The birth plan is done, the nursery is painted and a tiny Breakers uniform is already laid out, ready to be worn by a not-so-little baby boy.
Auckland basketball star Tom Abercrombie (28) and his seven-months pregnant wife Monique (24) have always been meticulous planners, so it’s no surprise the expectant couple are ready for their bundle of joy.
“It’s starting to get pretty real now,” Tom grins, glancing down at Monique’s bump. “We both can’t wait. We’ve wanted this baby for a long time.”
While the pair couldn’t be more thrilled about starting their own little family, they both admit to a few bumps on their way.
“We had been trying for a baby for quite a long time and we had some letdowns,” Monique begins. “You think when you’re young and healthy, it should be easy – it got a bit sad and demoralising for a while. So I went to a naturopath, who put me on some natural supplements.”
Soon after, Tom and Monique headed off to Spain, where Tom had a short-term contract with a Spanish club, and thought nothing more of babies.
“I thought it would take some time to happen, but I also thought, ‘Why not just take a test for fun?’” smiles Monique.
The pair went off to a Spanish pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test, but it was an experience neither will forget in a hurry.
The couple, who admit their road to pregnancy hit a few bumps along the way, are making sure to take some time out together before baby arrives.
“Pregnancy tests are very different in Spain than they are here,” says Monique, laughing. “What a drama! We can’t speak Spanish and they couldn’t speak English, so out came our Google Translate app!”
Finally, after some badly translated words and a bit of sign language, they bought a test.
“But the label was all in Spanish,” Tom continues.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” Monique says. “But I did what I assumed I should do and there was the faintest line imaginable. We just wrote it off.”
After six more tests – with the line getting darker each time – they were almost convinced Monique was pregnant. Then Tom, through his club, organised a blood test for Monique.
“There wasn’t a translator at the hospital and nobody to explain anything to us – they just took the blood,” recalls Monique.
“But the next day, Tom got an email from the hospital – all in Spanish, of course. So out came Google Translate again and the first word that was translated was ‘congratulations’. And that’s how we found out!”
By this time, Monique was eight weeks along and the newlyweds were just about to embark on a month-long honeymoon around Europe.
“That didn’t go to plan, either,” Monique admits. “It ended up being the most miserable honeymoon ever. I was so, so sick. We were in the most beautiful places and I had no energy. I was miserable and I felt disgusting.”
“I’d never seen her like that before,” the Breakers and Tall Blacks small forward says. “It’s not like you can put yourself in that position to understand what they’re going through! It was a weird feeling. I had to learn how to be very patient and understanding.”
But while most of the morning sickness has passed, Monique admits she’s not particularly enjoying being pregnant.
“It’s not as rosy as people tell you,” she explains. “We’ve wanted this baby for so long and we couldn’t be happier that we’re finally almost there, but it’s hard,” she says.
Even as the pair relax at Auckland’s SkyCity Grand hotel, where they’ve booked in for a mini babymoon, it’s clear she is still feeling a fair amount of pregnancy-related discomfort.
To ensure Tom will be at the birth, Monique has chosen to be induced. She has also been researching silent birthing, which first rose to prominence via the religion of Scientology.
“I’d really love to do it,” she says. “Tom and I are quite calm people, so I think it’ll work out well for us, having a really calm environment for the baby to be born into.”
Their scans, which have confirmed they’re expecting a boy, also indicate that he is going to be on the larger side.
“I wanted a girl,” Monique confides. “When I found out this one was a boy, I cried all the way home. But now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. A healthy baby is the most important thing and we have a girl’s name in reserve, which gives us an incentive to have another one!”
In the few weeks they have before their baby arrives, Tom and Monique say they’ll make the most of their independence – some time out relaxing together is all part of the plan.
“But,” says Tom, eagerly, “we’re ready!”
