Twins have always been a rare occurrence but the possibility of having twins has increased considerably in the past couple of decades. These days, twins are born approximately 33 out of every 1000 births.
There is even less of a possibility that twins will result in identical twins. This is only about three or four out of every 1000 births, so it is not something that happens very often.
A mother by the name of Savannah Combs, who was 23 years old at the time was absolutely thrilled to learn that she was having twins. When the doctors told her that they had Down syndrome, however, she and her husband, Justin, found it upsetting.
They knew that the illness would cause problems, especially when it came to people judging them and the children. They gave it some thought, however, and they really have a positive attitude about the children and what they offer to the family.
She calls them her little gems and says it is very rare what they have but they are a thing of beauty. The Middleburg, Florida mother also posts videos regularly, sharing her experience and her journey with the world.
In one of the videos, Savannah said that doctors advised her to abort the children because the odds of surviving were very low. She and her husband decided to keep them and they felt that every prenatal appointment was a blessing.
When they found out that the babies had Down syndrome, her spouse was at boot camp. The mother was then admitted to the hospital at 29 weeks into the pregnancy and the twins were born.
They were able to go home but they had to spend a few weeks in the NICU because they were born so early. She 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.”
She said that the odds of having identical twins with Down syndrome is about one in 2 million.
Although they have Down syndrome, they are like any other children and are growing up in a loving household. They have feelings, they know how to talk, they know how to do the things you do and, even though they may be a step behind, they are ‘feisty and happy’.
Savannah continues to post updates on TikTok as they reach milestones. She wants the children and everyone else to know that they are just like us and they will do what they can when they put their minds to it.
Despite the fact that she is positive in her outlook, there are others who tend to be critical. That was to be expected, but she does what she can to continue to stay positive and to share that with others.
You can see more about their story in this video: