gained a following.
In one video, Savannah mentioned that she was advised to terminate her pregnancy because the babies might not survive. She chose to keep them and give them a chance.
“Every [prenatal] appointment they were alive was a blessing to me,” she explained.
When she learned they both had Down syndrome, her husband was at boot camp. Savannah was 29 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to the hospital and delivered her daughters. The identical twin girls were born on May 12, 2021, two months before their due date, and spent several weeks in the NICU before coming home.