Beaming Becks arrives at the hospital after his wife's birth
David and Victoria Beckham have said they were "delighted" to announce the birth of their third son Cruz.
The latest addition to the Beckham family was born at 9.40am (GMT) this morning in a Madrid hospital weighing 7 lbs 2 oz.
Both mother and child are "in perfect health" following a planned caesarean section at the Ruber International Hospital in the Spanish capital.
A statement released today said: "David and Victoria Beckham are delighted to announce the birth of their baby boy Cruz Beckham, born today at 10.40am (Spanish time) at the Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid.
"The baby's weight is 3 kilos, 200 grams. (7 lbs 2 oz)
"Both mother and baby are well and the family would like to thank Dr Vidal, Dr Gillard and all the medical team for their help and support."
Spokesman for the couple, Simon Oliveira, said he could not comment further on the choice of name, a Spanish surname which translates as "cross".
Planned caesarean
Dr Vidal Pelaez, head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the Ruber International Hospital said: "At 10.40am today Victoria Beckham had a caesarean, which had been planned, giving birth to a boy.
"Medical intervention lasted 30 minutes with no complications whatsoever. Mother and child are in perfect health."
The couple announced Victoria's third pregnancy in August last year, saying they were "delighted" at the "fantastic news".
The baby was initially said to be due in early March but recent reports had claimed the 30-year-old former Spice Girl would have a caesarean on Friday next week.
The couple celebrated the birth of their first son Brooklyn - named after the place where he was conceived - now five, in March 1999.
In September 2002, Victoria gave birth to their second son Romeo, two, at the private Portland Hospital in London.
Affair allegations
News of her latest pregnancy came after allegations that Beckham had an affair.
In April last year, the footballer was forced to make an on-the record denial of claims of an affair with 26-year old personal assistant Rebecca Loos.
Beckham branded the allegations "ludicrous" in a statement issued soon afterwards.
He said at the time: "The simple truth is that I am very happily married, have a wonderful wife and two very special kids.
"There is nothing that any third party can do to change these facts."
Speculation over the Beckhams' marriage first surfaced in September 2003 after the footballer's transfer to Spain.
The news that they planned to have the baby in Spain bolstered Victoria's pledge to concentrate her attention on being by her husband's side in Madrid.
Last night Beckham played for Real Madrid but the team lost 2-0 against Athletic Bilbao at the home stadium Bernabeu.
Bookmakers William Hill are offering odds of 100/1 that baby Cruz will one day play first team football for England, 500/1 that two sons will play for England, 1000/1 that all three boys will play for England and 10,000/1 that they all play for Spain.
Lola Oria, Spanish language tutor at Oxford University, said Cruz was commonly used as a surname in Spain and South America.
Although Cruz the Christian can be used as an old fashioned-sounding Christian name for girls in Spain it is virtually unheard of as a boys' Christian name, she said.
Sources close to the couple said there were no problems that had forced Victoria to have the baby earlier than expected.
She had to have a caesarean because her first two children were born that way, also for medical reasons.
Brooklyn was a breech birth and Victoria's second caesarean, when baby Romeo was born, was on doctor's orders.
William Hill later said that no one managed to guess the name of the baby, adding that the closest anyone got was Santa.
David Beckham's new baby son has been named after a girl, according to language experts.
The England captain and wife Victoria chose to call their their third child Cruz, after he arrived by caesarean section at a Madrid hospital on Sunday night.
But Lola Oria, a Spanish language tutor at Oxford University, said: "I think it is quite a stupid name, frankly.
"They will have problems in Spain because it will be seen as a name for girls. It is an old-fashioned girl's name and also it is quite clearly Spanish and difficult to pronounce for an English-speaking person. It is quite a strange thing to do to a little boy."
Spanish scholar Brett Oliver added: "Cruz is a common surname - it means cross and is definitely feminine."
Speculation is rife as to why the Beckhams picked the unusual moniker, pronounced Crooth.
Tom Cruise is a close friend of the couple and has been to see David play for Real Madrid, while his ex-girlfriend is actress Penelope Cruz.
On the footballing front you have Athletic Bilbao's Jesus La Cruz and Ulises de la Cruz of Aston Villa - or how about Manchester's biggest gay club, Cruz 101?
Beckham has the names of his other sons, Brooklyn and Romeo, tattooed on his back, together with a cross on his neck - coincidence or forward planning?
There's also the theory that little Cruz has been named after what daddy does best with a ball - or Victoria's mood upon hearing the name Rebecca Loos.
But it would be nice to think the little fella was given the title as a tribute to one of TV's biggest stars - cabaret singer Jane McDonald from...The Cruise. She would be so proud.
I still find in really wierd that Victoria was SO protective of this pregnancy. She was never seen in publich without a big bag or a poncho on or something to cover up her lump for the entire nine months, they advised the media of a false cesaerian date and then went in early and hushed it all up.
I know that they like to have some privacy, but they have been so glad to give the media what it wants before, why all the secrecy now?
And all this fuss over the kids name doesn't matter. No celebrity child has a normal name. They're all worried about the kids goinmg to school in Spain annd getting teased. The family will be back in England the second that David's contract expires with Real Madrid, so there's nothing to worry about there.
Cruz Beckham had a busy first day in this world, meeting his two brothers, getting visits from his famous dad, and receiving scores of presents from well-wishers.
And one of the first gifts he was presented with was a cute cream teddy bear wearing a Real Madrid shirt with his own name but his father's number – 23 – emblazoned on the back. The furry toy was carried in by a beaming David, who's been spending as much time as he can at the hospital when not training with the squad.
