August 22, 2008

Gwen Stefani Gives Birth To Second Son

By Shawn Adler (MTV.com)

Singer Gwen Stefani and her husband, Gavin Rossdale, welcomed their second son on Thursday (August 21), according to a statement from Stefani's label, Interscope Records. The child, Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, was born at 12.46pm and weighed eight and a half pounds.

"Mother, baby and family are all happy and healthy," the statement read.

Zuma is the couple's second son, joining Kingston, who turned 2 on May 26.

The birth of her second child crests an already busy year for Stefani, who earlier this summer told fans that she was getting back together with No Doubt to record their first studio album in seven years.

At the time of the announcement, Stefani said she was working throughout her pregnancy.

"Feels crazy to be pregnant all over again!!!!!" she wrote on the message boards of her band's Web site. "We have been spending every day up in the little studio in our house, trying to write music. My favorite part so far is just seeing the guys every day and hanging out. We have so much fun together. The songwriting part is a bit slow on my part. ... I think it has something to do with the baby in my belly, but I'm sure it is all of the process, and I really believe this could be the most inspired No Doubt record so far. Can't wait to see what happens."

It is unknown whether the birth of her second child will delay the album, which had been pegged for an early 2009 release.

It's also unclear how the 38-year-old Stefani and 40-year-old Rossdale settled on the name Zuma, although it's worth nothing that there's a Malibu, California, beach called Zuma not far from the couple's Los Angeles home. Neil Diamond named one of his albums Zuma in honor of the same beach. Zuma is also a popular surname in South Africa. Also, the baby shares one of his middle names, Nesta, with Bob Marley.