Samantha's Baby Countdown - I Can't Wait To Meet My Boy!

But the popular TV star’s just stumped on a name

- Sophie Neville

When newsreader Samantha Hayes set off to Argentina to take on one of the world’s highest peaks, she knew she’d return home with stories to tell and memories to treasure. But what she didn’t bank on was coming back to Aotearoa with a baby on board!

“This was very much a happy surprise,” she smiles as she sits down with Woman’s Day to share her baby joy. “Starting a family was in the grand plan, but it definitely happened a bit sooner than we’d thought. I remember looking at that little stick with two lines on it and saying, ‘Oh, my God’ on repeat for about 20 minutes!”

And the surprises didn’t stop there – Sam and her Dutch beau Jeroen “Jay” Blaauw recently found out they’re expecting a little boy. The broadcaster tells us that for Jay, who moved to New Zealand soon after their incredible attempt at climbing Aconcagua, welcoming a son is a dream come true.

“Jay was so excited to find out we were having a boy,” she laughs. “At the scan, he was giving me high-fives, he was so happy. I, on the other hand, was just lying there thinking, ‘Great, I’m in for a lifetime of the penis and fart jokes!’”

Due in the spring, the Newshub presenter is positively glowing, and it’s clear she’s loving her new life with the man she first met four years ago while traveling in Brazil. They reconnected last year and Sam can’t help but giggle about their baby’s incredible beginnings in the freezing temperatures of the Andes.

“We’ll be very surprised if this little one isn’t good at altitude!” she says, looking down lovingly at her bump. The 35-year-old admits she never would’ve guessed the direction her life has taken since she won Dancing with the Stars last year.