BEIJING, April 13 -- Britney Spears announced on Tuesday that she was pregnant with her first child, putting the speculation over whether the pop princess was launching a new career as a mother to rest.

Britney Spears has a baby on board. (yahoo/E!online)

    "The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we are expecting our first child together. There were reports that I was in the hospital this weekend. Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Love Britney and Kevin," Spears, 23, made the announcement in a posting to fans on her official Web site.

    Jive Records spokeswoman Sonia Muckle confirmed Tuesday that the letter from the singer is authentic and that her Web site had not been hacked. But she declined to provide additional details.

    The child will be a first for Spears but a third for her husband Kevin Federline, who has two young children by his former girlfriend, actress Shar Jackson.

    Celebrity magazines and paparazzi photographers have speculated for weeks that the singer was pregnant, noting her expanding waistline. The earlier report said she's ready to quit the music industry because she wants to be a full-time mother.

Spears and husband Kevin Federline

    There was no immediate word on how motherhood would affect her future career plans but Spears and Federline recently signed a deal to star in their own television reality series, which will document their courtship and wedding, and now, presumably, her pregnancy.

    Ever since her wedding to Federline on September 18, 2004, Spears has made no secret of her desire to become a young mother, writing on her Web site last October that she "can't wait to start a family."

    Spears has since sold more than 60 million albums and became the first female performer in the history of Billboard magazine to have her first three albums open at No.1 on the pop album chart.

    She released a greatest hits album last November, launched her own perfume "Curious," but put touring, performances and public appearances on hold after her marriage.

(Agencies)

Group photos: Britney's Big Day
  
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(Photo: Sina.com)