The pop star Madonna gave birth to her second child last night, shortly after attacking British hospitals as "old and Victorian" and said she planned to have the child in the more "efficient" United States.
Her publicist confirmed the birth of the baby, which had been expected in September, in a statement in New York but refused to provide any other details, including where the child was born, or his height and weight.
"English film director Guy Ritchie and Madonna are delighted to announce the birth of their son, Rocco Ritchie, on August 11, 2000," Ms Liz Rosenberg said.
The superstar, who is renting a London house, had criticised the NHS during an interview with a US radio station.
She was asked whether she was planning to give birth in the UK, where she is house-hunting, or her native US. She told the interviewer: "Come on now, have you been to hospitals in England? They're old and Victorian."
Qualifying her criticism, Madonna said she did not like the thought of the complications caused by giving birth in a foreign country, adding: "I like efficiency."