When More FM’s Samantha Baxter first told people she was expecting a baby, pretty much everyone’s first comment was the same: “Well, you’ll have to name it Sam, right?!”
“Every time,” laughs Sam, 31, whose partner is also named Sam, 32, hence the very original joke. “Let me just be very clear right now – this baby girl will not be named Sam. I’m not that cruel. Two in one house is enough!”
The Christchurch radio star, who announced her pregnancy on air earlier this year, cannot wait to meet her little bundle of joy – but the road has been rough after the initial surprise.
“I thought I was being really smart trying to do a natural contraceptive because I was sick of taking the Pill and feeling rubbish all the time,” she explains, laughing. “So there was this great app – but it turns out, you have to follow the rules!
“I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant! I went into fear mode – instead of thinking about all the reasons why it was great, I was focused on all the reasons it wasn’t. It was so overwhelming.”
Sam has also endured intense morning sickness – “tell me where these women are who enjoyed a pregnancy because I don’t understand”, she says – but her chief concern was letting down her workmates as she fell pregnant just after starting a new job hosting her own night show.
With More FM buddies Lana Searle (left) and Jay-Jay Feeny.
“I was genuinely scared to tell them,” she nods. “I thought they’d be so pissed off with me. I asked to change lanes and step away from The Breakfast Club to have some career progression, then it’s like, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m having a baby.’ But that was all in my head – everyone has been amazing.”
Now, as she nears the end of her pregnancy, Sam is bubbling with excitement at meeting her daughter, but she admits it’s a little bittersweet after losing her father when she was a teenager.
Sam lost her beloved dad when she was 15.
“I don’t know if I’ve always wanted kids,” she admits. “I’ve been a little scared of it. My dad passed away when I was 15 and it’s really shaped me knowing that things can hurt like that. It’s scary when you think about that as a mum.”
But in a beautiful twist of fate, she’ll feel close to her dad while she brings up her girl as she and Sam have just moved into her childhood home.
“We lived there when I was about 10 to 14 and we left because Dad got sick,” shares Sam. “It was the best entertaining house, with so many good memories. We didn’t want to leave and I’ve always said to my family that I’d buy it back one day.
“When Sam and I decided to buy a house, we got all the pre-approval, then I went on TradeMe and literally that day the house listing came up. Two days later, we went to the first open home, which was hilarious because the agent tried to tell me where everything was and I was like, ‘Yup, I know!’
“We were the first ones there and we put in a pre-auction offer straightaway. It feels like that was all Dad’s doing. It’s nice for Sam, who never met my dad, to be a part of that time in my life. Our new baby will be sleeping in my old room!”
It’s been a whirlwind for “Sam Squared”, as they call themselves, who grew up in the same area and knew of each other from the local rugby club. But they never met properly until they connected on Bumble two years ago.
“I messaged him, ‘Rugby was the winner on the day!’ and here we are,” she giggles. “He was the first person I messaged on there and, two weeks after that, he was my boyfriend. I cringe when I say that, but it’s true!
“Meeting Sam, buying a house and having a baby has all been so full-on, which is funny because none of it happened until I turned 29, then bam, bam, bam! I’m going to get a boyfriend, a house and a baby, and progress my career, all in the space of a year.
“I remember dating in my twenties, going through all the feelings and the heartbreaks, and wondering when it was going to be my turn, like, ‘This sucks!’ But everything’s turning out as it’s supposed to. I just needed a bit of patience.”
The parents-to-be will soon be turning their attention to their incoming bundle of joy, who is due in September.
“I can’t wait to see Sam as a dad,” the radio star grins. “I know he’ll be the favourite already! But the fact that we get to do this together and create our own memories with our little girl is amazing.”
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