Zoe Hardman on ‘rough’ pregnancy as she introduces baby son Kit

Radio DJ and TV presenter Zoe Hardman has told of how she turned to self-hypnosis techniques during her second pregnancy following the trauma of her first birth.

Hardman gave birth to her second child, son Kit, in late April, less than two years after welcoming daughter Luna.

Introducing her new-born, Hardman told Hello! magazine: “The first time around I was a smug pregnant lady saying ‘this is easy’, until the birth.”

She said she needed the meditative sessions of hypnobirthing – which teaches self-hypnosis methods for controlling pain in labour – to help overcome her anxiety.

Hardman said her second pregnancy was “so rough”, and that the “hypnobirthing sessions really reset me”.

Using Doran Jones’s nickname Dozza, she added: “I came back from my class and said to Dozza, ‘I feel like I’m getting there, this is going to be a new birth, a new baby’, and I was really calm going into it this time.”

“And by about five past midnight Kit was born.”

The Heart FM DJ and former Take Me Out: The Gossip host added: “The staff at The Royal Surrey were so kind and supportive. I was so grateful, we are lucky to have the NHS.”

Doran Jones said: “I find it bizarre that women have all these opinions on childbirth, there is a lot of judgment. It should be each to their own, you have to do whatever works for you, it’s such a personal choice.

“But why would you go through all that pain when you don’t have to?”

Hello! magazine is out now.