Crazy celeb birth stories

Video: Must-have maternity fashion

By now we all know the stories about Beyonce giving birth to the second coming (err, Blue Ivy) on January 7, 2012. It was rumored that Beyonce and Jay-Z rented an entire maternity wing for $1.3 million at Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital -- and that security was so tight that a new dad couldn’t even visit his newborn twins in the NICU! While the hospital denies the reports, saying that the couple was just put in an executive suite (which is available to all patients for an extra fee), all the hype surrounding Blue Ivy seems like the perfect way to say, “Welcome to the world!”

-- Sarah Yang

Not to be outdone by Beyonce and Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon’s twins (dubbed “Dem Babies” by the couple) arrived in style too. Mariah gave birth to twins Moroccan and Monroe at a Los Angeles hospital on April 30, 2011. It was triple the celebration because the date was also Nick and Mariah’s third wedding anniversary. According to reports, Nick and Mariah rolled up to the hospital with some bling -- in a Rolls-Royce Phantom! Nick was so nervous that he went to the wrong department first and had to be taken to the maternity ward. And as a grand finale, the couple listened to Mariah’s hit song “We Belong Together” after the birth.

Bing: Celebrity birth stories

The long-awaited Beckham baby girl, Harper Seven, arrived on July 10, 2011, after much speculation that Victoria Beckham would give birth on July 4th (which is also the date of her and David’s wedding anniversary).

Video: Getting sick during pregnancy

Victoria gave birth via scheduled c-section. It was rumored that the couple splurged on a luxury baby suite at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Although that might not be true, fellow ex-Spice Girl Melanie Brown did tell Hello! magazine that she was set to give birth a couple months later in the same hospital delivery room as her old bandmate.

Pink had her heart set on having a natural delivery at The Sanctuary Birth & Family Wellness Center in Los Angeles. Her plans were dashed when daughter Willow Sage arrived on June 2, 2011. Pink had to deliver via c-section after being in labor for two nights because of Willow’s breech position. Willow’s birth hasn’t discouraged Pink from trying a natural birth again -- she’s said she plans to do it next time.

Bing: Pink's daughter

Angelina and Brad decided to jet off to exotic locales for the births of their biological children, daughter Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne. That’s a great way to avoid crazy paparazzi! Angelina gave birth to Shiloh in 2006 in Namibia and welcomed the twins at a hospital in Nice, France, with plenty of photographers camped outside. On that occasion, Angelina spent two weeks in the hospital -- arriving by helicopter from the villa in Provence where she and her family were staying. Rumor has it that the couple had four rooms in the hospital’s maternity ward all to themselves.

Rachel Zoe’s another reality star who caught her delivery experience on film for the world to see on her show, The Rachel Zoe Project. The celeb stylist’s team packed designer duds like Halston and Chanel sweaters and eight-inch stiletto boots in her hospital bag -- like they were pulling clothes for a photo shoot. And like Kourtney Kardashian, Rachel got all dolled up after her water broke -- she brushed her hair and put on makeup. The reason for her high-fashion demands? Rachel said, “The problem is, it’s such an unglamorous experience that if you feel really unattractive, it makes it so much worse.” We hope she felt glamorous during those 16 hours of labor with her son, Skyler.

Christina Applegate lamented on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that no one warned her about the crazy things that happen after delivery: “It’s a code with women that you don’t talk about the after part.” She also called birth plans a “joke,” since her plan for an epidural didn’t go smoothly -- she didn’t like the numb feeling, so she opted for a natural labor and delivery (which took 18 hours!). After giving birth, Christina, who previously had breast cancer and had undergone a mastectomy, tore off her gown and laid daughter Sadie on her chest (a part of her body that the actress has been insecure about ever since her surgery).