Shakira, Pique
Pregnant Shakira with boyfriend Gerard PiqueShakira Facebook Page

Latino singer Shakira and her soccer-star boyfriend Gerard Pique, FC Barcelona defender, welcomed their first child into the world on Tuesday.

According to reports, Shakira was admitted to the Teknon clinic in Barcelona that evening and few hours later gave birth to a boy weighing a healthy 3kg.

"We are happy to announce the birth of Milan Piqué Mebarak, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Piqué, born January 22nd at 9:36pm, in Barcelona, Spain. The name Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn), means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification," said a statement on the singer's official website.

"Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth. The hospital confirmed that the couple's first child weighed approximately 6lbs. 6 ounces, and that both mother and child are in excellent health," it added.

Shortly before the arrival of her baby boy, the 35-year-old singer had tweeted, "I'd like to ask you all to accompany me in your prayers on this very important day of my life."

Last week, the pop star, who is one of the goodwill ambassadors of United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), released several pictures of her pregnant self with her beau as part of an initiative to help underprivileged children across the world.

The celebrity couple has also arranged an online baby shower through a website hosted by UNICEF so that fans could buy items like mosquito nets, polio vaccines and baby weighing scales to gift children from poor communities.