News

17th May 2004

Ten pounds of Apples

Gwyneth Paltrow has given birth to her first baby, a little girl called Apple.

The 9lb 11oz tot was born in a London hospital on Friday after a very long labour. Both mother and daughter are said to be doing well.

Gwyneth and husband Chris Martin, frontman in the band Coldplay, were said to be thrilled at the new addition to their family, whose full name is Apple Blythe Alison Martin.

Chris Martin said, "We are 900 miles over the moon, and we'd like to thank everyone at the hospital who have looked after us amazingly."

The couple's choice of name for their new daughter is already the topic of much discussion. Her middle names, Blythe and Alison, are the first names of her maternal and paternal grandmothers respectively but no-one is sure where the choice of Apple for a Christian name has come from.

Paltrow announced in December that she and her husband, Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, were expecting a baby. The couple, who have been scrupulous about maintaining their privacy, married in December in a private ceremony in Santa Barbara.

Apple was born at the private St John and St Elizabeth Hospital in St John's Wood, North West London. The hospital is one of the Capital's most exclusive. For a 24-hour stay at the baby unit, a normal delivery costs £2,040 and a Caesarean costs £2,440.

Ms Paltrow caused uproar recently by criticising working mothers. Perhaps her choice of name was inspired by the way her comments upset the apple cart?

• Is it fair to give a baby a strange name? Tell us what you think in Discuss, Debate and Deliberate
• Can you choose a better name? Try the Babyworld Babynamer
• Can you buy a better birth? Babyworld investigates..