Michael Phelps welcomes FOURTH child! Swimming legend and wife Nicole announce the birth of their son and reveal his name alongside a sweet photo

Swimming legend Michael Phelps has become a father for the fourth time.

The athlete, 38, and his wife Nicole Johnson, 38, shared the happy news in a joint Instagram post on Monday with an adorable family photo.

Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, was pictured shirtless next to Nicole as they held their new bundle of joy: son Nico Michael.

He wrote in the caption that the little one was born last Tuesday: “@mrs.nicolephelps and I would like to welcome Nico Michael Phelps to the world. Born on 16/1.'

“We are so blessed to be having a fourth child. We are now a family of six!' he added with several laughing emojis.

The pair are also parents to sons Boomer, seven, Beckett, five, and Maverick, four.

The adorable post quickly gathered well wishes from their family, friends and followers.

Michael's sister Hilary Phelps wrote: 'Alexander and I can't wait to meet him. ❤️ Sending so much love and blessings to you all with the newest arrival!'

Travis Barker's ex Shanna Moakler wrote: “Congratulations, this makes me so happy.”

Tennis legend Caroline Wozniacki sent three emojis with red hearts and a “congratulations!”

“The Phelps Relay is Complete!!!” another commenter wrote playfully. 'An entire relay team! Congratulations!' someone else agreed.

'He managed to win everything in the group and now he also wins outside it by having a nice family of four boys.'

Nicole announced last October on their seventh wedding anniversary that she is pregnant with their fourth child together.

Sharing seven photos from her camera roll, the former beauty queen, who won Miss California in 2010, confirmed that another little one is on the way.

“For those wondering… yes! we are expecting our fourth Phelps in 2024,” she captioned her Instagram slideshow, alongside a photo of herself cradling her baby bump while watching the Ravens vs. Arizona Cardinals attended.

In the image, she had one hand on her stomach and the other wrapped around the swimmer as they stood on the football field at State Farm Stadium.

The swimmer has been excited about fatherhood over the years, including family dinners with his family every day at 5 p.m.

“As a kid, I always wanted to go out to eat as a family, but now that my parents were divorced, that didn't happen often,” Michael said People in 2021. 'I love that we eat together at the same time every night.'

Phelps, who has been open about battling depression and anxiety, also praised his sons for “talking about their emotions.”

'It gives me a lot of hope. I just want them to be as prepared as possible,” he told the outlet.

During the interview, Johnson revealed on days when her husband “couldn't get out of bed” that their children “either try to be near him or they wonder what he's experiencing.”

'We don't hide from emotions. “We teach them that mom or dad is having a moment and we need to give them space or ask if they want a hug,” she said. “And that has taught them that they have permission to listen to their feelings too.”

He went on to say that parenthood has taught him “a lot of patience” and that he was “just getting started” as a father.

“It's hard, but you just have to figure it out and make it work,” he added. 'That's what you do as parents. There is no manual on how to do this. You'll find out as you go along.'

The couple met in 2007 at the ESPYs before splitting in 2012.

They later reconciled in 2014 and eventually got engaged in 2015, a year before they welcomed their first child.

After competing in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro later that year, the gifted athlete announced his apparent final retirement from professional competition.

Their second son, Beckett, was born in February 2018.

“We'd love a girl,” he said. 'Love, love, love a girl. We wanted a boy first, in case we had more children. [so] he could be the protector of his younger brother or sisters.”

He added: 'So we started on a perfect note: we have a boy. We have a beautiful, healthy baby boy and we want to continue growing our family.”

They eventually had a third boy in 2019, whom they named Maverick Phelps.