ROYAL BABY

LONDRES.- Kate Middleton, duquesa de Cambridge, esposa del príncipe Guillermo, dio luz hoy a una niña. La beba pesó 3,7 kilos y tanto la madre como la recién nacida están en buen estado de salud. "Su Alteza Real y su bebé están bien", informó el Palacio de Kensington, residencia de la familia.

La duquesa de Cambridge dio a luz a las 8:34 -hora local-, unas dos horas y media después de su llegada al ala privada Lindo del Hospital St. Mary, al oeste de Londres . El padre, el príncipe Guillermo , estuvo presente durante el parto.

La llegada de la beba fue comunicada primero a la reina Isabel y después a los abuelos. Un pregonero ceremonial anunció públicamente el nacimiento de la cuarta persona en la línea al trono después de Carlos, Guillermo y el niño George , primer hijo de Kate y Guillermo.

A continuación se anunció a través de Twitter e Instagram y después se dispararon 62 cañonazos desde la Torre de Londres y 41 desde Green Park.

Todavía no fue anunciado el nombre de la beba, aunque se especula con que se llamaría Alice (Alicia), Elizabeth (Isabel), Charlotte (Carlota) o Victoria.

El ala Lido de hospital St. Mary se encontraba reservada desde hace días especialmente para el acontecimiento y un equipo de médicos estaba preparado para recibir en cualquier momento a Kate.

Cuando la madre y la recién nacida salgan del hospital, estarán durante un tiempo en el palacio de Kensington y luego irán a Anmer Hall, su casa de campo en la finca de Sandringham, propiedad de la reina, en Norfolk, al este de Inglaterra .

El primer hijo de Kate y Guillermo, el príncipe George, nació en julio de 2013 en ese mismo hospital.

El príncipe Carlos -flamante abuelo- había dicho en dos ocasiones que quería tener una nieta, lo que llevó a muchos a especular con que tenía información sobre el tema.

Kate Middleton is all set for a joyful juggling act with her baby Princess

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are about to find out that labour is the easy part when it comes to Baby No 2

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their daughter. The “Great Kate Wait” is over. The poor Duchess no longer has to endure all the speculation about her due date – or those “helpful” suggestions about curry, pineapple and whatever else to hurry the new Princess’s arrival along.

But I hate to tell you this: labour is the easy part when it comes to Baby No 2. The Duke pointed out rather naively a few weeks ago that the birth of a second child is a “gamechanger”. Well, as the mother of two young children born a similar distance apart as George and his sister, I would respectfully submit that this was a gigantic understatement.

The problem is that parents go into this situation with the naive belief that having one child is the best qualification for having a second – and that reading Za-za’s Baby Brother and Waiting for Baby to their eldest a few times will see them through. Unfortunately, this is not the case. As Rebecca Abrams’s eponymous book succinctly puts it, welcome to a life that perpetually consists of “three shoes, one sock and no hairbrush”.

Sleep becomes a thing of the past: as the baby finally quiets, the toddler wakes up. No one bustles around offering help and food, which you enjoyed as a mother of one. Like retired generals, you end up fighting the last war – forgetting that you have two very distinct personalities who behave totally differently.

Actually, I suppose the Duke does have an advantage. He was trained at Sandhurst to remain calm under enemy fire. That will stand the Cambridges in good stead for that first shock-and-awe moment, when their new daughter needs both feeding and changing at precisely the same time as Prince George discovers how the washing powder packet opens. (Note: this example may be based on a real-life experience.)

The effortless elegance that the Duchess sustained through two pregnancies will also be at risk. I’m proud to say I have never made the classic new-mum mistake of going to a meeting with baby sick on me. But it was only at the end of a long and important meeting that I realised that I had Frozen stickers meticulously decorating the bottom of my jacket. There simply isn’t time for the swishy blow-dries and carefully co-ordinated clothes layering when you need to leave the house in three minutes – only to find one child has Weetabix in their hair, while the other has thrown themselves to the ground kicking and screaming because you completely unreasonably asked them to put pants on.

But surely, the royal couple might think, these minor teething problems (actually, let’s not talk about teething; there’s no point bringing that up today) are nothing compared to the wonderful gift you are giving your first-born: a sibling. “Hmm,” says one friend doubtfully. “I hope Prince George reacts better than my daughter did. She totally ignored her brother for the first three weeks.” Which may, if I’m honest, have been better than my own experience. There is – captured on ciné film, so I can’t dispute this – a clip of me with a demonically gleeful expression holding my new baby sister. My hands supporting her neck are just that bit too tight for anyone’s comfort.

As George will find out, there needs to be sympathy for a first-born suddenly displaced as the centre of the universe. One aggrieved first-born friend still bears the scars. “I bet George wasn’t dropped off at Granny's house for an unexpected overnight stay and forced to sleep in his underwear because nobody thought to pack pyjamas,” she grumbles. “And I bet Kate won’t come home from the hospital to find her first-born sporting a black eye from a treacherous first night in bed without railings. Thanks for unlocking that memory.”

Let’s look on the bright side, though. If the average cost of raising a child is £230,000 from birth to the age of 21, the cost of raising a second usually comes in at about £23.50 thanks to hand-me-downs (the new Princess will end up dressed in a lot of blue), lack of time for two lots of swimming lessons, and no more leisurely Sunday lunches in the pub. You also become much more tolerant and nicer as a parent – and learn to wince at your previous militant pronouncements. Remember those endless organic delicacies you offered your first? You’re counting it as a victory if you don’t give them SpongeBob Squarepants pasta shapes more than three times a week. You’re the parent who loudly disagreed with television for under-fives? Good luck with finding another substitute for CBeebies while you feed the baby.

Four years on, however, from that day when my universe changed forever – mainly passed in a jumble of pesto pasta and Peppa Pig – I wouldn’t have it any other way; I still can’t believe my luck in having two beautiful children. Enjoy this special time, William and Kate. Just take a deep breath before everyone starts talking about the third...