Beyonce, Jay-Z Welcome Baby Girl

Two of America's biggest musical artists and pop icons, Beyonce Knowles and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, have welcomed their first child together yesterday.

The baby girl, Blue Ivy Carter, was born by caesarian section late Saturday night (January 7) at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. The couple had reserved one whole wing of the hospital, shelling out a reported $1.3 million along with an extra $200,000 for additional private guards to seal off all access. Security cameras were also taped over to ensure the couple's privacy.

The couple's famous friends took to Twitter quickly to send their congrats.

"Welcome to the world princess Carter! Love Aunty Rih," tweeted Rihanna late Saturday night. Gwyneth Paltrow wrote early Sunday morning, "Welcome to the world Blue! We love you already."

"The most beautiful girl in the world," Beyonce's sister Solange Knowles added.

Rumors that the couple were ready to welcome their first child swarmed the internet on December 28th after American news website Media Takeout reported that a "celebrity VIP" had been admitted to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital.

Beyonce announced her pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards in late August, when she revealed her growing belly during a performance. The announcement came two months after the release of Beyonce's fourth solo album, 4, which has sold 1.04 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That same month, Jay-Z released Watch the Throne, his collaboration with Kanye West.

To date, Beyonce has 12 top 10 pop singles in the U.S. as a solo artist and has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide. She has also earned 16 Grammy Awards, three more than Jay-Z, who has sold approximately 50 million albums worldwide.

The rapper and former Destiny's Child leader began dating in 2002. Their collaborative hits include "Crazy in Love," "'03 Bonnie and Clyde," and "Deja Vu." The two married on April 4, 2008.