A professional rugby player has revealed he had his newborn baby daughter induced this week so her birth didn't clash with his team's big game.
Jarome Luai was expecting his third child with partner Bailey Paris Toleafoa, but when her due date edged closer to an important decider match, the couple decided to get things moving along.
The Aussie rugby star is due to join his team, the Penrith Panthers, this coming Sunday (2 October) in Australia's National Rugby League Grand Final against the Parramatta Eels, and has moved mountains to make sure he'll be on the pitch.
Jarome and Bailey, who are already parents to Izzy, four, and Akira, 10 months, welcomed their third child Halo on Monday (26 September), later confirming that they had decided to accelerate the process by inducing labour.
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Taking to Instagram to announce the good news, Jarome, 25, shared an adorable photo of his newborn baby in her hospital bed. He also posted some gorgeous snaps on his Instagram Stories of his eldest child Akira meeting his little sister for the first time.
The following day, at the rugby club's fan and media day, Jarome explained his and Bailey's decision to induce labour early.
"We planned it previously that if we were to make the grand final that Bailey would get induced on Monday", he told AAP.
"She was due today. It just feels like the stars have aligned for us. They're special moments that I'll never forget and cherish until I die.
"Just grateful and blessed that baby's healthy and my partner's healthy and now I can focus on the job at hand."
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The arrival of Jarome's third child comes soon after his opponent, Mitchell Moses, missed the birth of his first child to play in the Parramatta's preliminary final last week.
Jarome Luai has confirmed that the safe and healthy arrival of his baby girl meant that he'd be joining his team at the NRL Grand Final at Accor Stadium in Sydney, as he had planned.
The rugby star joked that, with three children under the age of four, he might have trouble resting up this week ahead of the final.
But he assured fans: "I'm sweet. I'll get my sleep and my missus will make sure I'm getting sleep anyway.
"She's that type of person. Very selfless. She knows how much this means to me and the boys."
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Noting that his partner Bailey was happy to 'play her part', he promised that he'd make it up to her by doing his best "to bring a ring home for her."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@jaromeluai_Topics: News, Australia, Parenting