The Duchess of Cambridge has given a rare glimpse into what life was like during pregnancy, as she opened up about motherhood on a podcast.
Kate, 38, joined Giovanna Fletcher for her podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby – where she spoke openly about life with Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four and Prince Louis, one.
Having suffered hyperemesis gravidarum – the most severe form of morning sickness – it’s no surprise Kate described pregnancy as “rotten”.
“I got very bad morning sickness,” she confessed. “I'm not the happiest of pregnant people. Lots of people have it far, far worse. It was definitely a challenge.”
And she said it didn’t just take a toll on her but on husband, The Duke of Cambridge, too.
“ William didn't feel he could do much to help and it's hard to see you're suffering without actually being able to do anything about it."
"It was utterly rotten. I was really sick. I wasn't eating the things I should be eating and yet the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating."
Unlike most people, Kate suffers so much during pregnancy that actual labour can feel like the easy part.
"Because it had been so bad during pregnancy, I actually really quite liked labour… Because actually it was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to! But I know some people have really, really difficult times, so it's not for everybody. No pregnancy is the same, no birth is the same," she explained.
READ MORE: PRINCE WILLIAM PLANNED 'SPECIAL' VALENTINE'S DAY FOR KATE
The Duchess – who joined Giovanna to raise awareness of her 5 Big Questions survey on early childhood – said she wishes she’d known some things prior to giving birth.
"Also I feel huge responsibility because what I've learnt over the last few years is so fascinating and I definitely would have done things differently, even during my pregnancy, than I would have done now," she said.
“Because you know - the science - and I found that fascinating to see the wellbeing of the mother – not just physically, you know there's so much information about making sure you exercise and making sure you have a healthy diet and things like that, which yes is definitely important. But the emotional wellbeing of the mother directly impacts the baby that you're growing."
