NFL star Shaquil Barrett welcomes baby 9 months after daughter's death
Congratulations are in order for Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett and his wife Jordanna Barrett!
Jordanna Barrett announced the baby's arrival on social media over the weekend, saying she gave birth on Saturday.
"We welcomed Our sweet Allanah Ray, our heart is so full! 💕 2•3•24 we love you so much already babygirl!" she wrote alongside a carousel of Instagram photos of their newborn.
In a follow-up photo post, she added, "Eyes are finally open! We are so in love with you Allanah Ray💖."
Allanah, the Barretts' fifth child, was born nine months after the family's 2-year-old daughter Arrayah died, after she fell into a swimming pool at their home and drowned.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is a leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4, and the second-leading cause of death for kids between the ages of 5 and 14. Many drowning incidents involving children occur in swimming pools. Every year, about 4,000 people -- both children and adults -- die from an unintentional drowning.
In an Instagram post last June, Jordanna Barrett said it had been "a few weeks" after Arrayah's unexpected death when she and her husband learned they were expecting another child.
"A few weeks after our sweet girls heaven day, Shaquil and I found out we were expecting!" she wrote at the time. "I just know Arrayah had a special hand in picking this sweet girl to add to our family! 🌸🩷 we are so beyond blessed, so beyond grateful that God chose to give us another little girl! We miss our Arrayah every second of every day, but I rest in knowing she's going to be the best big sister angel to little miss Allanah!"
Shaquil Barrett and Jordanna Barrett also recently celebrated their 12th anniversary, sharing loving tributes to each other on Instagram.
"12 years married!! It's been plenty of ups and downs. Thanks for sticking with me through it all. I love you sweetheart," Shaquil Barrett wrote in his post.
"12 years ❤️ happy anniversary baby! I love you more today, than yesterday, and I'd choose you over and over again. My other half, my very best friend. Thank you for choosing me! I love you!" Jordanna Barrett wrote in a separate Instagram post.
