In exciting news, Married at First Sight’s Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli are officially parents!
The first-time parents announced the safe arrival of their little one via Instagram, the little boys name is Lucius Brunelli.
Martha may have made a name for herself by throwing red wine on TV, but it’s her relationship with on screen groom (and now fiancé) Michael that has really made history.
Since first meeting on their televised wedding day in 2018 for season six of Married at First Sight, sparks flew.
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”She’s beautiful. She looked absolutely amazing. She’s got this huge smile and it just drew me in. I think I’ve struck gold,” the then-27-year-old primary school teacher Michael said as his bride approached him down the aisle.
After confirming their commitment to one another in the final vows ceremony, Martha told TV Week in 2019 that she couldn’t wait to start a life with her now IRL beau.
”Our foundations are similar and we have strong family values,” Martha said, adding: ”I do want to have children one day – I don’t think I’m ready now, thought. [But] I could imagine having a family with him. Yes, definitely.”
Two years later, the pair revealed their engagement (for real this time), the bride-to-be announcing the news with a beautiful selfie of her and Michael in bed as she flashed her stunning emerald cut diamond ring.
Fast forward to a European vacay in mid 2022, the couple were soon facing their biggest challenge yet… pregnancy.
Sparks flew when Michael first laid eyes on his bride.
(Image: Nine)After Martha and Michael announced their surprise pregnancy in September 2022, the pair had an anything but easy road to parenthood.
Martha was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) – a rare pregnancy condition that affects about two per cent of pregnant women and causes extreme morning sickness – and spent the first trimester in bed.
”At five weeks I was diagnosed with HG, which is basically severe chronic nausea and vomiting with no relief. It is like 24/7,” Martha said when she returned to social media in September.
She added: ”I literally did not get out of bed for two months; I was so sick. I could not eat or drink anything. There were days that I did not even get up to pee.”
Fans were overjoyed when the pair finally decided to make it official.
(Image: Instagram)Fortunately, at the four-month mark of her pregnancy, Martha said she was lucky enough to find a doctor that was able to make her ”feel human again”.
According to Michael, in the second trimester, Martha enjoyed many more ”good days”.
”She’s having a lot more good days now where’s she’s actually able to get up and go outside, but then on the flip side, there are still those bad days where she is stuck in bed feeling really nauseous,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle at the time.
”We’re trying to focus on the positives and keep that positive reinforcement coming, and there’s not so much suffering now.”
Michael took to his Instagram writing how ”proud” he was of Martha after a turbulent few months.
(Image: Instagram)As the months progressed, Martha was finally able to return to a semi-normal type of life, attending a number of events and debuting her growing baby bump for the first time publicly.
In November 2022, Michael also told Now To Love exclusively that they were turning to their parents and families for advice as they prepared for the new arrival to their family.
”Martha has a niece and I have two baby nephews, so we are just picking the brains of our family.
”There has been a lot of advice online that we are trying to take on board as well. But at the end of the day, and what we have been told by everyone out there, is that we will learn so much when the baby comes. You can read all you want but the moment the baby is born everything will be thrown out the window.
”It’ll be a crazy new world for us in 2023.”
A sweet snap from the 35 week mark.
(IMAGE: Instagram)In February 2023, just weeks before her due date, the soon to be parents revealed their joy, confirming to fans and followers that their bubs to be would be a boy.
In a sweet video shared to their socials, they simply wrote: ”Oh boy do we have news.”
But Martha wasn’t super stoked at the gender initially, telling KISS FM’s Will & Woody that she was ”devastated” over her unborn baby’s sex.
”Guys, I was 100 percent sure I was having a girl, like I only opened girl clothing tabs on my phone, I was so convinced,” she told the hosts.
”There was no chance in my mind it was going to be a boy, I had planed my whole life for this girl. I’ll be so honest with you guys. At the beginning, I was devastated like I was so upset. It took me a few days to like come to terms with it.”
The reality star quickly came around however, celebrating her upcoming birth with close friends at family at her baby shower mid February.
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