Carla Bruni gives birth to baby girl (PHOTOS)
France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives at La Muette maternity clinic in Paris on October 19, 2011, where first lady Carla Bruni has given birth to a baby girl. Huge crowds of reporters and onlookers gathered in the streets around the clinic after reports that first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy was inside the clinic expecting an imminent delivery. (All photos from AFP/Getty Images.)
French first lady Carla Bruni gave birth to a baby girl Wednesday evening at a clinic in Paris, BBC reports. It adds that the Elysee Palace has not confirmed the birth.
Bruni's husband, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, visited the clinic earlier Wednesday but left after 20 minutes in order to travel to Frankfurt for eurozone debt talks, BBC states.
Reuters reports that Bruni gave birth around 8 p.m. local time. Sarkozy returned to the clinic a few hours after the birth.
Before giving birth, Bruni said the baby's photos will remain private, despite the intense public interest in her first child with Sarkozy.
Bruni gave birth at La Muette clinic in Paris. Security has been tight at the maternity clinic, which is surrounded by photographers under huge pressure to get the first shot of Baby Bruni-Sarkozy, the Guardian reports.
Crowds of well-wishers had also gathered outside the clinic, and a security cordon had to be set up, according to the BBC.
In a recent interview, Bruni said she would not share baby photos with the public.
"I will never show pictures of this child, I will never expose this child," she told TF1 program Sept a huit.
"I think exposure to public life is a choice to be made by an adult," she said, according to a translation by People magazine.
More from GlobalPost: Have Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni strayed?
But the Guardian notes that "some wonder if the couple might provide some long-lens photo opportunities — perhaps out in the park at Versailles, just as Sarkozy and Bruni did after their marriage."
More from GlobalPost: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy pregnant, says president's father (VIDEO)
Bruni, 43, who has kept a low public profile throughout her pregnancy, recently told French newspaper La Parisien that she was bored of being pregnant.
"Quite frankly, I can't stand it any more. I spend most of my time either sitting down or lying down. I can't drink or smoke any more. I'm in a hurry to get it over with," she said.
Bruni has a son named Aurelien from a previous relationship, while Sarkozy has three sons from earlier marriages.
More from GlobalPost: French Socialists choose "Monsieur Normal" Francois Hollande to challenge Sarkozy