The birth of royal babies has long been shrouded in mystery. For decades, royal mothers have been seen with a blossoming baby bump and then will later emerge from the hospital, looking photo-ready while carrying their new bundle of joy.
However, the Princess of Wales broke the mould in 2020 when she opened up about giving birth to her first child, Prince George, in 2013 on an episode of Giovanna Fletcher's Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast.
In particular, Kate, now 43, detailed how her experience of severe morning sickness forced her to look into exploring the power of the mind over the body. This approach led to her discovering hypnobirthing.
© Getty"I'm not going to say that William was standing there sort of, chanting sweet nothings at me. He definitely wasn't!," Kate told Giovanna of her labour. "I didn't even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself."
"Childbirth can be an incredibly empowering and positive life experience, hypnobirthing supports this by combining education on how a woman’s body is designed to give birth and positivity programming of both the conscious and subconscious mind to work with labour and contractions to allow you to stay calm and confident during birth," Naomi Woolfson, fertility, pregnancy and birth hypnotherapist and owner of Embrace Bump to Baby tells HELLO!.
"Hypnobirthing techniques reduce the need for medical interventions such as inductions, epidurals, and cesareans. This is due to improved hormone balance and a more efficient labour process. Women are less likely to have a negative birth experience and feel more empowered and connected to their partners if they chose to practise hypnobirthing together in the run up to birth. They are also more likely to bond with their baby and are less likely to experience post natal depression."
Kate's morning sickness
Kate's gruelling experience of morning sickness tainted her pregnancies. "I got very bad morning sickness, so I’m not the happiest of pregnant people," she admitted, adding: "Lots of people have it far, far worse, but it was definitely a challenge.
© Getty"Not just for me but also for your loved ones around you – and I think that's the thing – being pregnant and having a newborn baby and things like that, impacts everybody in the family."
The royal also spoke about the impact her morning sickness had on William in particular.
© Max Mumby/Indigo"William didn't feel he could do much to help and it's hard for everyone to see you suffering without actually being able to do anything about it," she said. "I was really sick – I wasn't eating the things I should be eating – but yet, the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating."
Kate's pregnancy craving
In an effort to tackle her morning sickness, Kate reportedly ate an unusual food. Thinly sliced pickle on brown toast was Kate's ultimate pregnancy craving, as well as avocados.
© Neil Mockford/Alex HuckleHer favourite food, a delicious curry, was also somewhat of a staple throughout her pregnancies. Whilst pregnant with Prince George, the princess indulged in a homemade vegetable curry cooked by Chan and Hash Shingadia, who run the Spar shop in Kate's village of Upper Bucklebury, Berkshire.
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"She likes my wife's cooking," 53-year-old Hash said at the time. "We cook [a vegetable curry] for her mum and family."
