Pregnancy & Birth

All the gorgeous details from Samantha Hayes’ ‘beautiful’ baby shower

The Newshub presenter says the occasion was filled with love.
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With only a few weeks to go before she gives birth to her first child, Newshub presenter Samantha Hayes has enjoyed a baby shower.

The weekend celebration was organised for her and her partner, Jeroen “Jay” Blaauw, by former Three colleague Claire Robbie and two other close friends, Harriet Wall and Anna Hood.

Sam, who is expecting a baby boy in the Spring, posted an image from the shower on social media and captioned it, “Oh baby! This little bubba & Jay & I are so lucky to be surrounded by so much love & support. We loved our beautiful baby shower. Special thanks to @clairerobbie @harrietwall11 & @annalouisehood for organising such a special day & sparing me from the usual games! You guys are the best 💛💝💛”

Sam announced her pregnancy in May, in true journalist style using social media to ensure she got to “break” the news first: “Super excited to finally break the news that Jay & I are having a baby!,” she wrote.

“We’ve been keeping it under wraps but the bump has now well and truly popped. Can’t wait to meet our little one in Spring.”

Sam and partner “Jay”, who moved from his native Amsterdam to Auckland to be with Sam earlier this year, first met four years ago when Sam was travelling in Brazil.

Sam revealed to Woman’s Day, “I was making a cup of tea in the kitchen at a hostel in Sao Paulo and in came Jay. We were just friends back then, but we travelled around a little bit together and he even tried to make me climb a mountain too!”

The pair stayed in touch on Facebook, and after Sam commented on a particularly stunning image that Jay had posted, the couple reconnected.

“We just got chatting after that,” Sam tells. “First we messaged, then we started talking on the phone and video calling. Thank goodness for modern technology.”

Sam went though an unexpectedly low period after winning Dancing With The Stars in 2018 and it was during this bout of the post-show blues that Jay, a keen mountain-climber, suggested she join him in climbing Mount Aconcagua in Argentina.

After initially dismissing the idea she decided it might be just the mood booster she needed. The couple attempted the climb in January and although they didn’t make it to the summit due to bad weather, only a short time later Sam discovered she was expecting.

While their baby news came as a surprise, it was a joyous and happy surprise, Sam told Woman’s Day.

“My work has always been my main focus and I still can’t believe how lucky I am to be doing a job I absolutely love,” she enthuses. “But I’m 35 now and it’s definitely the right time for me to have a baby. I feel extremely lucky that it’s come along.”

Sam revealed that she hopes to raise “a little feminist”, who will grow up knowing that Mummy’s job is just as important as Dad’s.

“I also want to be a fun mum,” she told the publication.

“I talk to him all the time in my tummy and I definitely feel a bond already. It’s amazing to think that he’s going to come out and greet us with his little personality. We just can’t wait to meet him.”

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