TODAY’s Dylan Dreyer shares exciting update on her third baby

After having quite a scare earlier this week, Dylan Dreyer has some happy news about her third baby boy. Little Russell James was born on Wednesday, arriving six weeks ahead of his due date. Dreyer told fans on Instagram that her water broke Sunday, and doctors were trying to keep her baby “on the inside a little longer.”

Though he’s officially on the “outside” now, Dreyer’s son is doing well and receiving top-notch care. In a call with her TODAY show colleagues, she updated everyone with the good news that he’s breathing on his own.

“He’s in such good hands up in the NICU, which actually takes a lot of pressure off of me,” Dylan said. “He’s doing wonderful, he’s gaining weight, he’s breathing on his own, and he’s doing awesome. He just was in such a rush. I thought he could at least wait until today because today officially is 34 weeks. I guess that’s just a huge milestone in baby world.”

Her husband, Brian Fichera, shared a sweet post and the first photo of the couple’s baby boy:

On Tuesday, Dreyer said she was in labor.

“Just a little update as you won’t be seeing me on @todayshow or @3rdhourtoday for a while,” Dreyer, who is the meteorologist and 3rd hour co-host, wrote on Instagram. In the post, she shared two hospital room photos.

“My water broke Sunday evening and I’ve been hanging at the hospital. Our little guy is anxious to get out and meet us!” she continues. “Doctors are closely monitoring both of us and trying to keep him on the inside for a little while longer to get stronger.”

Dreyer and her husband, Brian Fichera, are already parents to sons Calvin, 4, and Oliver, 1. Back in May, she announced she was expecting her third baby—and blamed the show Bridgerton for getting pregnant (which, relatable). In an Instagram post at the time, Fichera shared an ultrasound photo, which he captioned, “When two people are quarantined together for over a year and Bridgerton is on…”

In his post, Fichera shared his admiration for his wife and excitement over his new son, Russell.

“Rusty managed to expedite immense love and joy into the world 6 weeks earlier than expected,” Fichera wrote. “His mother, @dylandreyernbc already went beyond what I thought possible a human could do to safely bring him into this world. I’m in awe and in love. Thank you for all of your well wishes and support.”

A version of this story was originally published on September 28, 2021. It has been updated.