7 pregnancies in the KPRC newsroom

HOUSTON – Can you name them all?

As KPRC celebrates its 70th anniversary, the Channel 2 family continues to grow.

Seven members of the newsroom team are pregnant.

Due dates:

  • Lauren Freeman: Aug. 8
  • Sophia Beausoleil: September
  • Owen Conflenti: Sept. 16
  • Britta Merwin: Oct. 3
  • Haley Hernandez: Oct. 8
  • Jacob Rascon: End of November
  • Brittany Jeffers: December

These are seven colleagues and friends, experiencing this milestone adventure together.

“It’s so much fun,” Merwin said.

“Britta was the first one to know,” Hernandez added.

Rookies and veterans

There are three new mothers-to-be in the group: Hernandez, Beausoleil and Jeffers.

The other four are veterans. Conflenti has three in his family. Rascon has four children, Merwin has two and Freeman has four.

Second baby boom

This is KPRC’s second baby boom in recent years.

In 2011, five anchors gave birth: Freeman, Rachel McNeill, Amy Davis, Courtney Zavala and Daniella Guzman. There were four boys and one girl.

This time around, there are more boys. Conflenti’s wife is expecting a boy, Freeman is expecting her fifth son and Beausoleil is also expecting a boy.

As for the other four, they are still a surprise.

Along this journey, there have been a bunch of laughs, yet they’re leaning on each other for advice and support.

Best advice

Merwin’s advice: “The important thing (is) not to let the tiredness take over that stage, because it's really precious.”

Freeman’s advice: “Enjoy it, it's a fun time, there are crazy things that happen along the way, but that's life. The delivery obviously isn't that bad, I keep doing it over and over and over.”

Rascon's advice: "You need to be happy. Simplify your life and listen to your inner voice."

Conflenti's advice: "Be patient and enjoy every day. Kids change so quickly."


About the Author:

Award-winning broadcast journalist covering local, regional, national and international stories. Recognized in the industry for subject matter expertise including: Legal/Court Research, the Space Industry, Education, Environmental Issues, Underserved Populations and Data Visualization.