The Beckham's third son, who was delivered on Sunday at Madrid's plush Ruber hospital, has already met brothers Brooklyn, who'll be celebrating his fifth birthday next week, and two-year-old Romeo, both of whom have their own number 23 shirts.
Among the other famous faces dropping in to visit Victoria and her new baby was David's team mate Zinedine Zidane, himself a father of three boys, who visited along with his wife Veronique. And the rest of the Real Madrid have been teasing David about which squad Cruz should play for when he grows up – England or Spain.
Delighted dad David arriving with a cuddly gift for his third son, who he says has his mum's nose and mouth but is a mixture of both parents
The new teddy was wearing a Real Madrid shirt with David's number and Cruz's name on the back
Becks' teammate Zinedine Zidane, himself a father of three boys, visiting with his wife Veronique and one of their sons
Doting dad David Beckham has had the name of his baby son Cruz sewn in to his football boots. The pin-up was snapped wearing the custom-made shoes during a Champions League match between Real Madrid and Juventus.
Beckham, who has a multi-million pound contract with boot manufacturers Adidas, already has the names of his two sons, Brooklyn, and Romeo embroidered on his boots.
Superstitious David, 29, has also used feng shui symbols in a bid to improve his football performance.
In 2002, Beckham sparked controversy with animal rights groups by having his baby son's name stitched in to a pair of kangaroo skin football boots.
schmiggens said this in post #4 : I still find in really wierd that Victoria was SO protective of this pregnancy. She was never seen in publich without a big bag or a poncho on or something to cover up her lump for the entire nine months, they advised the media of a false cesaerian date and then went in early and hushed it all up.
I could only manage to find two pictures of Victoria Beckham actually looking pregnant, wihtout a poncho or something on. She's usually so out there, this time she's been so secretive about it.
Victoria Beckham has arrived home with her newborn baby Cruz.
David Beckham's wife and son were released from hospital on Wednesday night after Victoria gave birth to the couple's third son on Sunday.
The Beckhams left the hospital in Madrid even as bodyguards held up a huge banner to prevent reporters from taking pictures of the new baby.
David Beckham had spent Tuesday night at the hospital. He returned on Wednesday evening after a training session with Real Madrid teammates and drove his family away in a sports utility vehicle.
Victoria and her son are now in the Beckham's mansion in one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods of Madrid.
Victoria Beckham set to quit Spain and move back to Britain
The former Spice Girl, who gave birth to her third son, Cruz, in Madrid last week, is said to be fed-up with life in the Spanish capital and wants to return home, according to Britain's Sunday Mirror newspaper.
However, husband David, who plays for Real Madrid, is very happy there and has decided to split his time between Spain and England.
A source said: "Victoria has really tried to get used to life in Spain for David's sake. But she can't hack it. She doesn't enjoy living so far away from her family. She wants to go home. David is being understanding. He adores his wife and wants whatever will make her happy. But Victoria knows how much David loves playing for Real. They know they will have to have a long-distance relationship again."
Victoria, 30, moved to Spain last year after allegations that David had cheated on her with his former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, while she was in England with the couple's sons, Brooklyn and Romeo.
Although David dismissed the allegations as "ludicrous", many people criticised Victoria for not spending enough time with her husband and she promptly moved to the Spanish capital.
Last night sources close to Victoria claimed she had no plans to return to Britain.
You would think that after what happened last time she left him alone in Spain, that she would never leave him again. But then again, if he hasn't learnt his lesson now, he never will.
So they went with a Castillian accent for the kids name. Odd. Why does it shock anyone that they gave him a girls name? Brooklyn is not exactly a boys name either.
Cruz is only a girls name in Spanish, and now that the kids are going back to England I don';t think it will be a problem. I would guess that everyone's name means something else in a different language. "Emma" could mean "get screwed" in someone's language, somewhere.
And Brooklyn is just a place. (Where he was concieved - how tacky) It's like Paris Hilton dating that guy called Paris , a place can be a name for both sexes.
It's no great secret that David Beckham's most precious jewels are his three little boys, and it seems the footy ace has decided to give his eldest son a little extra sparkle, by gifting him a pair of dazzling diamond earrings.
Brooklyn is likely to be the glitziest boy in his class after receiving the £25,000 jewels for his birthday. David and Victoria commissioned the gift, which are a scaled down version of the £75,000 earrings the England skipper himself wears, from New York "bling bling" designer Jacob the Jeweller.
The youngster, who turns six on Friday, is also being treated to a £10,000 party at the family's villa in Madrid. It has been a difficult year for the Beckhams and friends say the couple wanted to show their son how important he is to them. David's Real Madrid teammates Michael Owen and Zinedine Zidane are both expected to bring their children along for the bash, where fire-eaters, clowns and jugglers will provide some spectacular entertainment.
It appears hellomagazine.com readers also have a special place in their hearts for the birthday boy, voting Brooklyn their favourite Beckham name in an online poll. Several thousand readers participated in the vote with nearly 50 per cent saying they preferred the name of the family's first-born, leaving Romeo in second place and new arrival Cruz a close third.
Brooklyn's new earrings are a scaled-down version of the £75,000 pair his father wears
It is important when you get a new babay to make sure the older kids still feel loved and important and not "replaced" but does this kid even have any concept of what real diamonds, etc are as opposed to fakes? Being a Beckham, you never know, but I'd guess he's like most boys and wouldn't know. They would've been better of buying him a toy car or an action figure or something.
02-21-2005 08:38 AM
