After dangerous births, TLR parents are grateful for the little things

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Regina Agoha
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark., --  Having children for the first time can be one of the most exciting moments in a couple's life.

Giving birth to twins overseas at 24 weeks, (five and a half months), was not the excitement Travis and Katie Alton were looking for.

In order for adequate care to be provided to their newborns, the Alton family, with the help of the Exceptional Family Member Program, left Yokota Air Base, Japan, loaded a C-130 and journeyed back to the states, incubators and all.

"I was 24 weeks pregnant," said Katie. "When we came home from grocery shopping that day, I kept having really bad stomach pain. It got to the point where I couldn't walk."

Airman 1st Class Travis Alton, a 19th Logistic Readiness Squadron aerial rigging journeyman, had to go to work that day, so Katie went to the doctor alone just to get a checkup. To her surprise, the nurse gave her instructions to call her husband because she was fully dilated and ready to deliver.

"I had no complications (to this point) at all during my pregnancy," said Katie. "I ended up having to be taken by ambulance to an off-base hospital 45 minutes away because the base that we were at didn't have a NICU, (neonatal intensive care unit), or a nursery, and they don't do anything before 36 weeks."

During the ride, Katie said, "I was scared; I had the full contractions, and it was every two minutes. I remained calm. I wasn't freaking out or anything because I knew if I did or started getting stressed that it wouldn't be good for the babies."

Once the Altons got there, the babies were born premature but with no other complications. Jenson came first weighing 1.4 lbs. One minute later came his sister Ally, weighing 1.5 lbs. The Alton twins were put on ventilators for the three months they spent there in a Japanese NICU, February 19 through May 8.

Though still small, (Jenson, 2 1/2 lbs. and Ally 2 lbs.), the twins were allowed to leave the hospital in order to receive better care from the states.

"Yokota didn't have long-term care; they didn't have the resources that we do here (in the states)," said Travis. "So it was decided that we needed to go to a stateside base where all that stuff is available. They gave me a few bases to choose from. We picked Little Rock because it's close to home and the Children's Hospital in Little Rock is really good. Also, the base is really nice, so it was kind of a win, win, win for us."

The Altons had one day to pack and prepare to leave Yokota and head to Okinawa. Though very stressed, a little ease came with the help of EFMP.

"EFMP basically set us up," said Travis. "They made arrangements with Children's Hospital here in Arkansas as well as arrangements with the base."

The Altons flew on a C-130 from Yokota to Okinawa. They got there May 9 and stayed for two days. While there, the twins passed their eye exams and developed well enough to be taken off the ventilators and oxygen.

"After leaving Okinawa, we were flown on a KC-135 Tanker to Hickam [Air Force Base], Hawaii," said Travis. "An EFPM representative was able to coordinate getting the twins a room at a civilian hospital, Kapiolani, off base in Hawaii because the NICUs on base were full. We stayed there overnight and headed to Little Rock."

Throughout the entire flight the tiny twins flew in the comfort of their incubators and new parents, Travis and Katie, were both able to give their twins bottles and change their diapers.

"We didn't have any problems at all with the babies on the flight," Katie and Travis said.

"It was smooth. EFMP was great the whole way through. I don't know where we'd be without them or how we would have gotten everything done. Each place we went, there was an EFMP representative there to help us in any way they could."

Once the Alton family reached Little Rock May 11, the babies were immediately taken to Children's Hospital and did great. They came home June 16, on Father's Day.

"Having the babies come home on Father's Day was awesome," said Travis. "It was a great Father's Day gift! It was surreal. We spent four months visiting them in the hospital, but it felt like an eternity. We were worried all the time. Each day was a process. To actually have them home and to have all that stress in the past... I can't really find words for that," he added while smiling.

Travis paused for a moment, and then called his son and daughter little miracles.

"Looking back," he said, "I can't believe it. The doctors gave us the odds, and survival rate, which was 15 percent. Having twins made it even less," he said.

"But they beat the odds didn't they!" said Anjie Marks, mother of Katie, as she looked at the tiny granddaughter she held.

Marks, along with her husband, Jeff, went to Japan a day after delivery and has committed the past four months to help her children with double the diapers, double the bottles and double the loss of sleep.

Now that the twins are home and settled in, the Altons are excited about having a son and daughter and feel like it's finally starting to set in that they are parents.

"It's weird to me," said Katie. "When I hear them cry, it's like, 'I have two babies,'" she laughed. "It's so unreal. They're mine, and I get to keep them!"

Though very tiny, Katie, Travis and Marks have already noticed personality differences in the twins.

"Ally is a live wire. She's awake constantly. And Jenson is super chill. He sleeps and barely cries. It's like night and day. If we had only one baby and it was him, it'd be the easiest newborn parenting ever," they all said in laughter.

For right now, cap and gowns, proms, first crushes and heartbreaks aren't even a thought for Katie and Travis. They are just thrilled that they have their babies. As anxious as they were to hurry and get them home, they are more anxious for them to stay babies at least for a while so they can enjoy each significant milestone.

Travis and Marks said they can't wait to just play with them.

"I can't wait to get them both four wheelers and play hot wheels with them," said Travis.

Katie said, "I can't wait to just teach them stuff. Little things like 'momma' and 'dada'.

As the Alton twins continue to grow, their parents are amazed at what they've already overcome in their short lives.

"I still can't believe how big they've gotten, but they're still small by any standard really," said Travis. "Jenson is now seven pounds and Ally is five pounds. Our whole goal was to get them home and now we're like... what do we do next?" They laughed.