Ben Foden’s wife Jackie Belanoff Smith has given birth to their first baby together, MailOnline can exclusively reveal.
A spokesperson for the rugby player, 34, confirmed the happy news on Friday, with further details soon set to be released.
The baby is the first child for the couple, who married nine months ago in August 2019, just two weeks after they started dating.
Happy news: Ben Foden’s wife Jackie Belanoff Smith has given birth to their first baby together, MailOnline can exclusively reveal
Making memories: The rugby player and the American entrepreneur started documenting the labour on Instagram on Wednesday
Ben already has two children with his ex-wife Una Healy, daughter Aoife, seven, and son Tadhg, five.
On Wednesday, Ben took to Instagram to reveal that Jackie was in labour, as he jokingly mulled the idea of broadcasting the birth live.
He took to his account a few minutes before 1am to share footage of his wife on a hospital bed as she donned a mask and was hooked up to an intravenous drip.
An hour later, Ben continued to film as his wife experienced pain while another IV drip was inserted, causing her to call him ‘a f**king a**hole’ on camera.
Oh, baby! Ben jokingly mulled the idea of broadcasting the birth live as the labour started
The start of the footage on Tuesday night saw Ben donning a mask and serving as cameraman, captioning the footage: ‘What do people think to a Instagram live stream during a pandemic.’ [sic]
Seemingly keen to keep things lighthearted, he added Salt-N-Pepa’s chart-topping 1988 hit Push It as the soundtrack to the proceedings.
Not to be outdone, Jackie shared footage of herself from her hospital bed, panning the lens from her own face to that of her husband’s as Young Joc’s 2006 rap hit It’s Goin’ Down served as her backing track of choice.
She also gave her medic mother an opportunity to wave at the camera as she gave the mother-to-be a coronavirus swab ahead of welcoming her child into the world.
Anticipated arrival: The rugby ace had taken to his Instagram account a few minutes before 1am to share footage of Jackie on a hospital bed as she donned a mask
An hour later and things were progressing as Ben shared another video of Jackie, captioned ‘Anyone guess this first process because that ain’t where the baby comes from’.
‘Mmm she’s not a fan’ he continued as his wife called out in pain and asked for the medic to stop.
Ben explained in the next video that ‘this is the IV drip going in, we haven’t even started’ as an unimpressed Jackie noticed he was filming, calling him a ‘f**king a**hole’.
Handsome sports star Ben married American entrepreneur Jackie in August just two weeks after they started dating.
Still filming: An hour later and things were progressing as Ben shared another video of Jackie, captioned ‘Anyone guess this first process because that ain’t where the baby comes from’
Stop! Ben explained in the next video that ‘this is the IV drip going in, we haven’t even started’ as an unimpressed Jackie noticed he was filming
In February, MailOnline exclusively revealed that Ben was expecting a child with Jackie, 19 months after his divorce from Una, 38.
Friends of the Celebrity X Factor star said he was ‘absolutely delighted’ at becoming a father for the third time.
‘Ben and Jackie are over the moon,’ a source told MailOnline at the time.
‘They’re so excited to become parents together for the first time and are looking forward to starting their new lives as a family.
‘The plan is to move from America back to the UK and raise the baby here – there’s lots to organise but they can’t wait for their new arrival.’
Medic: Jackie gave her medic mother an opportunity to wave at the camera as she gave the mother-to-be a coronavirus swab ahead of welcoming her child into the world
Ex-England rugby international Ben first married The Saturdays singer Una in her native Ireland in 2012, after the pair dated for four years.
The couple divorced in July 2018 after six years of marriage when Ben confessed to cheating on Una with publicist Becky Milne.
Ben married Jackie on board a luxury yacht in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in August despite the pair only knowing each other for a few weeks.
Ben revealed to MailOnline last year that he plans to move back to the UK with Jackie and buy a house together in Cheshire.
The former England full-back is supposed to be taking part in his second and final season of Major League Rugby on behalf of New York at the moment.
Bumping along nicely: In March, Ben shared a cosy selfie with new wife Jackie, after it was revealed they are expecting their first child together
Newlyweds: Ben married Jackie on board a luxury yacht in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in August 2019, despite the pair only knowing each other for a few weeks
Instead, he and his wife spent the past several weeks isolating in quieter surroundings in nearby Connecticut, after feeling their Manhattan home.
Their unplanned move has afforded Foden time to decide whether to commit to one more campaign next year, or accept that his playing days ended abruptly, with a defeat away to San Diego on March 8.
‘I signed a two-year deal and this was my second year, but I have a visa for three years and I’m married to an American now, so I’ll be getting a Green Card,’ he told Sportsmail last month.
‘I haven’t decided yet whether I want to carry on playing. Obviously, this isn’t the way that I’d want my career to end, but in my head I thought this would be my last year, in terms of knuckling down and being a player.
‘I’m going to be 35 in the summer and maybe it is time to get out. I came here to do two years and I wanted to help get New York on the rugby map, maybe win a championship with them and go out on a high, but obviously that can’t happen now.
‘Time isn’t on my side. I’ve played this game for a long time and I love it, but my days are numbered.
‘I’ve got to have a chat with the owners and the coaches, to see if they want me to play next season, then I’ve got to speak to my wife about it, because I really did approach this as my last year.’
Family: The former England rugby international already shares two children Aoife, seven, and five-year-old Tadhg, with ex-wife Una Healy, 38