Hallmark Star Welcomes Baby Boy After Secret Pregnancy

Pixabay A newborn's feet held in his parents' heart-shaped hands

After keeping her pregnancy a secret until just a few weeks ago, “When Calls the Heart” star Andrea Brooks has been flooded with celebratory messages from Hallmark Channel colleagues and fans after revealing her baby boy with husband Riley Graydon has arrived. Born December 17, 2022, the baby’s name is Levon, in honor of Brooks’ favorite Elton John song, per Entertainment Tonight. Here’s what you need to know:

Andrea Brooks Posts First Photo With Newborn

Brooks, who plays Hope Valley doctor Faith Carter on Hallmark’s popular “When Calls the Heart” series and has appeared in multiple movies on the network, shared an Instagram photo on the day of baby Levon’s birth. In the photo, her newborn is wrapped in a blanket, getting some skin-to-skin contact on his mom’s chest. Brooks simply added a white heart emoji as her caption.

Entertainment Tonight (ET) reported that Levon arrived weighing 10 lbs. and 6 oz. He is Brooks’ and Graydon’s second child; they also have three-year-old Viola.

“I’m most excited for Viola to step into the big sister role,” Brooks told ET in November. “Four is such a nice, even number. I’m hoping the even parent-to-kid ratio works out for us. I’m in awe of any family where the kids outnumber the parents. How do you guys do it?”

Numerous Hallmark colleagues wrote messages of congratulations on Brooks’ Instagram post, including Lacey Chabert, and her post was flooded by excited fans.

WTHC co-star Erin Krakow wrote, “So happy for you guys!!!” and Pascale Hutton commented, “Perfection. Congratulations mama!!!” Jack Wagner also liked the post.

Andrea Brooks Kept Much of Her Pregnancy a Secret

Though many of her “Hearties” castmates knew Brooks was expecting as they filmed season 10, Brooks kept her second pregnancy a secret from her fans until November, sharing an Instagram photo of herself holding her belly and writing, “Surprise!”

On November 16, she posted another photo from a trailer on the set, holding her baby bump.

“It’s definitely a lot different the second time around as I know what to expect,” she said. “Surprisingly, I’ve had a lot less cravings with this pregnancy. Last time I was all about pickles, eggnog and Subway sandwiches.”

“Erin Krakow still texts me pictures of subs to this day because it was such an integral part of my last pregnancy,” she continued. “Right now I’m finding myself eating veggies with hummus at all hours of the day, and I’ve also started drinking big cups of hot chocolate every time we do night shoots at work.”

Though Brooks and her husband finally settled on Levon for the baby’s name, the actress revealed they were struggling only a few weeks ago to decide what to call their baby boy.

“I’m at a bit of a loss right now when it comes to the name game,” she told ET in early November. “I have a working list on my phone at the moment but it changes frequently. I keep telling myself I’m going to sit down one of these weekends and finalize a name! Viola, on the other hand, has already named the baby! If we’re not careful I’m afraid she might sign the birth certificate on our behalf.”