Sean Duffy and Rachel Campos Duffy share photo of their newborn daughter, who has heart disease and Down syndrome

Sean Duffy and Rachel Campos Duffy revealed on Tuesday that they have welcomed their ninth child, a baby girl.

The baby is called Valentina StellaMaris Duffy and she was born on October 1.

On Tuesday, her mother shared a photograph of her on Instagram in which she appears swaddled in blankets with a tube inserted in her nose.

She also announced in a separate Facebook post how the baby was born with a heart defect and Down Syndrome.

‘Meet Valentina StellaMaris Duffy. She is the sweetest, most perfect thing we have ever seen. It’s a wonderful life!’ Rachel wrote.

In a Facebook post, she added: ‘She was born last week, one month before her due date. She is doing great, though still in the NICU until she learns to eat on her own.

‘I’m home now, trying to recover from my first C-section (hats off to all the c-section moms out there – I had no idea!) and working hard with my breast pump to keep up with her growing appetite.

Rachel Campos-Duffy shared this photo of her newborn daughter, Valentina, on Tuesday. The baby was born on October 1 , a month early, in Wisconsin. She has two holes in her heart and also has Down Syndrome

Rachel Campos-Duffy with Valentina and some of her other eight children. Valentina will remainin the hospital for the next few weeks

‘When we visit with her at the hospital, the kids fight over who can hold her – I don’t blame them! She’s the sweetest, most perfect angel we have ever seen,’ she said.

Campos-Duffy went on to explain the baby’s heart condition.

‘Valentina was born with a heart defect (2 holes in the heart and valves that need to be fixed). She will need surgery in 3-4 months.

‘As we suspected, Valentina was also born with an extra chromosome, which means she also has Downs Syndrome.

‘That extra chromosome certainly made her EXTRA cute. Life is wonderful!!’

Campos-Duffy then thanked ‘everyone who prayed’ for the infant.

Before her birth, her father announced he was resigning from his seat in Wisconsin in order to spend more time with his family.

The couple both appeared on MTV’s The Real World and married in 1999. Sean had a busy TV career before launching himself into politics.

He was serving as the Wisconsin’s 7th district representative until September, when the pair learned ahead of Valentina’s birth that she would be born with a hole in her heart.

‘Recently, we’ve learned that our baby, due in late October, will need even more love, time, and attention due to complications, including a heart condition.

‘With much prayer, I have decided that this is the right time for me to take a break from public service in order to be the support my wife, baby and family need right now. It is not an easy decision – because I truly love being your Congressman – but it is the right decision for my family, which is my first love and responsibility,’ he said.

He was supported by President Trump – whose 2016 presidential campaign he enthusiastically backed – and a handful of other Republicans.

Duffy met his future wife on the set of MTV’s ‘Road Rules: All Stars’ in 1999.

The two had appeared separately on Real World programs for the music network. Duffy was on The Real World: Boston and Campos-Duffy was on The Real World: San Francisco.