Danielle Bergman and Bobby Dodd met their baby boy early!
The Married at First Sight couple welcomed their second child together, son Robert Elvin Dodd IV, at 12:01 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 14, they reveal exclusively to PEOPLE. The baby weighed in at 6 lbs., 5 oz. and measure 18.75 inches long.
"We are so excited to announce the birth of our baby boy, Robert Elvin Dodd IV. This time around we got the birth story of our dreams, given the circumstances," Bergman, who remains hospitalized with HELLP syndrome again, tells PEOPLE.
"Because symptoms of HELLP were beginning to set in, we were induced 3 weeks early but were able to have a smooth and peaceful birth," she adds. "He is a happy and healthy boy and we can't wait to bring him home to meet his sister."
"Olivia is having a blast at home with her grandparents and has no clue that things are about to change! They are exactly 22 months apart and we cannot wait to watch them grow up together," says Bergman.
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The reality star says it was "divine intervention" that they chose to induce on the "perfect day," explaining that if she were "still pregnant today, I would have gotten very sick, only another day or two."
"Delivering is the only treatment for HELLP, and since I already did yesterday, my body functions tanked today but should start recovering soon. I hope," she says. "[Our doctor] said the body response lags behind 12 and 24 hours, which is why we see numbers tanking the day after."
When they announced they were expecting back in June, Bergman told PEOPLE that their daughter "changed our lives in so many positive ways and we can't wait to be able to give her a sibling." She added at the time, "Bobby and I loved growing up with siblings and we can't wait to see the special bond they will form!"
Bergman, a software sales account executive, and Dodd, a construction project manager, married after meeting for the first time on season 7 of MAFS, which aired in 2018. Following Olivia's birth, the couple opened up about enduring a harrowing night of unknowns they'd experienced during the delivery.
"It took five days for my blood pressure to go down, and I was freaking out the entire time that I was going to have a stroke (or maybe worse) and miss my kid growing up. It was awful," she wrote in a blog for PEOPLE in January, detailing her scary night that included issues with blood clotting, showing signs of preeclampsia, constant vomiting and more.
She was eventually diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, a "life-threatening pregnancy complication usually considered to be a variant of preeclampsia," according to preeclampsia.org.
"We had planned on starting to try again for a baby as soon as we could to keep our kids close in age, but I have to say, this experience freaked us out so much that we considered keeping Olivia an only child," Bergman said at the time. "Luckily she is a happy and healthy little girl who has never had any issues from her rough entrance into the world!"
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