Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes welcome twin daughters Karma Star Szatkowski and Saba Zen after scary premature birth

Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes are celebrating a very emotional moment in their lives. The WWE Hall of Famer and his wife have welcomed twin daughters after a scary pregnancy and several weeks in the hospital.

The couple shared that their daughters, Karma Star Szatkowski and Saba Zen Szatkowski, were born on December 26 through a C-section. Both babies arrived about two and a half months earlier than expected and needed special care in the neonatal intensive care unit, also called the NICU. Karma weighed 3 pounds 14 ounces and measured 17.3 inches at birth. Her sister Saba weighed 4 pounds 8.6 ounces and measured 18 inches.

Katie Forbes later explained that the final weeks of her pregnancy became very difficult when she developed serious health problems. Doctors had to closely watch both her and the babies before deciding it was time for the twins to be delivered. The story was first shared in an interview with PEOPLE.

Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes reveal emotional story behind birth of Karma Star Szatkowski and Saba Zen Szatkowski

Katie Forbes told PEOPLE that the situation became serious in early December when she began feeling sick. What first felt like flu symptoms quickly turned into a medical emergency.

“I ended up being admitted to labor and delivery with preeclampsia,” Forbes said. “My blood pressure was dangerously high, and one of the twins was showing signs of stress. What I thought would be a quick visit turned into a four-week hospital stay while they closely monitored me and the girls, trying to keep them in as long as possible since they were still two and a half months early.”Doctors kept Forbes in the hospital for weeks while they tried to give the babies more time to grow.

When the delivery finally happened on December 26, it became a moment the couple will never forget.“Karma came out first and the room yelled ‘Happy Birthday!’ I started crying happy tears,” Forbes said. “Then, Saba arrived just three minutes later. It was the most special moment of my life.”But the journey did not become easy right away. Saba Zen Szatkowski faced more health concerns after birth. Doctors worried she might be having seizures, so she was taken by ambulance to another NICU for more tests.“Saba had a harder time as they were worried about seizures,” Forbes said. “She was immediately taken by ambulance to another NICU. Thankfully, all her tests came back clear, and four days later, she was transferred back so I could finally meet her, and so she could be back with her sister. That reunion happened on my birthday, December 31, which made it even more special.”Karma spent five weeks in the NICU, while Saba stayed there for seven weeks.

During that time, Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes visited their daughters every single day, holding and feeding them whenever they were allowed.The couple told PEOPLE that leaving the hospital each day was very hard, but they trusted the doctors and nurses caring for their babies.Now the difficult weeks are finally behind them.Both twins are home and doing well. “After a long journey in the NICU, our sweet Saba is finally home after seven weeks, reunited with her twin sister Karma, who spent five weeks there herself,” the couple shared. “Both babies are healthy, thriving, and so deeply loved. Our family is finally back together, and we are absolutely over the moon and soaking in every precious moment.” Rob Van Dam was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021, while Katie Forbes has worked as a professional wrestler on the independent circuit.