Via Billboard Music

Beyonce Knowles and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, two of  America’s biggest musical artists, have welcomed their first  child together.

The 30-year-old pop singer gave birth to a baby girl late last night (Jan. 7) in NYC, according to The Houston Chronicle. The baby girl’s     name is Ivy Blue Carter!   E! Online News reports that although “the couple’s reps have not immediately responded to calls seeking     comment,” the proud dad is telling his friends that his and Bey’s baby girl’s name is Blue Ivy Carter.

Rumors that Beyonce and Jay-Z were ready to welcome their first child swarmed the Internet on Wednesday (Dec. 28) after reports ran that a celebrity patient was about to check in at  St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York.

Music mogul Russell Simmons also confirmed the arrival of the bundle of joy, tweeting “congrats to my good friends Beyonce and Jay-Z.”

A very pregnant Beyoncé had checked into the upper East Side hospital on Friday night under the name “Ingrid Jackson,” a hospital staffer told the Daily News.,

On Saturday night, people were seen bringing bags of takeout and a dozen bottles of red wine onto the heavily guarded hospital wing.

After 11 p.m., even doctors and nurses were barred from entering the fourth floor, prompting one doc to complain that he had patients to see.

In an effort to keep images from leaking to the public, hospital workers placed tape over security cameras and are forcing employees to turn in cell phones when they arrive for their shifts, a source said.

Several security guards were spotted patrolling the perimeter of the hospital Saturday night.

A Lenox Hill staffer confirmed that a patient named Ingrid Jackson was in a “labor room.”

According to  MediaTakeOut, a “celebrity VIP” had  reserved half of the labor and delivery floor at the hospital  on Wednesday. Beyonce’s pal Alicia Keys reportedly gave birth  to her first son, Egypt, at the same hospital last year

Beyonce announced her pregnancy on Aug. 28 on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards, hours before performing her  joyful single, “Love on Top.” The announcement came exactly two months after the release of “4,” Beyonce’s fourth solo album,   which has sold 1.04 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Earlier that month, Jay-Z released “Watch The Throne,” a collaborative album with   Kanye West.
Following the pregnancy announcement, Beyonce released a  series of music videos supporting “4,” including clips for  “Countdown,” “Party” and “Love on Top,” as well as a DVD  showcasing her four performances at New York’s Roseland Ballroom in August. Jay-Z and Beyonce were originally believed     to be expecting their first child in February 2012, but a     behind-the-scenes clip from the “Countdown” video shoot in  September suggests that Beyonce was six months pregnant at the time of filming, and that the couple was expecting a December     arrival.
The best-selling rapper and former Destiny’s Child leader began dating in 2002, and have collaborated on hit singles like  “Crazy in Love,” “’03 Bonnie and Clyde” and “Deja Vu.” The couple married in April 2008.