Joey Lawrence Baby Daughter Survives Early Health Scare

It was a difficult world premiere for Joey Lawrenc baby daughter Liberty Grace — after the tot was delivered prematurely and spent five days in an intensive care unit battling a devastating blood disorder.

Lawrence and his wife Chandi Yawn-Nelson welcomed Liberty on March 4 after a difficult pregnancy, which saw the mom-to-be diagnosed with with Rh, a rare blood disease which can often cause babies to be stillborn.

“We had to go to the specialist every 24 hours during the last two or three weeks of the pregnancy,” Joey tells Life & Style. “We were so worried. We wanted to get Libby out so bad.”

The couple was relieved when the tot was delivered safely — weighing in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces — but they faced an anxious wait after doctors spent nearly a week assessing their daughter before she was allowed to go home. Libby’s now 100% healthy.

The couple also has a three-year-old daughter named Charli.

“They handed Libby to me first, even before they cleaned her off. I held her for a second and then they took her from me and locked her in a tube (intensive care unit),” says the proud pop. “Our family of four is perfect,” Joey says. “We’d love to try for a boy, but unfortunately we’d have to deal with the Rh stuff every time. So if it’s not in the cards, then that’s okay. We’re blessed with two healthy girls.”

The former teen star will join Sabrina The Teenage Witch actress Melissa Joan Hart in the new sitcom Melissa & Joey, premiering on ABC Family this fall.