The Bachelor alum Nick Viall and Natalie Joy welcome their first baby

The Bachelor family just got a little bigger.

Nick Viall, who starred on the reality show in 2017 after finishing second on two seasons of The Bachelorette, announced Monday that he and his fiancée, Natalie Joy, have welcomed their first child, a girl.

River Rose Viall was born Feb. 2, according to a joint Instagram post from the couple. "Named after Natalie's great grandmother and niece…the best part of life starts now," they wrote in their caption.

Viall and Joy announced their engagement in January 2023, then announced Joy’s pregnancy in August.

Viall became a member of Bachelor Nation in 2014, on season 10 of The Bachelorette, ultimately placing second when Andi Dorfman gave the last rose to Josh Murray. Viall returned for season 11, joining midway through the season but finishing in second again when Kaitlyn Bristowe selected Shawn Booth. He then became the Bachelor in 2017, and proposed to Vanessa Grimaldi in the final episode before the couple broke up in August of that year.

Last year, Viall was one of three contestants who successfully passed rigorous military-style training on the second season of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test. He passed alongside fellow Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron and Olympic speed skater Erin Jackson.

Viall spoke to PEOPLE about being away from Joy during her pregnancy so he could compete on the show. "It was a bit nerve-wracking just because Natalie had just started morning sickness, or for her, it was more like all-day sickness. So I felt pretty guilty about that," he said. "We had our first doctor's appointment coming up, so it was hard to be away from her. And thankfully, I had her support and I knew that she really wanted me to do well."

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• JoJo Siwa flexes with Bachelor Nation bros Nick Viall and Tyler Cameron: 'Chosen family'
• Jimmy Fallon geeks out over Elijah Wood's friendship with The Bachelor Nick Viall
• See Bachelor alum Nick Viall make his acting debut on Speechless