Channel 7’s Abbey Holmes welcomes first baby, shares brutal birth ordeal

AFLW great and Channel 7 star Abbey Holmes has has ticked off a huge life milestone — but it did not go exactly to plan.

Channel 7 AFL presenter Abbey Holmes and her husband Keegan Brooksby have welcomed their first baby together, a son named Braxton.

The pair shared the news on Instagram, revealing that the birth did not go exactly according to plan.

“Mummy laboured all day on Friday, only for me to be born via c section at 5:49pm on 6/6 weighing 3.585kg’s,” the caption read.

“My head was faaaar too large so we had to change our plans late in the piece!”

The couple shared a sweet picture of their newborn. Picture: abbeycholmes/Instagram

The new parents were all smiles despite their birth not going to plan. Picture: abbeycholmes/Instagram

The couple’s well-known friends were quick to offer celebratory messages under the birth announcement.

“Cool dude joining a cool crew,” wrote Australian comedian Dave Hughes.

“Congrats,” wrote radio presenter and AFL great Brendan Fevola.

Josh Daicos’ partner Annaliese Dalins commented: “Adorable — congratulations sweetheart xx sending you and your beautiful family lots of love.”

Seven News’ chief sports presenter Rebecca Maddern posted: “Oh Abbey I’ve been waiting for this news! He’s just perfect! Enjoy the love bubble - rest up.”

Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac added: “Glorious!!! So happy for you guys.”

The Instagram post shows photos of the newborn in a blue onesie and beanie, next to a toy bunny with the words, “my first bunny.”

The post also shows a smiling selfie of the new parents carrying their newborn.

The former AFWL star turned Channel 7 announced her pregnancy in January, saying her and her husband Keegan Brooksby were “on cloud nine”.

“Keegan and I have shared a very busy year, but 2025 is set to be our biggest and best yet. We could not be happier to welcome our first child into the world, later this year,” Holmes told The Herald Sun.

The pair announced their pregnancy in January. Picture: abbeycholmes/Instagram

Holmes made the discovery she was pregnant after incredibly running the New York Marathon in November, with the news coming as a total surprise.

“We are so excited and grateful to be in this position, as we know how difficult it can be for so many people. We’re on cloud nine and can’t wait for this next chapter.”

“We discovered that I was pregnant a few weeks after returning home from running the New York Marathon,” Holmes continued.

“As you can imagine, it was a bit of a shock given what I had just put my body through, but I’m in awe of what the human body can do.

“Keegan and I told our families at Christmas, which was a really special time for us all. We wanted to share our news with as many people as possible in person, so we’ve spent the last few weeks doing that. There were plenty of tears, that’s for sure.

“I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful start to my pregnancy, and we’re soaking up every moment.”

Abbey Holmes is a Channel 7 sports presenter. Picture: abbeycholmes/Instagram

The couple have been together since 2017. Picture: Michael Klein

The 33-year-old was an inaugural member of the Adelaide Crows’ AFLW team and since hanging up the boots, has been a key part of Seven’s AFL and AFLW commentary team.

As well as being a beloved commentator, Holmes has also appeared on reality TV shows Survivor and SAS Australia.

Her partner, Brooksby, is also a former AFL player.

He joined Gold Coast via the 2015 rookie draft and played 14 games in his three seasons at the club.

He spent one year at West Coast in 2019, where he didn’t manage to make an appearance, before playing one more AFL game at Hawthorn.

The couple have been together since 2017 after matching on a dating app.

Brooksby popped the question in Uluru in 2020 before the pair tied the knot in 2023.

Originally published as Channel 7’s Abbey Holmes welcomes first baby, shares brutal birth ordeal