For little Mary Louisa Whitford's sake, let's hope Jane Kaczmarek doesn't borrow her mommy-ing techniques from the Malcolm in the Middle playbook.
The actress, best known as Malcolm's tough-love matriarch, gave birth to Mary last week at Los Angeles' Good Samaritan Hospital, Kaczmarek's publicist confirmed Monday.
Mary made her debut at 9:32 a.m., on November 25, tipping the scales at 10 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 21 inches.
Mary marks the third joint production for Kaczmarek, who turns 47 on December 21, and her West Wing costar hubby, Bradley Whitford, 43.
"Mother and daughter are resting comfortably," the parents announced in a joint statement.
"Father is struggling with hair loss."
Kaczmarek and Whitford, who were married in 1993, already have a five-year-old daughter, Frances, and a two-year-old son, George.
Now it's only a matter of time before Malcolm gets a new sibling himself.
In July, Kaczmarek told her hometown paper, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, that her pregnancy would be written into the show. "The plan is to do some episodes [with her character, Lois] not pregnant and then some pregnant."
So far this season, Lois has been decidedly un-pregnant. But Fox spokeswoman Jill Hudson tells E! Online that Lois' pregnancy will become a plot point during February sweeps.
When Kaczmarek was preggers with kid number two (aka George) during Malcolm's first season in 1999, producers came up with creative ways of disguising her increasing girth, hiding her burgeoning belly behind chairs, frying pans and refrigerator doors.
Hudson also said that the show's brain trust planned ahead for Kaczmarek's delivery, so there will be no production delays while mommy and daughter get acquainted.
Meanwhile, Kaczmarek and Whitford can afford plenty of diapers for their newbie. Kaczmarek recently inked a new deal giving her $100,000 per episode for Malcolm's current fourth season and $150,000 per episode for the 2003-04 season.
Last year, the Emmy-winning Whitford and his Wing mates negotiated substantial pay hikes netting them a reported $75,000 per episode.