Pregnant Kate Middleton Reportedly Considers Hypnosis to Ease Childbirth Pain

Sources claim duchess wants "natural" delivery and has "been reading up on it and listening to CDs to get into the right frame of mind"

By Rebecca Macatee Jun 13, 2013 7:54 PMTags
Kate Middleton, Duchess CatherineLEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Image

Kate Middleton, like any mom-to-be, probably has some fears and concerns about childbirth.

And the pregnant royal is reportedly considering HypnoBirth as a method to help ease the pain of delivery, sources tell Grazia magazine, as excerpted by The Times.

A source tells the mag that Prince William's wife "has researched various birthing methods. She wants it to be natural, so HypnoBirthing is one option that appealed and she had been reading up on it and listening to CDs to get into the right frame of mind."

"Some of her friends have used this method and swear by it," adds the source. "Kate wants to do it her way and be relaxed."

Jessica Alba planned a HypnoBirth for her second child, explaining to Ellen DeGeneres, "It's not like a weird thing."

"It's basically my husband takes me through sort of a meditation. So he's like saying, 'You're relaxed and you're floating on clouds,' while you're going through labor and your contractions. He just sort of does a guided meditation," she says. "I'm just concentrating on breathing and staying relaxed because it's when you get tense that makes the whole labor worse and more painful. That's all it is."

Sounds pretty legit. That said, Kate isn't going to get too specific about the royal baby's delivery. The palace told E! News in a statement they "are aware of the report but cannot confirm or deny it."

"We appreciate it's a happy occasion," the palace said, adding, "but there are some matters which should remain private to the duchess."

—Reporting by Lindsay Good