An antenatal class has come up with a unique way of ensuring that birth partners can experience the highs and lows of childbirth, by recreating that crucial pain element.
The class, which is offered by Instituto Mundo Mae (World Mother Institute), helps offer advice to dozens of new parents in Goiania, Brazil- and a healthy dose of payback if you're that way inclined.
Much of the class is about working with expectant fathers on caring for their new baby, and by helping build up their understanding of what a partner is going through and how their body changes.
But since learning by doing is often the best way with parenting, the hospital have decided to offer some first hand experience - by means of a labour simulator.
The simulator uses a series of shock waves to the stomach area which cause muscles to contract, mimicking the pain a person goes through during labour and the results can get quite hairy indeed.
One man was seen shaking as he tried the machine, as some fathers were seen wincing and crushing their partners hands.
Gustavo Magalhaes, who attended the class alongside his partner Alessa Venturini, said the experience was "painful" though he was pleased to have attended the event and experienced some of what his partner was going through.
"It was very interesting to learn and understand better what my wife will go through in her situation," he remarked.
Despite it's slightly barbaric looking appearance, the machine does have varying pain thresholds to simulate the different stages, and nobody who doesn't want to is made to try.
Owner of the maternity hospital, Morgana Garcia, said:"the goal is to inform the couple about phases of labour: when to go to the hospital, which are the positions to ease the childbirth process or relieving pain techniques."
Partners typically try the machine at the end of the session but luckily there are plenty of breathing exercises and enjoyable parts to the class too.
