After months of speculation that she was pregnant with her first child, Kylie Jenner has confirmed that she and her rapper boyfriend, Travis Scott, are now parents to a baby girl.

Perhaps more interestingly, though, Jenner has also explained why she decided to keep the pregnancy a secret from the press – and slammed rumours that she did so for a big “pay-out”.

“I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark through all the assumptions,” she wrote. “I understand you’re used to me bringing you along on all my journeys, [but] my pregnancy was one I chose not to do in front of the world.”

Jenner continued: “I knew for myself I needed to prepare for this role of a lifetime in the most positive, stress-free and healthy way I knew how.

“There was no ‘gotcha’ moment, no big paid reveal… I knew my baby would feel every stress and every emotion, so I chose to do it this way for my little life and our happiness.”

The reality star went on to say that “pregnancy has been the most beautiful, empowering and life changing experience” she’s had in her entire life, and that she’s “actually going to miss it.”

“I appreciate my friends and especially my family for helping me make this special moment as private as we could,” she said. “My beautiful and healthy baby girl arrived 1 February and I just couldn’t wait to share this blessing… thank you for understanding.”

It’s not the first time that Jenner has suggested she isn’t a fan of the limelight, which she was first thrust into when she was a very young girl.

Speaking about it last year, she said that growing up on TV has cost her a “normal life”.

“I had to get home-schooled, not really because I wanted to but because I missed so much school because I was working,” she explained.

“It’s hard to feel normal. Because I always want to feel normal, that’s the goal in my life… I started filming Keeping Up with the Kardashians when I was 9 years old. I really don’t know what it’s like to not have everyone know who I am.

“I don’t know what it’s like to live a normal life, where people just don’t know who you are, to get out of the car and not have everyone stare at you. I feel like when you grow up on camera, people think that they know you because you’re on social media so much and you’re on reality TV.”

Jenner continued: “I for sure didn’t choose this life, but I’m not going to say that I’m totally innocent, because I am keeping up this lifestyle. I know I’m making myself more famous by having an Instagram and posting photos, but I’m not that type of person where I want all the attention. I don’t like that. It actually freaks me out, because it reminds me that I’m ‘Kylie f***ing Jenner’.”

The reality star – who just signed up for her very own spin-off show – added: “A lot of people have it worse than me. It’s just it is a lot to handle. Sometimes, I’m like: ‘This is it. I’m going insane.’

“I feel like this fame thing is going to come to an end sooner than we think. I’m getting the bug again, where I just want to run away. I just don’t know who I’m doing it for.”

Since Jenner’s baby announcement, her famous family have followed suit and broken their silence on social media.

The star’s mother Kris Jenner – who acts as a publicist for all of her daughters – shared a link to a moving video documenting Jenner’s pregnancy and wrote: “God is SO good!

“I am so excited and thrilled to welcome another precious baby girl to our beautiful, ever growing family. We are blessed beyond belief.”

Her sisters Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian West, who welcomed daughter Chicago in January, tweeted heart emojis.

And Khloe Kardashian, who is seven months pregnant herself, called her younger sister “cute mommy”.

None of the posts have revealed the name of Jenner’s daughter.

Images: Rex Features