Nic Naitanui and Brittany Bown are celebrating the birth of their first child and their engagement, with Bown describing the “expansion of love” the couple have experienced since becoming parents.

The West Coast Eagles ruckman and his partner, a pilates instructor and lifestyle columnist for STM, welcomed their son Ezekiel Duke Naitanui on Monday, October 3rd at 6.34pm and have been enjoying the past 2.5 weeks in their “newborn bubble.”

Ezekiel, who arrived about a week past his due date, weighed 4kg (8.8 pounds) and was 54.5cm long.

The couple have extra reason to celebrate, revealing that Naitanui proposed to his partner of almost three years on August 29 as they holidayed in Broome after the John Worsfold Medal.

In a photograph released by the couple, taken by Hello Harlow Photography, a sleeping baby Ezekiel is cradled by his parents, with Bown’s stunning diamond ring on display.

In the STM this Sunday, free inside The Sunday Times, Bown reveals details about the engagement and the arrival of Ezekiel.

“I feel extremely grateful to be starting a family and the expansion of love I feel for Nic and the little human we created is the best feeling I have ever felt,” she writes.

“He is just perfect, and we look at him every day, OK more like every hour, in absolute awe.”

In an exclusive interview with STM earlier this year, the couple shared their excitement about becoming parents.

Bown said the Eagles ruckman’s relaxed attitude to life would provide a great balance to her information-hungry, well-researched approach.

“Nic is so fun, and I think he reminds me that sometimes that’s the best part of life,” she said.

“I feel very comfortable going into parenthood knowing our child is always going to have someone to play with and make them laugh.”

Naitanui said his partner of almost three years would be a “natural mother.”

“I think she’ll be perfect. She’s pretty good around children and has a very caring nature. So I think she’ll fit perfectly in the role being a mother,” he said.