Kim Spratt of Jackson, N.J., holds her daughter, Hayden, for the first time June 12, 2015. She was born 13 weeks premature on May 10, 2015. Her twin brother, Hudson, died about two weeks after they were born and their mom wears a locket that Fred Spratt, right, is pointing to with his photograph. (Photo: Courtesy of Spratt family) 
 
 A couple on their "babymoon" overseas had the unthinkable happen — the mom gave birth to twins in Portugal, 13 weeks before they were due. 
 
 Kim Kirzow Spratt and her husband, Fred Spratt, of Jackson, N.J., had planned their final getaway as a family of two, with doctors' approval. She was getting bigger but wasn't having any complications. 
 
 Everybody knew she was having twins, and the babies were due Aug. 25. 
 
 "We're trying to hit spots on our bucket list every year, so we picked Portugal," Kim Spratt said. "The doctor gave me 100% clearance, and we got total reassurance. We even got a letter for the airline in case there were any problems." 
 
 She last saw her doctors two days before they departed May 2. On the Spanish leg of their trip, she and her husband started in Barcelona and then headed to Grenada and Seville. 
 
 Lisbon, Portugal — almost 3,500 miles from home — was their final stop. 
 
 “Everyone spoke Portuguese so I had no clue what was going on. The only thing I understood was 'breathe,' which a nurse kept repeating. ” Kim Spratt, Jackson, N.J. 
 
 "We got there at 11:40 a.m. and did normal stuff," Kim Spratt said. "We checked in, walked around. We took a sunset cruise and got on the boat about 8 p.m. About an hour into the cruise, I said, 'I don't really feel that well.' I had some cramping, and I thought it was maybe Braxton Hicks (false-labor uterine) contractions. Then, I got really thirsty and hungry but had no appetite." 
 
 They decided to rest back at the hotel, but nothing was improving. In fact, her condition was getting worse. 
 
 "My legs start shaking uncontrollably," Kim Spratt said. "But I never thought it could be labor." 
 
 At that point, her husband decided it was time to get help. They were sent to the hospital Maternidade Alfredo da Costa, about 2½ miles inland from Lisbon's harbor. 
 
 "They didn't want to treat me because we didn't have our passports with us," Kim Spratt said. "That was the last thing we were thinking about grabbing. 
 
 "I gave a woman my license, and she disappeared. I couldn't even sit at this point," she said. "They wouldn't let me get drink, go to bathroom. The babies weren't moving as much, and I was getting really nervous." 
 
 Kim Spratt of Jackson, N.J., celebrates daughter Hayden Grace Spratt's 1-month birthday in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. A picture of Hayden's twin brother, Hudson Charles Spratt, is in a locket around Kim Spratt's neck. (Photo: Courtesy of Spratt family) 
 
 Complicating the matter: Most of the conversation was happening in Portuguese, a language neither of the Spratts could speak. 
 
 An initial worry that doctors couldn't hear the fetal heartbeats was a false alarm, but additional examination revealed that she was in the late stages of labor, dilated at 7 centimeters. She was admitted to the hospital at 12:03 a.m. on Mother's Day and gave birth to her son 11 minutes later. 
 
 Hudson Charles Spratt weighed 1 pound, 12 ounces. 
 
 Daughter Hayden Grace Spratt entered the world a few minutes later and weighed 1 pound, 7 ounces. 
 
 Since then the babies had been fighting for their lives. But on Memorial Day, while others back in the USA were planning picnics, the Spratts had to deal with Hudson's death; now only Hayden survives, still in the neonatal intensive care unit. 
 
 "Everyone spoke Portuguese, so I had no clue what was going on," Kim Spratt said. "The only thing I understood was 'breathe,' which a nurse kept repeating. Afterward, everyone kept saying how tiny they were and that they would do everything they could to save them." 
 
 Fred Spratt wasn't allowed in the delivery room and had to wait in the lobby. 
 
 "I was in recovery room with six Portuguese women who all had their babies with them," Kim Spratt said. "It was so hard — women were breastfeeding, babies were crying. Fred was not there." 
 
 Both babies were in the neonatal intensive care unit "with tubes, wires and everything beeping and blinking," too unstable to be touched. Only Friday, two days after she turned one month old, were the Spratts able to cradle Hayden, now about 2 pounds, in their arms. 
 
 Fred Spratt works in sales while his wife owns her own business in Wall, N.J., and both had what they considered a middle-class life in New Jersey. 
 
 For now, they are staying in Lisbon, "trapped here indefinitely" until Hayden is well enough to return to the U.S. on a chartered medical flight, said Kim Spratt, who has had to suspend her personal training because it can't be run remotely. A friend set up a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $30,000 in the past month. 
 
 For a while, the Spratts continued to stay at the hotel, the Bario Alto Hotel, where they had checked in the night of the births. 
 
 One staff member used his day off to help Fred Spratt search for an apartment, and when the new father found one he liked, the staffer helped negotiate a lease because the landlord didn't speak English. 
 
