Bryce Dallas Howard has welcomed her second child into the world.

The Twilight actress gave birth to Beatrice Jean Howard-Gabel on Thursday. Her father, filmmaker Ron Howard, announced Bryce and husband Seth Gabel's happy news on Twitter.

"Beatrice Jean Howard-Gabel born Jan 19 2012 8lbs 6oz. Bryce & Baby B are spectacular. Daddy Seth & brother Theo are beaming ear to ear (sic)," he tweeted.

"Beatrice's arrival is hugely exciting for our family. Thanks for all the kind tweets folks."

Bryce and Seth also have four-year-old son Theo together.

The couple's new arrival comes after Bryce told talk show Jay Leno in August that Theo guessed that she was having a girl. Bryce and Seth found out the sex of the baby in September, but kept it a secret from the rest of their family.

The red-headed beauty has previously discussed her struggle with postpartum depression after her son's birth in 2007.

"It was so weird because he was born and it was just like this wave of nothingness. It lasted for a really long time. It lasted ultimately for 18 months," she previously revealed.

"It was like the further - again, a terrible thing to admit - but the further away that he was from me, the more normal I felt.

"It was like the closer in proximity I got to him I just started to get sucked into this kind of really dark place. I mean it was insidious. It was horrible."