Gabriel Aubry

Halle's a Mom!

By Ulrica Wihlborg/Montreal, With Eileen Travers/Montreal

UPDATED 03/31/2008 at 01:00 AM EDT • Originally published 03/31/2008 at 01:00 AM EDT

Halle Berry doesn't take no for an answer. After a long struggle to get pregnant—she endured almost three dozen negative pregnancy tests—the actress, 41, and her beau, model Gabriel Aubry, 32, finally welcomed a baby girl, Nahla Ariela Aubry, at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on March 16 (Nahla means "honeybee" in Arabic). "It didn't matter if it was a boy or a girl, she wanted it to be a surprise," says a friend. "And that girl is going to be gorgeous!"

Not to mention spoiled with both love and comfort. Months before giving birth, Berry completed two nurseries: a modern decor for her Malibu home and a traditional style for her Beverly Hills home. And Mom? "She's 100 percent ready for this role," says Berry's friend, Access Hollywood host Nancy O'Dell. "She'll be an amazing mom."