Baby joy... Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles. Photo: Getty Images
Pop megastar Beyonce Knowles has given birth to her first child, a baby girl named Blue Ivy Carter.
The child will be the first for the 30-year-old singer and her hip-hop star husband Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter.
In a statement released by the couples representatives, they say they are 'in heaven' over her birth.
"Hello Hello Baby Blue!" the statement begins.
"We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012. Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven. She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs and it was the best experience of both of our lives. "
"We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support. Beyoncé & Jay-Z."
Jay-Z has even found time to pen a new song inspired by "the most beautiful girl in the world" - his newborn daughter.
The song, Glory, made its debut on his social website, Life and Times, on Monday - two days after he and Beyonce reportedly gave birth to Blue Ivy.
"You're my child of a child from Destiny's Child..." he raps.
In the song, Jay-Z talks about where the child was conceived - in Paris - and even reveals that Beyonce had a miscarriage at one point.
"Last time the miscarriage was so tragic/We was afraid you'd disappear/But nah baby you magic."
The song is credited to "Jay-Z feat B.I.C" for Blue Ivy Carter, whose cries can be heard at the end of the song.
There has been much speculation about the meaning of Blue Ivy.
Many US media outlets reported that Blue was a reference to Jay-Z's favourite colour.
"My favorite hue is Jay-Z blue," he rapped in his song Go Crazy.
Jay-Z also had a series of albums called The Blueprint.
Ivy was also thought to be a symbol for the number four - Beyonce's favourite number - coming from the Roman numerals IV.
The Twitter world has responded quickly to the news of the birth, with hundreds of tweets congratulating the couple on the safe arrival of their first child within an hour of the baby's birth.
Close friend Gwyneth Paltrow tweeted "Welcome to the world Blue! We love you already."
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