Beyonce's and JayZ's Excessive Birth Precautions

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Ham on Wry congratulates Jay Z (Shawn Carter) and Beyonce on the birth of their daughter Ivy Blue Carter by Cesarean section Saturday night at Manhattan's Lenox Hospital. However, I take them to task for the extravagant security they demanded from the hospital, which prevented other parents from having access to their newborns.

The couple reportedly paid $1.3 million to occupy a lavish suite at the hospital located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Beyonce used the pseudonym Ingrid Jackson there and capitallized on her star status to make unreasonable security demands during her stay. Hospital staffers had to surrender their cell phones and cover the floor's security camera lenses with tape. Windows in the nearby NICU were blacked out with tape and temporary curtains hung so that nobody could see the comings and goings.

The demands for privacy didn't end with those measures. Other new and expecting parents said they were essentially held in abeyance and forced to leave the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) because it of its location on the same floor as Beyonce's delivery suite. The couple wanted to ensure that friends and family could come and go freely, with no fear of encountering curiosity seekers.


Neil Coulon, the father of premature twins expressed his anger about the disruption of his efforts to see his newborn babies. "They (Beyonce and JZ) just used the hospital like it was their own and nobody else mattered. They locked us into the NICU and would say, 'You can't come out to the hallway for the next 20 minutes.' When I finally was able to go back out, I went to the waiting room and they'd ushered my family downstairs!" he complained.

Money can't buy you love, but it certainly counts when one wants special treatment. Ham on Wry understands the couple's desire to protect their newborn from prying eyes, but it's egotistical to assume other parents would care more about the birth of Blue Ivy than their own children. Many other famous people have babies without all of the hoopla. Being part of the 1% doesn't mean you have entitlements that other citizens don't. Get real, Jay Z and Beyonce!  Your actions went far beyond necessary precautions.

As for the name, the stars have every right to choose a name that they want for their girl. That said, can you imagine carrying that name into a professional setting? Parents must consider all aspects of a name because it affects a person throughout a lifetime. It seems their egos dictated the choice.