Vanessa Hudgens confirms the arrival of her first child: ‘Mom, dad and baby are healthy’

The actress issued a statement acknowledging that she was not the first to share the news, after images of her leaving the California hospital in Santa Monica with a baby in her arms were shared in American media.

“We are disappointed that our family’s privacy has been disrespected and exploited during this very special time due to the greed of a long lens camera that feeds the media,” she wrote on her Instagram story.

“Despite all that, mom, dad and baby are happy and healthy.”

The photos of the couple were reportedly taken on July 3, the same date her husband, Cole Tucker, turned 28.

“Happy birthday to my little piece of heaven @cotuck. You make the world a brighter place just by being you,” Hudgens said on Instagram.

Hudgens, 35, married American baseball player Tucker in a ceremony in Mexico last year.

In footage circulating online, she is seen being pushed into a waiting car in a wheelchair while cradling her newborn baby.

Hudgens debuted her surprise pregnancy on the Academy Awards red carpet earlier this year, before co-hosting the official Oscars red carpet alongside Julianne Hough.

She was previously in a long-term relationship with Elvis and Dune 2 star Austin Butler.

Hudgens rose to international fame starring in the original High School Musical released in 2006, alongside co-star Zac Efron.