M.I.A. Has A Baby Boy

It looks like M.I.A.'s reported contractions during the Grammy Awards were real, because the singer gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday.

M.I.A. (real name Mathangi Arulpragasam) performed on the Feb. 8 Grammy broadcast despite her baby being due that day. She was reportedly having contractions during a rendition of Jay-Z and T.I.'s "Swagga Like Us" that also included Kanye West and Lil Wayne.

M.I.A. wrote in a MySpace blog entry on Saturday that she was feeling fine after the Grammys, but opted to go home to bed.

"SUNDAY NITE I CA M E HOME FROM THE GRAMMY'S STILL IN THE MOOD TO PARTY , I COUDA EASILY GONE OUT BUT I WENT HOME INSEAD , LUCKY I DID!! COZ MY EARLY STAGE LABOUR KICKED IN AROUND 2 AM."

But the baby didn't make an appearance until Wednesday.

"HE IS HEALTHY , FINE , BEAUTIFUL AND THE MOST AMZING THING EVER ON THIS PLANET, OF COURSE IM HIS MUM!!!," the singer typed.

"ME AND BABY ARE PUTTING OUR TOUR DATES FOR 2010 TOGETHER AND MAKING MIX TAPES AND FIGURING OUT A WAY TO BREAK OUT OF THE HOSPITAL !

"HOPEFULLY THE WORLD IS BEEN TICKING ALONG AND I AINT MISSED MUCH!

"C U SOON ,

"AND MY BABY BOY SAYZ "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

M.I.A. hasn't revealed the name of her first child. His father is The Exit singer/guitarist Benjamin Brewer.

M.I.A. is up for an Academy Award for "O Saya," her contribution to the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. She was scheduled to perform at Sunday's Oscars, but, given that she probably won't be able to attend the ceremony, organizers are trying to get her to perform in any way possible.

The U.K.'s The Guardian newspaper reports that they've told M.I.A. she can perform in bed if she wants, while Slumdog soundtrack composer AR Rahman says she has many ideas about how to perform, including in hologram form.

Peter Gabriel cancelled his Oscar performance last week as a protest because he was upset that his rendition of "Down To Earth" from the Wall-E soundtrack would only be given 65 seconds.

That would leave one best original song nominee — Rahman's "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire — to be performed during the Academy Awards if M.I.A. can't go.

Check out this video, dubbed "Preggo Shuffle Rap: The Newest Sensation," which M.I.A. also posted in her blog entry: