Mom of Rare Twins with Down Syndrome Silences Critics with Powerful Photo

Between 1980 and 2018, the chances of having twins rose by 72 percent, but it’s still uncommon. About 33 out of every 1,000 births result in twins.

What about identical twins? Around 3 or 4 births out of every 1,000 are identical twins, making this even rarer.

When 23-year-old Savannah Combs found out she was expecting twins, she was thrilled. Then she learned something even more unique: both babies had Down syndrome.

The news was, of course, emotional. Savannah and her husband, Justin Ackerman, knew some people might judge them and their babies because of the condition.

But to Savannah, this makes her twins even more special.

“It’s very rare what they have, but they’ve been my little gems,” she shared with News4JAX.

Savannah, from Middleburg, Florida, shared her journey after giving birth to her daughters, Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman, on TikTok. Her story quickly gained a following.

In one video, Savannah shared that some people advised her to end the pregnancy because her babies might not survive.

But she chose to keep them and give them a chance to fight.

“Every [prenatal] appointment they were alive was a blessing to me,” Savannah said.

When she found out that both babies 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. The identical twin girls, Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman, were born on May 12, 2021.

Since the twins arrived two months early, they had to spend several weeks in the NICU before they could come home.

“They’re called mono-di twins, which means they each had their own sacs but shared the same placenta, making them identical,” she explained.

“Mo-di twins are already very rare. And then when you add Down syndrome on top of that, it’s about one in 2 million.”

Despite their rare condition, Savannah said her daughters are just like any other children.

“They have feelings. They have a beating heart. They can talk and do things like you do. They will get there,” she said.

“As I mentioned, they may be a step behind, but they will do it. I’ve learned that these kids are feisty and very happy.”

As each child reaches their milestones, Savannah shares their cute updates on TikTok.

“I’m going to let them know that they’re just like us and they will get there as long as they set their minds to it.”

However, some people feel the need to criticize Savannah and her family. Because of this, the young mom has had to respond to some very insensitive comments on social media.

In response to a post about her daughters’ first months of life, one person wrote, “I wouldn’t want those babies; if mine came out like that, they would be straight up for adoption.”

But Savannah had the perfect reply, 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 no matter what.”

Beautiful girls! Anyone who says otherwise is just plain mean. These little ones are some of the most precious and loving people out there! Please share this heartwarming story on Facebook.