Soca Queen' Fay-Ann gives birth

IT'S A GIRL!

Aabida Allaham Sunday, March 1st 2009

FLASHBACK: "Soca Queen" Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez, during her winning performance at the Soca Monarch Finals on Carnival Friday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain. Fay-Ann became the proud mother of a bouncing baby girl yesterday. -Photo: MICHEAL BRUCE IT'S a girl! Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez has delivered again-this time a bouncing baby girl. Minutes after noon yesterday, the four-crown 2009 "Soca Queen"-Soca Monarch, Groovy Monarch, People's Choice and Road March-successfully gave birth to her firstborn at the Mount Hope Maternity Hospital via caesarean section. Husband and three-time International Power Soca Monarch Ian "Bunji Garlin" Alvarez missed the greatest show of his wife's life, only managing to arrive at her bedside later in the evening from Tobago where he had gone to fulfill contractual obligations. In the days leading up to the birth, both parents had said they did not know the gender of the baby. But there was some indication when, during Lyons-Alvarez's winning performances at the Soca Monarch finals last weekend, she placed the microphone to her belly, and a digitally-created voice of a baby was heard chanting that (she, the baby) and her mommy were putting a lyrical beating on Bunji. Lyons-Alvarez was admitted to the hospital on Friday, suffering from pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia usually results in the swelling of the feet, hands and the face. Ten per cent of women experiencing their first pregnancy may develop this condition, and studies have indicated that this is often very dangerous for mother and child, but especially so for the mother. Fay-Ann's manager, Ian Pantin, told the Sunday Express yesterday that both mother and child were doing just fine. Security was tight at the hospital, with guards assigned at all entrance-ways to the ward, as well as to the door to Lyons-Alvarez's private room. Only family were allowed entry. Lyons-Alvarez performed throughout the Carnival season, stopping only last weekend after winning the Groovy and Power Soca Monarch titles and the bmobile People's Choice, and then picking up the Road March title over the two days of Carnival. Daughter of the legendary soca icon Austin "SuperBlue", Lyons-Alvarez won the Road March title singing "Meet SuperBlue", a tribute to her father and unborn child. EXPRESS