When Claudia Conaglen walked down the aisle at her seaside wedding in January, the blissfully happy former Bachelorette was nursing a closely guarded secret.
Two weeks before, the 31-year-old beauty discovered she’d fallen pregnant to her groom Paul “Bluey” Ejamme while the pair were on holiday in the Philippines.
Although the pair had started trying for a baby late last year, it was the last thing on Claudia’s mind when she was hit with a myriad of symptoms.
The Napier-based model tells, “I was really tired and I just thought it was jet lag, but it kept going. Then I started getting a metallic taste in my mouth, but Hawke’s Bay was having a really bad water issue at the time, so I blamed that.
It was only after she got cramps, tender breasts and a craving for carbs that Claudia took a late-night test, which confirmed she was expecting.
She recalls, “I just woke Bluey up and said, ‘We’re pregnant!’ He was shocked because it was so early, but we were both very excited. I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I ended up going to the gym.”
Having sailed through her first trimester, Claudia is in great shape.
Claudia and Bluey tied the knot in January – and she secretly had a bun in the oven.
She says, “I still weigh the same – around 50kg. I used to go to the gym every day, but now I only go three times a week.”
Claudia – who has a YouTube channel to inspire other pregnant women – is now planning a gender-reveal party and a Hawaiian “babymoon”, plus she and Bluey are talking about buying a house.
“I’m so glad I enjoyed my 20s, travelled the world, lived overseas and really lived up my youth,” smiles Claudia. “Now is perfect timing.”
