Natalie Portman welcomes her second child with husband Benjamin Millepied

The pair are already parents to son Aleph

Natalie Portman and husband Benjamin Millepied have welcomed their second child into the world.

The Oscar winner, 35, confirmed the happy news in a statement through her representatives, which read: 'Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed a baby girl, Amalia Millepied, on February 22. Mother and baby are happy and healthy.'

Amalia is said to be a name of German origin meaning 'work' or 'activity', although many parents also choose it as an alternative to the popular baby name Amelia.

The pair are already parents to son Aleph, who was born June 2011.

Accepting her Best Actress Oscar for her role in Black Swan in February of the same year, Natalie said of her impending motherhood: 'My beautiful love, Benjamin, has now given me my most important role of my life.'

'I'm sure I'll make lots of mistakes, but I'm open to learning.'

Natalie announced that she was expecting again back in September 2016, by walking the red carpet at Venice Film Festival in a Dior gown that accented her growing bump.

A heavily pregnant Natalie pictured at an Oscar nominee luncheon in February 2017

She recently revealed that she would not be attending this year's Oscar ceremony because of her pregnancy, in a statement which read: 'Due to my pregnancy, I am unable to attend the Academy Awards. I feel so lucky to be honoured among my fellow nominees and wish them the most beautiful of weekends.'

Speaking to Vogue in January 2016, Natalie gave her advice to fellow mothers, telling them to 'give yourself a break - literally and figuratively'.

'We all hold ourselves to such a high standard and it's a constant balancing act,' she explained.

'If you have one bad day, don't let it define you. There's always tomorrow. I also think it's important to carve out time for yourself. It's easy to forget that but it's so important.'

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