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Beyoncé, Jay-Z, And Lenox Hill Hospital Release Statements Regarding Baby Blue Ivy
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 10, 2012
Modified Jan 10, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 10, 2012
Modified Jan 10, 2012
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FINALLY, the papers are paying attention to the birth of the Most Important Baby Of All Time, or at least since baby Thom Yorke arrived in 1968: Blue Ivy Carter. There's a lot of ink spilled out there today regarding Beyoncé and Jay-Z's three-day old girl, who has already made her musical debut crying on Jay-Z's song to her, which you can listen to below. And now the happy couple has released a statement, presumably from their private birthing center, Lenox Hill Hospital:
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.
The new parents have left other non-famous new parents unhappy, however. We've already heard from Neil Nash-Coulon of Bed-Stuy, who was kept from seeing his premature newborn babies in the neonatal ICU because Beyoncé was in the vicinity. Now another dad is speaking out, Edgar Ramirez told CBS 2 he was also kept from the the intensive care unit when trying to see his newborn daughter—“I was arguing with the security guards to go see my baby. ‘Why not? We can’t, we can’t.’ I couldn’t see my baby until three hours later because of the security." The security guards were reportedly wearing badges that read "special event."
Lenox Hill Hospital's Executive Director has responded to criticism over the special treatment, saying:
“Lenox Hill Hospital and its staff were delighted to welcome the Carter family for the birth of their firstborn on Saturday evening, but we are troubled by the misinformation being circulated in some news media reports. The suggestion that the couple paid $1.3 million to rent an entire maternity floor is simply not true. The family is housed in an executive suite at the hospital and is being billed the standard rate for those accommodations.
Our executive suites are available for any patient, including the food service and amenities provided to the Carter family.
The family does have its own security detail on site. However, the hospital has been and continues to be in control of managing all security at the facility. We have made every effort to ensure minimal disruption to other families experiencing the births of their own children over the past three days. No security plan that we or the Carter’s security team put in place would have prevented or delayed families from gaining access to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and to date, no families have complained to the hospital about being denied access to the NICU.
Lenox Hill Hospital takes patient privacy and safety very seriously. And while we congratulate the Carter family on the birth of their child, we value the loyalty of ALL of our patients and always strive to ensure a positive experience, knowing that the birth of a child is a wonderful moment producing memories that last a lifetime.”
The statement conflicts with what other parents have been relaying to the media over the past few days, however, and also with a doctor who has delivered babies at the hospital. Speaking anonymously, the doctor told the NY Times "that two months ago he learned from obstetrical personnel at the hospital that a sixth-floor area previously used for medical observation before delivery had been cordoned off and was being rebuilt as a private suite, at no cost to the hospital. The physician, who insisted that his name be withheld, said that even at that time, the suite was rumored to be for Ms. Knowles."
Tagged
baby
beyoncé
blue ivy
blue ivy carter
hospital
jay-z
lenox hill
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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