A soccer coach, teacher and now a soon-to-be mom, Mrs. Kaitlin Loeffen, Biology and Physical Science teacher, is just weeks away from meeting her baby boy on June 15. 

Being a mom can’t be easy, especially if she’s caring for girls on the soccer team and students in the classroom. 

Although crazy pregnancy stories can be heard around the world,  Mrs. Loeffen’s was quite a surprise. Earlier this year, Mrs. Loeffen’s gallbladder was removed while she was pregnant. This is not so common, especially during a pregnancy. 

“It was about 12:30 a.m. or 1 a.m.,” Mrs. Loeffen said. “I was in a lot of pain and didn’t know what was happening.” 

The doctors told Mrs. Loeffen her gallbladder was going to have to be removed. At 22 weeks pregnant, this was terrifying for her. 

“I was very nervous about my procedure,” Mrs. Loeffen said. “Fortunately, the procedure went really well and my pain was relieved almost instantly. It was really a blessing that it happened when it did.” 

Full recovery time was required for Mrs. Loeffen, but soon she was back in school and feeling better. The PHS staff were very supportive with how fast everything happened and were quick to find substitutes and people to take care of her classes.

“I felt really bad just leaving everything up to my aids; the teachers and the substitutes that were able to come in and cover my days,” Mrs. Loeffen said. “I’ve always had immense support behind me, especially during these times, and that made me miss the school environment while I was recovering.”

Mrs. Loeffen gave a shout out to Mrs. Lenita Moore, a fellow Biology teacher, for going above and beyond in “helping a sista out.”

“She even came in and did my classes in the afternoon when she had the time,” Mrs. Loeffen said. “I truly can’t thank her enough for the amount of support she’s given me through my first years in teaching and especially with that type of situation.” 

After her gallbladder was removed, Mrs. Loeffen was finally able to enjoy her pregnancy craving: fried pickles. 

“[Fried pickles] always sounded so good,” Mrs. Loeffen said. “I thought I was going to turn into a fried pickle because I ate so many.” 

Students and staff can also see Mrs. Loeffen chowing down on sweets as well. A box of candy can be found on her desk every morning, including: “To Mrs. Loeffen — ‘You are always eating sweets,’ sophomore Garrett Tharp said. 

With her cravings nearing an end, all the buzz around PHS has students and staff wondering, ‘What is Mrs. Loeffen going to name her boy?’ The answer? 

“Brecken Alan,” Mrs. Loeffen said. “But if he comes out and doesn’t look like a Brecken, he will be Rhett Alan. Tucker, my husband, really likes the name Rhett but I think that’s going to be the second option for sure.” 

What will it be? Brecken or Rhett? Two baby names and only a couple more weeks until the wait will be over. Regardless of what his name will be, Mrs. Loeffen’s family is delighted to meet their brand new family member.

“My family is super excited to meet him,” Mrs. Loeffen said. “My little sister is so excited that she is throwing me a party and we are calling it a ‘Sip and See.’ All my family will be there and they can’t express how thrilled they are to meet him.”