It’s the celebrity baby story of all celebrity baby stories. Announcing her pregnancy less than six months ago, Beyonce gave birth to her daughter, named Blue Ivy Carter. Yet, even with this seemingly good news, the gossip rags still unearthed semi-sordid details from anonymous witnesses. Us Weekly, for instance, goes on about the extreme security measures the couple and their entourage took while staying at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. Called “insane” by one bystander, security, however, is practically necessary, considering the crazed nature of the paparazzi.
One parent sharing the same space with Beyonce and Jay-Z’s group describes being pushed out for the sake of security. He said: “They just used the hospital like it was their own and nobody else mattered. […] They locked us into the NICU and would say, ‘You can’t come out to the hallway for the next 20 minutes.’ When I finally was able to go back out, I went to the waiting room and they’d ushered my family downstairs!”
Do you think witnesses are exaggerating? Is this level of security necessary for the famous couple? Those quoted, however, may just be overstating for the sake of gossip. A hospital spokesperson told the magazine that, while the couple did reserve space, they didn’t take up a full floor.
Not even a week old, Blue Ivy already appears in a song and had a statement released. Written by Jay-Z, “Glory,” now already available online, features his daughter’s first cries. An ordinary couple – one without multiple chart-topping albums – might put out a simple birth announcement, printed with a photo of the new baby, to family and friends, but Jay-Z and Beyonce did theirs on a large scale, having a publicist put out a statement that reads much like a birth announcement:
Hello Hello Baby Blue!
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
