The actress opened up to ET days after welcoming her first child.
Andrea Brooks is opening up about her new bundle of joy.
The When Calls the Heart and Supergirl star -- who welcomed her baby girl on Saturday -- revealed her daughter's name to ET's Deidre Behar on Monday, and explained its special, emotional meaning.
"Her name is Viola," Brooks shared. "It’s a family name that belonged to my great grandmother. I have one of her lockets from the early 1900s and 'Viola' is inscribed on the back."
"When my husband and I started dating, I put a photo of the two of us in the locket," Brooks recalled. "The name has always meant a lot to me."
According to the actress, her baby girl "arrived right on time and was born on her actual due date," while she was sure all along that she'd end up having a "December baby."
"Birth is a wild journey that I cannot quite put into words. You just have to trust that your body knows what to do," Brooks said. "I am so very thankful for all the incredible doctors and nurses who practice obstetrics for a living. They are truly heroes."
This is Brooks' first baby, and the 30-year-old actress recalled what it was like to welcome her daughter into the world.
"My first thought was, 'She is SO big!' She opened her eyes right away and it was a very surreal moment," she reflected. "Nothing can prepare you for the first introduction. It’s very special."
Luckily, the transition into motherhood has been helped by the fact that Viola is "a fantastic baby."
"She’s settling in very well. She doesn’t seem to fuss unless there’s a good reason," Brooks said. "She does wake up in the night, but that is to be expected. She’s just so cute that I don’t even mind the lack of sleep."
Meanwhile, the new mom is also getting a ton of support and well-wishes from her co-stars on When Calls the Heart and Supergirl.
"There has been a lot of love on all of the cast group chats!" Brooks said. "I’m so lucky to work alongside so many wonderfully supportive actors."
"I can’t wait for Viola to meet everyone!" she added.
She also can't wait for the special present her mother is hand crafting to keep her little one warm for winter.
"My mom is currently knitting Viola a Baby Yoda hat," Brooks said, referring to the instantly beloved breakout character from the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian. "This makes me extremely happy!"
When Calls the Heart season seven will premiere in early 2020 on Hallmark Channel. ET was exclusively on the Vancouver set back in September, and sat down with the cast to have them answer one another's burning questions!
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