LiveWell Louisiana

Five to One

This local mom brings her growing family together.
March 2nd, 2015 by: Megan Albritton

The last few weeks of pregnancy are difficult. You are tired and enormous, and you sometimes have a tendency to get “hangry.” Add two small children into the mix, and it almost makes you want to wish those last few weeks goodbye and just move on to the baby part. I know some days, I definitely felt that way. But then I would have a moment, usually when the baby inside of me gave a kick, and it would bring me back to the reality that this would be the absolute last time I got to enjoy the feelings of pregnancy (both good and bad). 

I decided to make these last few weeks worth it. I didn’t want to regret not enjoying these days. I wanted my girls to each have some one-on-one time with me — and for all of us to spend some quality time together as a family of four — before we became a party of five. I scheduled morning doughnut dates with my youngest. She thought this was the greatest, and it was pretty fun. For my older daughter, we went and had what she refers to as “Special Lady Day.” We went and had breakfast, then went for manis and pedis. And while all of these moments were happening, I also focused on the little guy growing inside of me. 

As a family of four, weekends were spent going out for beignets and then heading to the park. Or trying all of the pizza that New Orleans has to offer. We are partial to Pizza Delicious and Pizza Domenica. And luckily, I was still pregnant when Twelfth Night rolled around — so it meant I got to eat king cake, guilt-free. I knew which foods would result in an extra-strong kick (chocolate). I also knew which food would keep me up with heartburn all night (extra-spicy salsa). 

When I wasn’t pregnant, I spent so much time feeling guilty over what I was or was not eating. Even during the first half of my pregnancy, I felt this way. I had spent about 26 weeks of the pregnancy going to CrossFit and eating(somewhat) healthy. But after I took a break from CrossFit, I decided to stop stressing and enjoy my time. I love food. I love working out, but I love 
food more. 

"As with every pregnancy, the doctor monitored my weight. It was never my favorite part of the appointment. Seeing the scale move up made me anxious, but I also knew that I was growing a life. Weight gain was going to happen. And my doctor assured me I was gaining the proper amount." —Megan Albritton

The days of my pregnancy were coming to an end. I was really ready to have the baby, but there seemed no end in sight. He gave no signs of coming a moment early, possibly giving me a reprieve from the back aches and constant need to urinate. So I came up with a plan. Maybe if I ate all the food I wanted, he would come. In those final days, I squeezed in a trip to try District Hand Pie & Coffee Bar. I ate my favorite pimento macaroni and cheese from High Hat Cafe. I had ice cream. And Popeyes. And low and behold, I went into labor on my due date. After a short five hours in the hospital, Jasper made his entrance to the world. 

Of course, our first outing as a family of five was to a quick dinner at my girls’ favorite hamburger spot. It went about as well as one could imagine with three children under the age of 5. We looked like a traveling circus, with my newly minted middle child screaming in a way that only she can. And my oldest daughter was bossing everyone around, while the baby slept peacefully in the sling. I could finally enjoy a beer with my burger, and, while I savored the taste, I savored the moment of becoming a party of five even more.