 "The staff has been so generous," Kim Spratt said. "They helped us get a grip on things." 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1JQPILh ||||| Kim and Fred Spratt of couldn't wait to be parents. But first, they wanted to take a “babymoon” to Portugal. What they didn't know was this excursion would change their lives forever. 
 
 The trip would be an opportunity to spend some quality time together before the birth of their twins. 
 
 They received permission from the doctor to leave the country, and so they left when Kim was 23 weeks pregnant. 
 
 During the trip, Kim unexpectedly went into labor and delivered the twins on May 10th, which happened to be Mother's Day. 
 
 The babies were born prematurely and weighed just over a pound each. They were placed into intensive care in Portugal, but sadly, the little boy Hudson passed away. 
 
 Their little angel Hayden continues to fight for her life. Although the new parents are heartbroken, they know they have to stay strong for her. 
 
 “Every day it's something different. Yesterday she had a pretty good day, and today was not as good. So that's kind of our lives day in and day out. It's one moment, one hour, one day at a time,” Kim explained. 
 
 When holding her daughter for the first time, Kim explains the emotion that she felt, “My heart smiled. For the first time, I had something close to what it feels like to be a mom.” 
 
 Fred also explains what it's like to be a parent, “We're looking at our babies through an incubator. So to be able to touch her hand and to play music for her or anything that we do like that, it really makes us feel good that little bit that we're able to do just makes us feel like parents and quite frankly we haven't really had that feeling yet.” 
 
 The Spratt's gave "Chasing News" an exclusive interview to ask for help with the mounting expenses they've incurred. 
 
 Some include medevacking Hayden if and when she is healthy enough to return home, and the apartment they've had to rent in Portugal. 
 
 There is a now a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for the unexpected costs associated with their heartbreaking journey. If you would like to donate, visit GoFundMe.com/TwinsInPortugal. ||||| 1 1 1 person likes this donation $ 100 100 Nicollette Kraus 8 days ago 
 
 To the Spratt Family, My name is Nicollette and I am from Point Pleasant NJ and I am 21 years old. I work for Meridian Nursing and Rehab facility in Shrewbury and I read the paper every morning to the patients/ residents. When I came across your story I was put in shock. When I was born I was born 1 pound 13 ounces and was also a twin. My twin did not survive. As I was reading your article my heart was heavy and I was on the edge of breaking down just because I can relate to your story so much. My mom gave birth to me 4 months early and I had a 80% chance of dying, hooked on heart monitors and in the NICU for months after I was born. I am so so so sorry for your loss of your baby boy, heaven is a beautiful place, and he isnt suffering anymore. My parents have been through this and it is a rough time absolutely and it is hard. I also want to give prayers to your family, hugs, and hope. I also want your daughter to know as she gets older to be super strong, because she has a amazing family behind her, and to always smile, and keep smiling and never give up on anything because each day is a gift, she is a beautiful gift from god. I know when I first found out I was a twin it was very hard for me to grasp the feeling that I wasnt going to grow up with or meet her/him. As I grew older I thanked god every day for the breath I took walking out of bed every morning because Im extremely lucky to be here. I promise that things get better. Your daughter made it through for a reason and its a beautiful reason, because she is a fighter and will always be a little fighter. I wish the best for your family and your baby daughter, I wish you guys a safe trip home when you guys are able to. I hope an wish the best for your family. My heart goes out to all of you.
– Married for a year and with twins due in August, New Jersey's Fred and Kim Spratt set out on a "babymoon" earlier this year for their last time as a family of two. "We're trying to hit spots on our bucket list every year, so we picked Portugal," Kim tells the Asbury Park Press. "The doctor gave me 100% clearance, and we got total reassurance." Two days before the couple were to depart on April 30, a perinatal appointment for Kim, then 23 weeks pregnant, confirmed all was fine, so the Spratts jetted off to Barcelona, Granada, and Seville in Spain before reaching their final destination of Lisbon, Portugal, where they took a sunset cruise on May 9. Suddenly, all was not fine. An hour into the cruise, Kim felt off. "I had some cramping, and I thought it was maybe Braxton Hicks contractions." Back at the hotel, Kim's legs started "shaking uncontrollably," she says. "But I never thought it could be labor." Once at a hospital, "doctors started flooding into the room," she says, while Fred was forced to wait in the lobby. "Everyone spoke Portuguese so I had no clue what was going on. The only thing I understood was 'breathe,' which a nurse kept repeating." Eleven minutes after Kim was admitted on Mother's Day, son Hudson Charles was born weighing just 1 pound, 12 ounces, followed by daughter Hayden Grace at 1 pound, 7 ounces. "Everyone kept saying how tiny they were and that they would do everything they could to save them," Kim says, but Hudson died on Memorial Day, reports USA Today, adding the cost of expatriation to mounting medical costs and incredible heartbreak. For Hayden, there are good days and bad. "It's one moment, one hour, one day at a time," Kim tells My Fox Philly. But when she held her daughter three days ago, "My heart smiled," she says. "Those little precious moments help us get through." A GoFundMe page has raised some $34,500 for the family. (A similar tale in the US had a happier ending.)