Love Island star Shaughna Phillips welcomes her first child

Love Island star Shaughna Phillips has just welcomed her first baby.

The former Islander, 28, was unexpectedly rushed to hospital on 6 March after going into early labour in the middle of a job.

The first-time mum has since announced the wonderful news to excited fans.

In a post to Instagram, the 28-year-old confirmed she gave birth to her daughter on Tuesday, 4 April, writing: "My darling Lucia, I wish I had you sooner so I could love you longer.

"04/04/23, 8lb 8oz, 8:10pm."

Shaughna first shared the news of her pregnancy to her 1.4 million followers on Instagram back in October.

Uploading a reel of milestone moments from her pregnancy journey, Shaughna shared with fans footage of her positive pregnancy test, an ultrasound appointment and the first-ever photo scan of her baby.

She captioned the announcement: "Our greatest chapter yet…"

A few weeks back, the Love Island star teased the possible due date, uploading a photo of her baby bump alongside the caption: "30 weeks of growing you my little darling, not long now."

The reality star has clearly been anticipating the early arrival of her little girl as she recently took to Instagram to reveal the news of her early labour for anticipating fans.

The video begins by showing the former Islander getting her hair and makeup ready for a day of work when the plans completely changed last minute.

She captioned the reel: "Soooo what started as a 'come to work with me' reel, turned into a 'come to the hospital with me' reel."

"I had my last job before baby this morning, an International Women’s Day panel, and just before my cab arrived, things took a turn," the new mother told her followers.

She added: "I was on the way to the hospital, and have been told I’m in early labour," before praising her makeup artist who had to quickly transform into a makeshift 'midwife real quick'.

Shaughna ended the post saying she was at home and 'waiting for nature to do its thang'.

And it seems that nature sure did its 'thang' indeed.

Shaughna's ex-boyfriend and the baby's father, Billy, was charged with possession with intent to supply a Class A drug and being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs earlier this year (21 January).

Shaughna has previously opened up about the effect Billy's sentencing had on her pregnancy.

Speaking to OK!, she said: "After a challenging few weeks, obviously, the baby’s father isn’t around. But my main focus has always been just to prepare for the birth and try to be as calm as possible.

"I’m good at just saying, 'Right, the show must go on'."

While Billy's 'not around', Shaughna noted that she hasn't gone through the experience on her own because of her 'incredible' family's support.

Congratulations, Shaughna!