Twin boys are thriving 1 year after their emergency birth

Alison Speelman and her husband, Josh, with their twins, Kolton and Kameron.

When Alison Speelman learned she was pregnant in the fall 2023, it was a total surprise. But a bigger surprise was yet to come.

“I had my first ultrasound at 7 weeks, and that’s when we found out we were having twins,” she said. “My husband, Josh, and I didn’t speak on the ride home because we were in shock.”

Alison had always known multiples ran in the family — her grandmother had a triplet pregnancy — but she never imagined it would happen to her.

As a preschool teacher, Alison was used to being on her feet. When she started experiencing some spotting, she was placed on light bedrest at 13 weeks. She also chose to undergo noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), a method used to determine the risk of certain genetic conditions. At 14 weeks, the test results came back. One of the babies had Down syndrome.

The boys were born at 35 1/2 weeks’ gestation. Kolton spent 24 days in the NICU, and Kameron spent 34 days. Alison was strict about keeping them on the same sleeping, eating, waking and napping schedule to make life easier.

“We went through a roller coaster of emotions,” said Alison. “But my original career plan was to be a special education teacher, so part of me felt like maybe this was meant to be.”

At 35 ½ weeks, Alison was admitted to St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital with preeclampsia.

“I had protein in my urine, and my blood pressure was high,” she said. “They did an emergency Cesarian section (C-section).”

While both twins were born at healthy weights — 4 pounds, 5 ounces for Kolton and 5 pounds, 11 ounces for Kameron — they faced complications that required immediate care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

“Kolton had trouble keeping his blood sugar stable, and Kameron had pulmonary hypertension and needed oxygen,” Alison explained. “And both boys had a tough time learning to feed from a bottle.”

Alison said her NICU stay was made easier by the care of a number of nurses who went above and beyond for both her and her babies.

After 6 days in Akron Children’s NICU at St. Elizabeth’s, they were transferred to the NICU at Akron Children’s Boardman campus. Still recovering from her C-section and experiencing severe postpartum depression, Alison leaned heavily on her husband and mother. Alison also found comfort and strength from the NICU care team.

“Nurse Practitioner Mallory Capretta was so supportive,” she said. “She picked up on the fact that I was struggling. She connected me with a counselor who works with NICU parents and referred me to the Down Syndrome Association of the Valley. She really went above and beyond.”

The boys are now 1 year old. Kolton has been hitting all his milestones and recently took his first steps. Kameron, who has Down syndrome, is a little behind his brother developmentally but is making strides with sitting up on his own and trying to crawl. He sees a team of specialists at Akron Children’s to help him with his physical and developmental health.

Because of Kolton’s frequent glucose checks, Alison was concerned about his discomfort.

“One of the nurse practitioners, Maria Hancock, made a poster to hang above Kolton’s bed reminding staff to rotate where they did the heel sticks to protect his feet,” said Alison. “It meant so much that she took that extra step.”

Another nurse practitioner, Jenna Hospodar, made sure Alison knew how much her efforts mattered.

“I was pumping breastmilk so the babies could get it through their feeding tubes and then bottles,” said Alison. “Jenna always made a point to tell me I was doing a great job and that it was making a difference for their health.”

After 24 days, Kolton was discharged home — an exciting but stressful milestone.

“Having one baby at home and one still in the NICU was tough because they weren’t on the same schedule,” said Alison.

Ten days later, Kameron joined his brother at home. Alison and Josh quickly got the boys on the same routine.

Alison is deeply thankful for the care she received. “The Akron Children’s NICU team helped me feel seen during one of the hardest moments of my life,” she said. “They didn’t just take care of my babies; they took care of me, too.”

“They ate every three hours, napped at the same time and went to bed at the same time,” she said. “If one woke up in the night, we woke the other one up, too. It made life a lot easier.”

Now a little over a year old, both boys are thriving. Kameron is followed by pediatric cardiologist Dr. Grace Smith for a small hole in his heart and a minor tricuspid valve prolapse, neither of which require surgery. He also sees pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Palak Wall; neurologist Dr. Monica Rondinelli; urologist Dr. Hannah Bachtel; endocrinologist Dr. Rathna Mandalapu; otolaryngologist Dr. Marc Nelson; geneticist Dr. Catherine Ward-Melver; and developmental-behavioral pediatrician Dr. Nicholas Skiviat.

He also attends physical, occupational and speech therapy. He recently started sitting up on his own and is trying to crawl.

“Kolton is a wild man,” said Alison. “He’s meeting all his milestones and just took his first steps.”

Like typical siblings, the boys love playing — and sometimes pestering — each other. And through it all, Alison remains deeply thankful for the support she received.

“The Akron Children’s NICU team helped me feel seen during one of the hardest moments of my life,” she said. “They didn’t just take care of my babies; they took care of me, too.”