NBC News' Hallie Jackson and Frank Thorp Welcome Daughter Monroe — Almost a Month Early

Hallie Jackson‘s baby girl has arrived!

The NBC News chief White House Correspondent, 35, welcomed her first child with Frank Thorp, a producer and reporter for NBC News’ Capitol Hill Team, on Monday, March 9, Today‘s Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin and Al Roker announced on Wednesday’s episode.

Monroe Jackson Thorp (whom the new parents will call “Ro” for short) was born weighing 5 lbs., 9 oz., and measuring 19 inches long. Monroe’s name was chosen in honor of her great-great-great grandfather on her mom’s side — and her arrival was an unexpected one, as she wasn’t due until early April.

“While we were not expecting the child of two journalists to arrive three and a half weeks ahead of her deadline, Ro clearly saw no need to wait any longer,” Jackson says in a statement. “It just makes us all the more eager to see the world through her big, curious eyes.”

“Everyone tried to prepare me for how overwhelmingly awesome it is to meet your child for the first time, but nothing could have prepared me for the experience of watching Hallie bring Ro into this world with such amazing strength and grace,” adds Thorp. “I’m so excited to show our little Ro the world as a family.”

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Jackson revealed her pregnancy news in November during Sunday Today with Willie Geist’s Sunday Mail segment, saying she was “so excited” and feeling “awesome.”

Asked about how her pregnancy journey has been thus far, Jackson (who revealed at the time that the baby was due in early April) said she had experienced “a lot of exhaustion” during her first trimester.

The then-mother-to-be went on to explain that her decision to wear blue while she broke the big news was just a “decoy” tactic.

“I don’t have a hot pink one,” Jackson quipped, as she revealed the couple was expecting a baby girl.

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Opening up about the happy news, Jackson wrote on Twitter that she felt “overwhelmed with gratitude for all the love and support” surrounding her pregnancy announcement.

“Thank you, truly. and a shoutout from Frank and me to @TODAYshow & @WillieGeist for making this morning memorable (and a bonus surprise cameo from @hodakotb!)” she wrote, alongside a slideshow of images — one of which showed Kotb, 55, giving Jackson a hug.

Sharing the happy photo of herself and Thorp holding their baby on the way’s onesie, she described pregnancy as “our best adventure yet.”

In his own social media post, Thorp wrote, “Every day is an adventure with @hallie_gram by my side, and I can’t wait to show this little person the world as a family!! Sleepless nights start in April!”