Andy Cohen just welcomed a baby boy! 🎉

Andy Cohen is one of the busiest people in television, and he’s about to get even busier because the Watch What Happens Live host just became a dad!

Baby Benjamin Allen Cohen came into the world Monday, and his dad shared the big news on Instagram.

“He is named after my grandfather Ben Allen. I’m in love. And speechless. And eternally grateful to an incredible surrogate. And I’m a dad. Wow,” Cohen captioned a photo of a sweet skin-to-skin moment with his baby boy.

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A post shared by Andy Cohen (@bravoandy)

Baby Ben’s birth comes a few weeks after Cohen announced he was expecting during a December episode of WWHL:

“After many years of careful deliberation, a fair amount of prayers and the benefit of science, if all goes according to plan in about six weeks time I’m going to become a father thanks to a wonderful surrogate who is carrying my future,” he said.

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A post shared by Andy Cohen (@bravoandy)

Cohen’s been single since the spring and didn’t mention a co-parent in either announcement. It seems he’s doing this as a single parent—and that’s a totally valid choice. For any new parent, single or not—including Andy Cohen—their village becomes so important after the baby arrives.

In those early days, weeks and months, we all need help. Every parent’s village looks different (Cohen’s will probably have more famous faces than most) and every parent’s needs are different.

That’s why Julie Smith, a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in parent coaching, previously told Motherly that one of the most powerful things members of the village can do for a new parent is asking them, “What do you need right now?”

By asking parents what they need, instead of presuming, we village members are letting them know that their needs matter as much as the baby’s, that we have confidence in their parenting and that they are not alone.

When we ask this crucial question we can avoid well-intentioned efforts that actually add more stress than they relieve, like showing up with casseroles when the freezer is already full (Cohen probably doesn’t need casseroles at all). We can meet parents’ needs in a really meaningful way.

New parenthood can be an exhausting experience, but it is one Cohen has been dreaming of for a long time.

“Family means everything to me and having one of my own is something that I have wanted in my heart for my entire life,” he said when he announced the pregnancy. “Though it’s taken me longer than most to get there, I cannot wait for what I envision will be the most rewarding chapter yet.”

The man who brought the Real Housewives into the world has brought a baby into the world, and we are so happy for him.

Congratulations Andy! 🎉

[A version of this post was published December 21, 2018. It was updated to reflect the birth.]

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